For six days Hashem shaped our entire universe. All matter was designed and crafted into a universe carefully calibrated to ensure long-term sustainability. Finally, toward the end of the sixth day, the pinnacle of creation was fashioned from the earth itself. Man was created in the Divine image and Hashem Himself breathed life into this sovereign creature. Without question, the “source” from which this earth was taken to fashion all of humanity is an important part of human identity. The actual earth from which Man is fashioned will deeply shape his character.
One version of the Midrash asserts that this formative earth was collected from scattered corners of the planet. Our entire planet was created solely for Man—the only creature possessing free will and the only one capable of freely embracing and advancing the Divine presence in our realm. To inaugurate this hierarchy and firmly entrench Man in this position of superiority, the human body is composed of collected dust spanning the entire planet. Furthermore, the amassed dirt endowed man with the ability and interest to inhabit the entire planet. Hashem doesn’t desire a bare and unoccupied planet but prefers that it be settled and cultivated. Human beings display an unquenchable craving to discover their world and subject it to human habitation. This powerful impulse is innate and primal as it was embedded in human consciousness at the dawn of creation through the very dust from which all Man was formed.
Interestingly, the second version of the Midrash claims that Hashem collected earth from the Temple Mount to fashion the father of Man. Indeed, humanity stretches across broad horizons, but all human experience began in Zion. This process of creating Man from dirt of Yerushalayim created an intense and primordial human longing to return to this location—the source of life and of creation. Not only did history originate in Israel, but it will also conclude on that mountain in Yerushalayim. The international preoccupation with the Land of Israel and the city of Yerushalayim isn’t coincidental and certainly not geopolitical. It is deeply grounded in human consciousness and reflects a primitive longing to return to the source of creation.
Of course, humanity is not conscious of this longing and certainly cannot articulate this desire, but it is hardwired to human identity from the dawn of time and it has dictated international decisions about this land. In ancient eras, monarchs across the globe vied to acquire a toehold in Israel. Without this grip in Israel, their empires were viewed as inferior or even irrelevant. Driven by an innate and unconscious desire to return to the source of human experience, these empires competed tenaciously for a stake in this pivotal site.
The same innate desire has persisted throughout history and has ensured constant preoccupation with the affairs of this tiny but central strip of land. The Book of Shir Hashirim—a poem about human and Jewish history—refers to the international community by the term “bnot Yerushalayim, daughters of Yerushalayim.” The term “daughter” often refers to a suburb that is affiliated with a larger metropolis. In the same way that a married daughter is a satellite of her natural family, a small hamlet is a satellite of a larger metropolis. Ultimately, the entire world will transform into satellites of Yerushalayim, which itself will transform into the epicenter of humanity. For this reason, every bustling capital was always metaphorically considered as bnot Yerushalayim. The disproportionate interest in Yerushalayim throughout history stems from the fact that human history began in this city, and the same mountain will one day serve as the heart of the Messianic world.
International preoccupation with Yerushalayim is driven by a second factor independent of Yerushalayim serving as the “platform for human history.” This city and the land are aligned with the Heavenly presence of Hashem and His presence is sensed more acutely in these environs. The lethal feud between Kayin and Hevel in Parshat Bereishit appears a bit pointless and tragic given the unlimited resources available to each. Presumably, the entire planet was at their disposal and a compromise should have been fairly effortless. Their feud (at least according to a popular version of the Midrash) surrounded one particular location, which each was unwilling to yield—the Temple Mount and the gateway to heaven. Having been expelled from Gan Eden, they each yearned to return to G-d’s presence and, sadly, this interest was so fanatical that it turned violent. Thousands of years before the first Jew ever strode our planet, two primal human beings tussled over the location in closest proximity to Hashem. Our land and our city draw extraordinary international interest both because they are aligned with the Divine presence and because Man was created from the dirt of Israel.
This primordial longing for Israel, and more acutely for Yerushalayim, continues to stream throughout history. Our presence in our homeland is so hotly contested precisely because it is the location where it “all” began. At a deep and indiscernible level, the world recognizes Yerushalayim as both the origin and terminus of human experience and craves engagement with this city and this land. This understanding should frame our struggle to extend Jewish sovereignty over Israel against international opposition. Acknowledging this reality should shape our mindsets in our ongoing battle with anti-Israel opponents. This “human” longing for Israel and Yerushalayim and the opposition to Jewish presence cannot be completely resolved through political arrangements or treaties. This preoccupation with Israel and Yerushalayim is hardwired into human identity and can only be fully resolved historically and prophetically. Of course, any “arrangement” that can mitigate hostilities and reduce tensions should be tirelessly pursued, but the notion of an absolute and comprehensive solution to this feud is historically blind and hopelessly naïve. It should be stressed once again that this should not encourage fatalism or discourage attempts to soften the standoff through diplomatic means. However, we are facing historical opposition that has surged throughout millennia and which cannot be fully settled until the world itself is transformed.
Secondly, this concept provides a very different model for understanding anti-Israel opposition. Too often we trace anti-Israel sentiment to classic anti-Semitism. For thousands of years we have suffered through the doctrine of “Esav sonei l’Ya’akov” (Chazal’s phrase depicting anti-Semitism as irresolvable), and for many this paradigm explains continuing hostility to the Jewish State of Israel. Without question, some, if not much, of the anti-Israel sentiment is merely classic anti-Semitism masking itself as geopolitical concerns. Anti-Semitism has adopted many different forms and “masks” throughout history, and geopolitics is one of its modern incarnations. However, some anti-Israel sentiment is unrelated and untraceable to classic anti-Semitism and instead is based upon the recognition that history has once again started to progress and Yerushalayim is once again a center of human experience. This is exciting for some and jarring for others, but it indisputably signals the resurrection of the historical process. Of course, these are not ideas that are verbally articulated, but as Jews we believe in larger forces that are undetectable, but which deeply shape human experience and the historical process. Simply applying the paradigm of anti-Semitism to all anti-Israel activity is inaccurate and ignores the deep human longing to return to the source of human experience and the eventual terminus of the historical process.
Of course, this recognition also reminds us that the international community seeks Yerushalayim for admirable reasons. Our Messianic vision includes the final gathering of humanity in Zion as the entire world heralds the Divine Authority and recognizes the Jews as His chosen people. Our world is still ‘broken” and the world’s desire for Yerushalayim still can’t be reconciled with an acknowledgement of the Jewish right to this land. At the root though, these two values are reconcilable and one day will be harmonized. As we defeat our hostile enemies we can’t disregard the fact that their opposition is driven by a fundamental desire to return to the root of human experience and align themselves with the historical trajectory. Their desire is fundamental to human identity and a yearning we don’t easily dismiss.
By Moshe Taragin
Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rebbe at Yeshivat Har Etzion located in Gush Etzion, where he resides.
