blogs/rabbi-joshua-hoffman

Many years ago when I was a rabbinical student, I spent a year studying in Jerusalem. It was a very difficult time in many respects. Suicide bombings were taking place in the heart of the city. The world was in a frenzy of fear in the wake of the attacks in New York on September 11th, and there was a persistent despair on the streets, in the markets, and in the classrooms. There wasn't a sense that the Intifada unleashed on innocent Israelis and Palestinians was going to end soon.

During that time, I received a call from our landlord, Tzofit, where she quietly expressed a concern to Becky and me about our safety and about staying in Jerusalem through this madness. "You should go home, if you can," she told us. I paused for a moment, knowing that we had the option to stay or go. I responded to her with confidence, "No. We are family and we're staying here." It was a pivotal moment in my life, a time when I made a decision not solely upon my own needs and safety. My destiny was (and still is) bound up with the Jewish people, with the joys and sadness of being a Jew in a very tough part of the world. Certainly, we were not in imminent danger, though the threat was very real and present. In that moment I affirmed that our destiny was inextricably bound together, whether we were living in Jerusalem or Los Angeles. We're family, and we act in the face crisis and triumph together. It wasn't 'us' or 'them.' It was 'us.'

This is a challenge laid out long before my year of study in Jerusalem and the more recent challenges of being in Israel during the current war. In the Torah portion this week, the final chapters of the book of Bamidbar or Numbers, there are two lines that refer to part of the Jewish people who choose not to settle the land of Israel. 

"...the tribe of the children of Reuven according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers' houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Menashe have received, their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sun-rising." (34:15:16) The tribes of Gad, Reuven, and the 1/2 tribe of Menashe see the land on the other side of the Jordan River valley and receive permission from Moshe to settle there, upon the conditionally successful conquest of the Land. First, Moshe asks them a penetrating question, "Will your brothers go to war and you remain here?" (Num. 32:6) Their response is confirming."We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones. But we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the Land. We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance." (32:16-18)

At first, this may seem like a text debating land settlement and calling for military support in a time of war. The concern for protecting the children is very real. But there is tremendous depth in this interchange, and we can understand why Moshe and God even blessed the two and a half tribes to dwell outside the Land of Israel as a result. In short, each tribe needed the other, and the everlasting
pact was confirmed here.

Living outside the borders of the Land constantly presents questions of identity, concern, and solidarity. We have a choice to live our lives differently than how our brothers and sisters live here in Israel. While on the surface, there appears to be a distinction between us and them - those who live in the Land and those who don't -the message is far more essential than a question of boundary or geography. The message is that we are obligated to support and sustain the Land of Israel, through political organization, through Federation partnerships and sister congregations, and most importantly through our individual and collective will to be there.

As the Torah narrative unfolds, the tribes who don't enter the Land continue to thrive. Their success is found both in their own quest for peace and safety and in their unqualified support for their brothers and sisters in Israel. I used to read these texts as a challenge to the 'good life' I am leading in the United States, that somehow my freedom here is separate from whatever travails the people of Israel sustain at any time. I believe now that whatever freedom and prosperity I enjoy is not in spite of my connection to Israel. I am free to live in peace and security precisely because I am connected to Israel.

The despair is that the strife, conflict, and sadness in Israel are very real. The despair is that the peace and tranquility I am so very lucky to enjoy nearly every day of my life while suffering exists somewhere else, and I despair seeing that this fortune is not yet fully expressed here in the Land. We are obligated to protect and defend the State and the people of Israel until that promise is one day realized.

So, what now? If a snap of fingers or a strong arm of political will could solve the real problems in Israel, we would have done so already. But, instead of turning away and dwelling in our own sense of security, we proudly stand up and seek out the peace and security for all who suffer in our midst. Let us quest for peace, for us, for our ancestors and descendents, with a prayer to God to reach this place with our best values, genuine integrity, and sincere hope.