Staying United Amongst the Divide

Staying United Amongst the Divide

With the Israeli elections taking place, there is no shortage of opinions about what the future of Israel should look like. Whether it’s the conversation about future leadership, security of the Israeli people or the overall direction of the country, everyone and their mother has an opinion about what should happen next within our homeland. For Jews worldwide, in the diaspora as well as in Israel itself, these discussions are not merely political but are about the preservation of our ancestral homeland, a place that holds tremendous significance to our nation.

Yet, as we approach Chanukah, a holiday celebrating the Jewish victory over the Greeks, there is an interesting comparison worth mentioning. Chanukah represents Jewish identity and the lengths we will go as a people to preserve it, much like the election taking place in the very land that saw so many miracles and stories of Jewish self-preservation.

This begs the question of, how can we celebrate Jewish unity when we seemingly do not all agree on what is best for the Jewish people?

When we think about Chanukah, we often remark on the victory of the small Jewish army over the powerful Grecian one, followed by the miracle of the preserved oil for eight days and nights. However, Chassidus explains that the conflict between the Jews and the Greeks was more than just military control.

The Greeks were not necessarily opposed to the study of Torah. In fact, Greek culture has always historically placed tremendous emphasis on philosophy and studying. What they opposed, however, was the fact that Torah is Divine; that Torah comes from Gd and is not merely a study book or a collection of beliefs and practices. At its core, Judaism and the Torah is the sole belief that there is a connection between every Jew and Hashem, regardless of that person’s level of knowledge and understanding of the Torah. This is something that exists eternally, beneath all of the opinions, political or not.

So when we think about Jewish unity, it is almost ideal to assume that there would be less division if we all collectively agreed, right? But is that really what unity represents?

The Jewish people have historically always had differences; different opinions, backgrounds, customs and general approaches to life. Even within the Torah itself, we often come across disagreements between learned scholars with different perspectives, and have studied them throughout Jewish history. We see here that unity is possible even with the existence of disagreement and it’s particularly important and relevant when discussing the fate of Israel. Two (or more) people, in this case, political candidates, can both care deeply about the future of Israel and the Jewish people while simultaneously having drastically different opinions. They both may be motivated by a collective concern for the Jewish people yet their approaches to the betterment of the country are very different. But should someone's political opinion become the defining characteristic of the kind of Jew that they are? Obviously not, right?

The discovery of the last flask of oil in the Beis Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, marks one of the most significant parts of the Chanukah story. The Greeks deliberately defiled the Temple and its stock of oil yet one remained which is the miracle we commemorate each year until today. Chassidus explains that the pure oil that was found in the Temple marks the deepest part of a Jewish soul’s connection to Gd, and how it could not be contaminated by outside influences. And just as that pure oil remained untouched despite the destruction surrounding it, the connection of every Jew to Gd remains intact regardless of any external circumstances. At the end of the day, we are one people, united by Gd and rather than allowing our differences to pour into our opinions of others, as we enter this Chanukah period, let us make a conscious effort to recognize the connection beneath them.

May we merit to recognize the essential spark between our fellow Jews so we can forever remain a unified nation of Hashem, and may the outcome of this Israeli election produce only revealed good for the Jewish people. Am Israel Chai, from Judaica.com!