Crisis and Creativity in Jewish History

by Moshe Dann (March 2015)

As much as the Jewish people have been defined by faith, they have been shaped by their response to tragedies. No other group of people has been subjected to such continuous and prolonged persecution and, simultaneously, has contributed so much to civilization. The dynamic of Jewish history is unique, not only because the Jewish people have experienced periodic destruction, but because they survived and prevailed against overwhelming odds.

This is the only place in Torah where this specific number, seven, is given in reference to the number of times the Jewish people will be punished. Uniquely, its repetition four times corresponds to the four exiles into which the Jewish people were taken: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Rome. Seven completes a cycle and it is in this last stage that we now find ourselves.

This perspective when applied to biblical, archeological and historical sites in Eretz Yisrael helps document how Jewish history works. It provides a systematic frame of reference that gives continuity and meaning to disparate places. Because its scope does not include the very early period of Jewish history, sites from the time of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, like Alone Mamre and Machpelah, are not included. The following demonstrates how this approach can be utilized as an historical guide.

(1)  Slavery and the escape/expulsion of the Jews from Egypt provided the impetus for receiving Torah, the return to Eretz Yisrael and the flowering of Prophetic tradition.

A similar message was demonstrated when the Israelites came to Shechem (modern Nablus), at the twin mountains of Eval and Gerizim. During the period of Judges, the struggle between the Jewish people and the Canaanite/Philistine peoples focused primarily on survival, not only physically (for example, the story of Deborah in the area of Har Tavor and Hazor), but threatened by assimilation (as in the story of Samson in the area of Bet Shemesh, and Naomi and Ruth in ?Bethlehem). The threat of internal corruption appears in a story that takes place at Giva (Givat Shaul, in modern Shufat, a suburb of Jerusalem) where (during the period of Judges) a mob raped and murdered the concubine of a Jew from Bethlehem, resulting in a civil war among the tribes.

The importance of Shilo as a priestly ritual center (the Ark of the Covenant remained there for three and a half centuries) and the rise of Samuel as the greatest prophet of his day parallel the growing conflict with the Philistine armies and culminate in the appointment of Saul as king. Not until his successor, David, however, did the tribes unite, defeating their enemies decisively, establishing Jerusalem as their capitol and sanctifying what would become the Temple Mount, the place where Abraham brought Isaac nearly 1,000 years before.  

With prophet, priest and king in place, the stage is set for a monumental development. The building of the First Temple by Solomon reflects the apex of Jewish history, place of the Divine presence, symbol of peace and reconciliation.

The establishment of Jerusalem, the City of David, as the political and religious capital of the Jewish people inaugurates a new era of spiritual and material growth. Excavations there illuminate references in Tanach from the time of King David until its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

Jewish civilization struggled against internal corruption, the Assyrian invasion and apparently wide-spread assimilation. Excavations at Tel Dan indicate the seductive power of idol worship and a devastating political struggle. Despite brief periods of spiritual renewal during the time of Hezekiah and later Josiah, and great prophets, like Isaiah, Jewish civilization decayed rapidly. Even the prophet Jeremiah could not prevent impending destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians, and Exile.

(2)  Despite exile and captivity, however, the Jewish people, led by Prophets and Elders flourished in Babylon. Following the Persian conquest of the Babylonian Empire, Jews were given freedom and many thousands returned to Eretz Yisrael and, led by Ezra and Nechemia, they rebuilt the city of Jerusalem and the Second Temple. But many stayed behind.

In order to avoid a schism, The Men of the Great Assembly (Anshe Knesset HaGedolah, 120 of the leading sages of the time) instituted a systematic structure for Jewish life and practice. In exile and far from the Temple they had to create prayers and institutions, especially a calendar and synagogues that would fill the void and maintain common beliefs and practices throughout the Diaspora and in Eretz Yisrael. This enabled Judaism and the Jewish people to survive intact, despite persecutions.

During the 5^th and 4^th centuries BCE, Greek culture became more influential, assimilation, internal strife and corruption plagued the Hasmonean period, as Jewish sects, like the Essenes at Qumran and Saducees in Jerusalem, arose. Yet Jewish civilization flourished and under Herod, Jerusalem and the Temple became sites of extraordinary beauty and universal recognition as the spiritual center of the world. After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE, and Masada, a few years later, Jewish political independence and spiritual survival seemed doomed.

(3)  In spite of brutal Roman persecutions, however, Jewish life did not wither away. The destruction of the Second Temple and exile compelled a new direction. At Yavne, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakki assembled the surviving Sages who began to redact the Mishna, Oral Torah, law and traditions that had been handed down for generations, and reorient daily life from ritual offerings and Temple ceremonies towards communal and individual observance. The Bible was canonized and foundations laid for the Gemara, the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds edited by rabbis of the Sanhedrin.

By then the Byzantine Empire had stepped into the shoes of the Roman war lords. Nevertheless, despite persecution, Jews not only survived, but endured, farming and building villages, many with beautiful synagogues in the Galilee and dozens in the Golan. These vivid examples of flourishing Jewish life also reflect the delicate position that Jews faced. While maintaining their steadfast adherence to Judaism, they struggled desperately to survive as loyal subjects of foreign rulers, and as Jews.

Under the early Moslem conquerors, Jews were treated less harshly and, sometimes even decently. But this respite did not last long.

