Tzipiyah.com

We hear this claim all the time: Isn’t Judaism racist? Isn’t Jewish nationalism racist? Isn’t Zionism racist?

How can you have any ideology or movement which differentiates between Jews and non-Jews and not call it racist? If Zionism or Jewish Nationalism is about the Jewish People building the Jewish Land, then it seems to be a racist ideology! If Judaism encourages Ahavat Israel, then it seems to be a racist religion – what about other people? Most people who make this claim despise Rav Kook and his ideology because he seems to embody everything they criticize in Judaism.

Those who make this claim do not understand anything about Judaism, Jewish Nationalism or Zionism. Let me try to clarify these things, but first, a little story which will serve as a basis to our analysis.

Rav Aryeh Levine wrote in his memoires (and it is found in the book “A Tzaddik in our time”):

I recall the early days, from 1905 onward, when it was granted me by the grace of the blessed Lord to go up to the holy land, and I came Jaffa. There I first went to visit our great master R. Abraham Isaac Kook (of blessed memory), who received everyone. We chatted together on themes of Torah study. After an early minhah (afternoon prayer-service) he went out, as his hallowed custom was, to stroll a bit in the fields and gather his thoughts; and I went along. On the way I plucked some branch or flower. Our great master was taken aback; and then he told me gently, “Believe me: In all my days I have taken care never to pluck a blade of grass or a flower needlessly, when it had the ability to grow or blossom. You know the teaching of the Sages that there is not a single blade of grass below, here on earth, which does not have a heavenly force (or angel) above telling it, Grow! Every sprout and leaf of grass says something, conveys some meaning. Every stone whispers some inner hidden message in the silence. Every creation utters its song (in praise of the Creator).”
Those words, spoken from a pure and holy heart, engraved themselves deeply on my heart. From that time on I began to feel a strong sense of compassion for everything. (Pages 108-109)

Why am I bringing up this story? For one simple reason: those who claim Rav Kook lacked love of other human beings because his love of Klal Israel are closing their eyes to an obvious truth. Rav Kook had more love for simple plants than most people today have for other human beings! And of course, he liked animals more than plants, and human beings more than animals! So his love for human beings surpassed the love all of his critics have for other human beings!

If there was a contest for the person who felt the most love for other human beings, I have no doubt whatsoever that Rav Kook would win.

Then, why make a difference with Klal Israel?

It’s very simple – the same reason why it is completely normal, I would even say healthy, to love your siblings more than strangers. Klal Israel is a family, a nation, and as such we need not only to have national pride but also a stronger depth of love for each other. Sure, I obviously realize that some people in the Jewish Nation do express racist thoughts and sometimes even blind hate against non Jews. However, those people are less than a minority, they are almost significant. For most, the love for the Jewish Nation is definitely not mutually exclusive to the love of humanity.

A more intense love for Klal Israel does not equal a lesser love for humanity.

How do you, personally, balance you national love and pride with your love for all of mankind?