Rabbi ben Isaac (1040-1105)--called
Rabbi ben Isaac (1040-1105)--called by the Hebrew acronym of Rashi--is regarded as Judaism's greatest teacher. Almost every edition of the Talmud printed since the sixteenth century contains his glosses. Studying the Torah through the lens of Rashi's commentary upon it has been the average Jewish religious education for generations. Almost one hundred commentaries have been written solely on Rashi's commentaries. His influence upon the Jewish culture is nearly without parallel (save for Maimonides).
Let us look for a moment at Rashi's commentary on Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Rashi writes,
"Strictly speaking, the Torah should have commenced with the verse, 'This month shall be to you the beginning of months' [Exodus 12:2], which is the very first commandment given to [the Jews]. Why, then, did the Torah begin with the account of the creation? In order to illustrate that God the Creator owns the whole world. So, if the peoples of the world shall say to Israel: 'You are robbers in conquering the territory of the seven Canaanite nations,' Israel can answer them: 'All of the earth belongs to God--He created it, so He can give it to whomsoever He will.'"
The Canaanites are incorrectly called the ancestors of the Arab people, but the analogy is widely used. I have referred previously to the medievalism that seems to beset the Arab people, as evidenced by both their actions and their words. How equivalent, then, is the insistence that God Himself parcels out land to a given population? How similar, then, is a claim to ownership of property that is reinforced by Divine mandate?
How very much like the Arabs' is the Jewish claim to the Holy Land.
To claim--as is so often claimed--that the Israeli position is one of democratic modernity is to ignore the subtle cultural influence of teachings such as Rashi's. Even secular Jews such as David ben Gurion held fast to the notion of Israel's ordained place as masters of the Holy Land, mandated if not by God then by the forces of history.
Look at the situation in the Middle East today, and tell me that it is right and proper. See what goes on there, and tell me that it is the will of a just and good god.
There is nothing more at play here than the final death rattle of ancient human beliefs. To believe in the Apocalyptic designs of the heir to the Jewish bull-god is to deny any notion of the value of human life. Such conviction allows for the construction of fantasies of death, wherein the blood of innocents is demanded, and the death of martyrs honored. It allows for the fervent belief in the divine justice of one's own cause, and the studied ignorance of human injustice.
In this regard there is no difference between Jew and Arab. They both struggle against the restrictive weight of thousands of years of human tribalism. Their struggle is the struggle of us all.