Maimonides (1135-1204), buried in Tiberias, was the greatest philosopher and physician of his day. His codification of Jewish law (Mishna Torah) made Halacha, the framework of Jewish life, more accessible. His great work in Jewish philosophy, Guide for the Perplexed, (written in Arabic) helped Jews who were drawn to Muslim philosophers find a Jewish alternative.

In the Middle East, the Mamlukes, a new Moslem army ruled from its capital in Egypt. Originally converted slaves, they seized power in the mid-13th century, stopped the Mongol armies from Asia Minor, beat the Crusaders, and often persecuted Jews. They were defeated by the Turks, in 1517, led by Suleiman the Magnificant who was responsible for rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem.

(5)  The expulsion of the Jews from Spain (in 1492) had a major effect on resettlement throughout the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe, but especially in Eretz Yisrael.

The Turks were at the right place and the right time. Basically friendly towards Jewish refugees fleeing persecution and expulsion, Suliman understood that Jews were essential in building his empire. Jews flocked to Safed and Hebron, for example, bringing with them professions, skills and commercial networks and a form of mystical Judaism, kabbalah, a movement that would change Jewish life. The kabbalists asked a haunting question: Where was G-d when the Jewish people were suffering? And they provided a profound answer.

The kabbalists proposed that the Jewish people were akin to sacrificial offerings, ?korbonot, whose purpose was to atone for and ultimately repair the fracturing of the world. Through their pain, the world could be made whole. Suffering, therefore, was neither senseless nor in vain, but was, at least, a measure of redemption that heralded the coming of the Messiah. By perfecting ourselves, we could alter the balance in the world. We mattered precisely because we had been chosen as victims. Persecution was not arbitrary, but part of a divine plan and Jews were the manifestation of its divine light. In prayer and song in the darkest of times one could still sanctify His Name.

Simultaneously, in Safed, Rabbi Yosef Caro (below the synagogue that bears his name) wrote a new codification of Jewish law that provided a clearer and more systematic rendition of previous works. Shulchan Aruch, written primarily for Sephardim, was amended for Ashkenazim by the leading authority on Jewish law, Rabbi Moses Isserlish, who lived in Poland, thus providing a single comprehensive work on the subject for all Jews.

Finally, the rabbis of Safed under the leadership of Rabbi Yaakov Berav proposed the re-establishment of a Sanhedrin, one of the institutions (along with Monarchy and a Temple) that precedes, or accompanies the coming of the Messiah. Not since the 4th century, when the Sanhedrin and Patriarchate were abolished by the Byzantine/Roman authorities had anyone dared suggest this move. And, although it was ultimately not accepted by most other authorities, it indicates that the rabbis in Safed believed they were on the verge of transforming the world.

Kabballist influence and proto-Messianic ideas had a deep influence on European Jews who were inspired by brilliant, colorful and imaginative ideas. Some of them, embodied in poems are sung on Shabbat. A generation later, riding the waves of religious enthusiasm, Shabtai Zvi nearly hoodwinked not only the masses of Jews, but their leaders as well. If the Sultan had not imprisoned and forced him to convert to Islam, he might have gotten away with it. The aftermath was spiritually devastating. Moreover, pogroms swept through the heartland of Eastern European Jewry.

For many, the establishment of the State of Israel was a sign that Redemption was near. At the time, for that reason, some suggested that a Sanhedrin should be re-established. Although it was rejected by most, the fact that it was proposed is significant. Not since the days of the kabbalists in Safed had this idea been seriously considered. The return of Jews to the Land of Israel gave inspiration to that great vision.

Assimilation appears to be as devastating to Jewish demographics as the Holocaust. Yet, simultaneously, large numbers of secular Jews are discovering their Jewish heritage and soon a majority of Jews in the world will be living in Eretz Yisrael. The process of physically returning to the Land of Israel and spiritual rededication to Jewish existence are at the core of individual and collective identity and transformation. This offers a clue to what Jewish history is and its relevance.

Jewish history is delineated by the belief in the perfectibility of man and his environment and a steadfast adherence to a vision, a sense of purpose and mission whose essence is Torah. Jewish history cannot be understood as a collection of individual achievements, as impressive as they are, but as commitment to living as Jews, to preserving Jewish identity and the Jewish people through shared traditions and common history.    

The dream of return and rebuilding the Land of Israel, the historic ingathering of Jews that has been a central theme throughout Jewish history is part of a process of redemption that fulfills ancient prophecies. That is Jewish destiny. For some, it is only a matter of coincidence, luck, and necessity. For those who take these things seriously, one must stand in awe at what has been accomplished, even with all the problems. But it is not in the realm of practical things and technological innovations that Jewish history can claim special recognition.

The evolution of a Divine plan transforms particular history into the realm of the Universal. This perspective weaves a consistent pattern of development that confronts and explains the mystery: not only how the Jewish people survived, but why.

Having resurrected ancient symbols within the context of a sovereign modern state and revived the Hebrew language, having brought hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab countries, Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union, Europe, America, India and South America and given them a new life as Israelis and as Jews, the State of Israel has redefined the terms of Jewish existence.

An earlier version was published in Ariel, The Israel Review of Arts and Letters, Jerusalem, 1998. 

Moshe Dann is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem. His new book, As Far As The Eye Can See, is published by New English Review Press.

 

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