The Concept of Unification

Israel was founded on Western values, including the value of Western democracy. But does the parliamentarian democracy existing today in Israel reflect Jewish values?

The underlying assumption of Western parliamentarian democracy is that society is comprised of multiple sub-groups that represent different cultures, values and interests -- some of which are in conflict with each other. The parliamentary system allows for proportional representation of these different groups, thus preserving the fabric of the society to which they all belong. In essence, the principle upon which parliamentary democracy is based is that society will always be a collection of fragments and sub groups. Unifying them to accept one set of ideals or values is deemed unnecessary and impossible.

In contrast, Judaism is based on the concept of unification -- not only of society and the nation, but also of the entire creation. The diversity within Judaism remains within the framework of our shared ultimate goal.

Although there are many groups and fragments in society to date, Judaism sees this fragmentation as transient.

The ultimate reality is unification, and it is upon us to create that reality in all that we do. As such, the role of the sovereign state is to express and actualize the Jewish yearning for unification -- of our goals as a People and of all of creation.

Here we must ask ourselves if the Western parliamentary democratic system has the tools with which to express the Jewish motivating principle of unification.

Are You Jewish or an Unfettered Individualist?

Western thought aggrandizes the individual. In modern Western society, the state serves the individual, providing him with security, financial opportunity, health care, culture and more. Individual, human rights determine how laws are introduced and enforced. Modern society allows each person to celebrate his own personal culture and values. While these are his rights, his obligations to society are few and inconsequential. The "nation" is viewed as a collection of individuals, bound together by very loose and non-committal technical interests. This leads to the current trend toward a "state of all its citizens."

While a state of all its citizens may be appropriate for the nations of the world, it in no way reflects the organic unity of the Nation of Israel. In the past decades, hundreds of thousands of Jews have come to live in Israel -- literally from the four corners of the earth. On the surface, nothing unites them. They look different, speak different languages, have different cultures and norms, dress differently and eat different foods. Yet they all came to Israel to express their essential oneness -- the basic Jewish identity that unifies them into one nation. This basic, organic Jewish identity defines our lives and our very being -- whether we like it or not. It is impossible to understand how the Jewish nation has survived and flourished despite millennia of persecution without understanding the secret of Jewish identity -- the super-rational and unbreakable bond that exists in every Jew to his Divine source.

How should a Jewish government reflect this basic Jewish solidarity and identity? How can the form of regime chosen to govern reflect and create the awareness in society that each individual in Israel is part of a collective of shared, Divine values?

Can the Torah Fashion Modern Society?

The Torah has set down the guiding principles. The challenge for the Torah scholars of our generation and the generations to come is to develop these guidelines so that they can be applied to every facet of a modern and developing Jewish society.