By Rabbi David Levin-Kruss
Introduction
“Israel is laid waste. His seed is no more!” Carved on a big black stone in Egypt in the thirteenth century BCE, these are the first words about the Jews outside the bible. And, ironically, they’re a death notice for one of the world’s longest living peoples. Contrary to “one’s seed being no more,” the survival of the Jewish people is an exciting puzzle to be solved. So much so that the Dalai Lama has met with prominent Jewish thinkers to learn from them how Tibetans can survive their own diaspora.
Here are five popular answers to the question of why Jewishness has survived:
- Antisemitism
If you’re hated, you’re less likely or not permitted to become part of general society. This, in turn, can make you feel unique and encourage the development of a robust culture and identity. Of course, and I say this more than a little cynicism, one needs the right amount of antisemitism. Enough to keep Jews apart, not so much that they are destroyed.
- Separation and adaptation
The Chatam Sofer (Rabbi Moses Schreiber,1762–1839), basing himself on classical midrashim (legends) said: We were led out of Egypt because we kept three things: our name, our clothing, and our language. The Jewish religion and way of life mandated that Jews looked and sounded different from others which prevented them becoming part of the mainstream.
But the Chatam Sofer’s advice was not universally followed. For example, Philo (c. 20 BCE – c. 50 CE), a Greek Jewish philosopher, had a gentile name, spoke, and wrote in the vernacular, and dressed like his social group.
Had Jews been too rigid and kept totally separate they would not have been able to adapt to new conditions. Instead, they did a balancing act between remaining distinct and being part of society.
- Goal oriented
The Jewish golden age is not in the past but in the future. The aim of Jewish life is to bring about a world of justice and peace. Alas, there is a lot of work to do but the positive side of this unfinished business is that Jews need to continue working till they achieve their objective.
- Diversity and uniformity
Jewish texts encourage questioning and debate. Even today, but especially before the State of Israel, there was no central authority and local communities were able to be independent and live their lives according to their own ideas. This variety kept the Jewish people dynamic. But it could also have led, before mass communication, to each locale becoming its own religion, people, or ethnicity.
However, because Jews moved or were forced to move, they then met other Jews who had their own customs. Ideas or practices that differed encountered each other and were combined or reconciled and the Jews remained one people.
- Torah and G-d
To many believers, all this is profoundly irrelevant. They know that it is the study of Torah and the will of G-d that have enabled Jews to survive. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972, Poland and United States) said: “The Jews are G-d’s stake in human history.”
Conclusion
The Dalai Lama asked how Jews survived in the diaspora. But just to survive is not necessarily of value. While the “how” is important, even more crucial is the purpose of continuity and the nature of what survived. Does it inspire? Does it cause people to act in good ways? Does it create strong communities? Does it provide structures to deal with life and its meaning?
My hunch is that studying the “why” and the “what” of Jewish life will lead us to the “how.” The “product” survived because it was a good one. And the more we work to create Jewish communities and Jewish life that is relevant, compelling, liberating, and exciting, the more we will be part of Jews being around in another 4,000 years.
On Shavuot, which is celebrated in a few days, we honor the Torah, the basis of Jewish values and life. I hope what I shared contains useful thoughts for these special days. Chag sameach!
Bibliography
- How Did the Jews Survive? Two Unlikely Historical Explanations by David N. Myers
- How Have the Jewish People Survived? By Dr. Michael Laitman
- How the Jewish People Have Survived … And Why They Still Will by Tal Keinan
- How the Jews Survived by Graham Turner
- Jewish Survival – the Facts and Its Implications by Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb
- Language, Dress, Names as a Prescription for Nationhood by Yael Shahar
- The Science of Jewish Survival by Dov Greenberg
- What’s the Secret to Jewish Survival? By Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz