Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D
Jews have survived for centuries, often
living under very poor conditions. Yet, they made it. Jews are in general not
more or less capable than others. The question is what is the secret of their
survival? What keeps Jews Jewish in good times or bad? A few ideas come to
mind.
1.
Survival skills
When the second
temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, Jewish sovereignty
ended in the land of Israel. From then on, Jews had to live under the hegemony
of other people and cultures. Many lived in Christian societies, and others,
later on, in Muslim countries. Even though they lived as tolerated minorities,
they somehow managed to create a culture of their own by absorbing the best of
what the dominating societies had to offer. In the Greco-Roman period, Jews
created an imposing rabbinic literature. Living in Muslim Spain, they gave rise
to a rich literature of poetry and philosophy. They survived by adapting to the
environment.
2.
Kinship
There is a
rabbinic saying that “All of Israel are responsible for one another.” (Shevuot
39a). This is the basis of the notion of communal responsibility in Jewish law.
In other words, if a Jew sees another on the verge of sinning, he/she has an obligation to step in and help. But the concept goes
even beyond that. Jews are expected to look for one another, especially when
living in hostile countries.
3.
Intellectual pursuit
According to a
rabbinic teaching, “the study of Torah is equal to all other religious
obligations “ (Peah 1:1). This dictum has been the center point of Jewish life throughout
the centuries. Jews soon realized that in order to advance in life and survive as
individuals, they needed to pursue science and special skills. In the past,
many Jews were not allowed to practice all types of trades and were forced to
concentrate on limited choices of work. For example, until the 16th cent.
Catholics were forbidden by the church to engage in money lending. So, Jews were
forced to do that. Many Jews in the past could not work as farmers because they
were not allowed to own lands. So, they excelled in only those professions that
were still open to them. And most of them did well.
4.
Religious cohesion
The Jewish
religion has been a powerful unifying element in Jewish life. Some in the past
and many even now believe that God has had a special covenant with the Jewish
people, that will guarantee their survival. Reading through Esther Rabba, an
early rabbinic Midrash (c.500 CE), one
comes out with the realization that many past kingdoms have disappeared (i.e.
Greco-Roman, Babylonian, Persian etc), and yet we Jews are here. This belief
has been a comforting message to Jews who were suffering. Furthermore, the practice
of Jewish rituals and festivals, albeit in different forms, have had a unifying
force that kept Jews strong and hopeful.
The Nazis did
not destroy the Jewish people, nor will Hamas in our time.
Am Yisrael hay!
The Jewish people will live.
SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogstop.com
