In your opinion, what is the original spirit of the Abrahamic faiths?
Perhaps your answer to that question would be something like what Hillel said, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn” Secular humanists look at the first part of the quote and forget about the second part, i.e. go and learn the Torah, but OK lets look at that first part.

What are the most hateful things that could happen to you? Wouldn’t it be pretty high on you list of hateful if there was no nation that shared your values, ideals, and people? Then you would be forced to be a guest in someone else’s nation with different values and ideals? Would you be willing to fight for a ‘particular piece of earth’ where you could practice your ideals without worry that they would be made illegal? Maybe that seems far fetched, but that was the situation for my people before we returned to Israel. Even now there are an increasing number of so called enlightened western nations where kosher slaughter is illegal, soon it might be circumcision that is banned. We only have the right to one really small ‘piece of earth’ where we can live as the masters of our fate.

The amazing part of this story, and probably one of the reasons that we’ve been successful is that from the very beginning we’ve been willing to share and compromise. We said yes to the Peel commission on partition in 1936, we said yes to partition in 1948, and still now we are willing to share the land. Please understand, we’re willing to share this tiny land, but not to commit suicide.

So please don’t lecture us about making the land a fetish! And please don’t lecture us about thinking more about land, objects, and geography than the ideals of our faith! That lecture needs to go to some other group.

That’s why the continuing modern conflict over particular land, objects, and geography is so antithetical to the original spirit of the Abrahamic faiths. Homelands and territories are important to any nation, absolutely, but there comes a point where the nation’s values, ideals, and people matter more than any particular piece of earth. In other words, the Heavenly Jerusalem should not be confused with the actual physical city. As with everything else, you have to strike a balance between the two.

On other matters there a few things that David said that make me fume. For example,
“Your faith’s triumph of timeless universals over rigid particulars”, and “the ritualization of memory” (in a negative way) and “fetishization of geography”
Judaism is so much more complex. No NOT a triumph of universal over particular, instead an amazing mix of the two where BOTH are given importance. And yes we do remember everything! That is one of our secret weapons, that is one reason why we’re still here. And as for the making a fetish of geography statement… Sara I wish you would write a blog about that one, because I can’t adequately tear it to shreds in a comment.
Shabbat Shalom to everyone!

We live in extreme times and many do not follow the dictate to think- rather they follow blindly the false idolatry of ideals.

I live in an area with a large concentration of ‘our people’ who worship their ideals and do not bother an iota with thought for people, consequences or rationale.

So yes, it holds to all. Each and every human being needs to balance thought, ideals and consequences of action within the context of reality -as it is- not as we want it to be.

Re: the historical shift from idols to ideals

I think it hasn’t necessary shifted so far. Many worship their ideals as blindly as they once worshipped their idols: to the extent that the ‘ideals’ replace logic, thought and humanity.

Aside from the many historical examples of communal worship of ideals over individuals- communism and Naszi’im to name a few choice ones- Jihadism to name a current one, many individuals and groups worship their ideals without thinking or using context.

So, you have wealthy American women from LA on a Flotilla to support Hamas which is an oppressive, sexist terrorist (to their own as well regime. There is no thought there.

In all woship there must be rational thought, discourse and discretion. Ours is unique in that it demands it.

This Western concept of living anywhere with a clean slate and looking only forward is strange to billios of people, and I’m not sure this self made man with no past thing is working out too well for the West, either. Time will tell. (Not that I’m talking about any particular self made man with no past, mind you.)

I’m with you all the way on the empathy thing.

I feel like we’d have great arguments over coffee. Thanks for writing back!

Your article here touches all kinds of interesting issues, particularly the challenge of reconciling ethnic solidarity with global perspective. Culture, especially language and religion, is essentially a shared territory of meaning; the danger is when one forgets that their nation’s narrative is just a particular articulation of the greater universal “grammar” of human nature. That doesn’t mean ethnicity is irrelevant: contrary to your critical Hellenic title, Herodotus himself famously observed that, when asked to choose the best customs in the world, any individual would naturally select that of their own nation. But it is always important to not idolize identity to the point where it dulls empathy towards others. The golden mean, right? All right, enough with the Greeks.

This appreciation of archetypes is especially relevant to Judaism, which contributed so heavily in the historical shift from idols to ideals dating all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Your faith’s triumph of timeless universals over rigid particulars makes the current political fetishization of geography seem even more petty. Whether it’s the Orthodox settlers illegally driving Arabs from their homes, or Helen Thomas suggesting that Israeli Jews leave theirs, these people are viewing the Other through a dehumanizing shorthand. If religion (and Jung) taught us anything, it’s to make the effort (and it can be an effort) of seeing the opposing party as human.

Speaking of which, I have already been to Damascus and Ankara, limbs intact, and there’s pretty much the same ratio of goodwill and ignorance on the street there as in any major capitals. But, come on, you wouldn’t have to teach anyone in Syria about hospitality: when the locals invite you somewhere with “Ahlan wa sahlan”, they really mean it (and many will quietly admit they’re as fed up with Assad as most of the outside world). The biggest obstacle to more empathy there is the acquiescence of governments to a hostile status quo over the real long-term stability the land deserves.