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May 10 = 2007

Is The Land Our Land?

Shabbat Behar-Bechukotai:
Leviticus 25:1-27:34;
Jeremiah 16:19-17:14.

T

his week's Torah portion con- are based on religious beliefs and
tains verses that include the
speculative tradition?
laws concerning the Jewish
One's religious beliefs may govern
people living in the land promised to
one's behavior when others are not
them by God.
involved or are clearly
These laws include the
benefited, but not if oth-
Sabbatical (Leviticus 25:2-6)
ers are harmed. To cause
and the Jubilee (25:7-34)
suffering to others based
years. Those observances
on one's religious beliefs
reflect and emphasize God's
is not service to God, but
ownership of the land. In
an abomination. Certainly,
fact, the verse 25:23 states
religion and nationalism
it explicitly: "And the land
have caused more suffering
do not sell permanently
Rabbi Eliezer
in human history than any
because the land is Mine
other institutions — how
Cohen
[God's] because you are
Special to the
much more so when they
[but] sojourners and [tem-
Jewish News
combine together to justify
porary] dwellers with Me:'
one's harmful behavior
Even when God fulfills His promise
toward others.
to give the land to the nation; even
The Jewish state, of course, must
when they are dwelling there and
protect itself and its citizens and defeat
enjoying the promised redemption,
its real enemies. But to cause hardship,
they must acknowledge His sole own-
suffering and even death to innocent
ership: They cannot sell it they are but
civilians is reprehensible and the
"tenants" there.
ultimate chillul HaShem (desecration
Thus, when some claim "the land is
of God's name). Such behavior is also
ours; God gave it to us, and we can do
counter-productive and simply serves
whatever we want to maintain owner-
to spread hatred and to radicalize the
ship" — the Torah indicates that that
moderates who feel they have nothing
is not so.
to lose in joining the extremists.
Our claim, certainly, cannot be
Our goal should be to marginalize
unconditional; but it is not clear
the extremists and cultivate moderate
from the Torah what the conditions
leaders and the innocent civilians who
are. Whatever Halachah (Jewish
simply want to raise their families in
law) has been formulated to govern
peace and security with dignity and
our behavior in "our land" is based
prosperity; for ultimately, we must all
on sources whose realities (explicit
live together. God may have given us
Divine directives, monarchy, idola-
the land, but as a test and challenge
trous and immoral inhabitants, central to give us the opportunity to build a
rabbinical authority and a variety of
state based on the Torah's regard for
other conditions) do not now exist.
the value and dignity of every human
The very fact that the Torah-obser-
being and the justice and goodness of
vant community — from Satmar and
the Jewish people.
Neturei Karta, to Agudas Yisroel, to
Mizrachi and Gush Emunim — have
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Congregation Or
such different attitudes towards the
Chadash in Oak Park.
land and the State of Israel is a clear
indication such modern Halachah is
Conversations
nothing more than projections of pre-
Aside from religious sources,
conceived political attitudes toward
what other basis do we have
the state, rather than legally binding
for our claim on the land? What
objectively derived Jewish law based
can be done to marginalize the
on relevant sources.
extremists on both sides? What
If our claim to the land is based
is it about religion that seems so
solely on religious beliefs and mythol-
often to cause suffering rather
ogy, why should our "claim" be supe-
than joy?
rior to the claims of others when both