The Universal Roots of Judaism
Become Easier to See by the Day
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Theodor Herzl (1860-1904)
The perfect safety of Israel as a Jewish State has been a moral
imperative to mankind as a whole, especially since the World War II and the Holocaust.
The fact can be easily seen by anyone who is aware of historical events and has
a sense of impartial justice regarding life.
In order for this moral
imperative to be more widely understood, however, Roman Catholicism as such will
probably have to cease existing, or it must destroy the historical roots of its
own anti-Semitism, which dates back to the “imperial” phase of Christianity.
The seeds of criminal anti-Semitism feed on the dominant forms of “Christian”
theology.
Common sense shows that supporting
Israel is an act of justice to a long-persecuted and despised nation. Seen as a
dynamic process, Israel also constitutes a utopian search in the noblest sense
of the word and a beacon of light for present civilization in its cultural and
ethical dimensions.
Of course many a Jew does not
support Israel, and there are those who actively boycott it, sometimes in
covert ways. Israel is not a Jewish
question only. Supporting it is the duty of every ethically-oriented human
being. One does not need to be a Jew, much less an observant Jew, to support the
Jewish nation. It is enough to be human and have a sense of historical justice,
to see such a moral duty.
The rebirth of the State of Israel,
which has been slowly taking place, is a natural movement in History: its
enemies had better get used to it.
The building of the Jewish home started quite some
time ago and will continue throughout the present century. The project is multidimensional. It does not
belong to political parties, “left-wing” or “right-wing”. It was not formulated
in the 19th century: its 2,000-year antiquity is mentioned in the national
anthem, Hatikvah.
There is no way to separate Judaism from Israel, or to
think that Israel, imperfect as it is, could be “unnecessary” to the Jewish
tradition. Theodor Herzl, the founder of
modern Zionism, wrote in the preface to his book “The Jewish State”:
“The idea which I have developed in this pamphlet is a
very old one (…). I wish it to be
clearly understood from the outset that no portion of my argument is based on a
new discovery.” [1]
Undoubtedly, the present form of the Land of Israel is
a rebirth from ancient times. The
Jewish state is a cyclic event. It can’t be seen as an isolated fact: like a
new day and a new year, it constitutes a tidal necessity in the Ocean of Life, and
its fulfilment takes place alongside other and contradictory waves of events.
Evolutionary tides constitute a natural rule of life,
and classic theosophy uses both Eastern and Western sources to teach the Law of
“tidal” Cycles. The doctrine is stated in these well-known words of
Ecclesiastes:
“Only that shall happen
Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!”
Ecclesiastes proceeds:
“Sometimes there is a phenomenon of which they say, ‘Look, this one is
new!’ - it occurred long since, in ages that went by before us. The earlier
ones are not remembered; so too those that will occur later will no more be
remembered than those that will occur at the very end.” (Ecclesiastes, I, 9-11)
In the way of a poetic mantra, the Scripture says
again:
“…Whatever God has brought to pass will recur
evermore.” (Ecclesiastes, 3: 14) [2]
And that presumably includes human lives and the
cycles of nations.
Individual reincarnation, the Jewish Gilgul, is part of the law of cycles and
a central tenet in Hinduism, Buddhism and Theosophy. It was also taught in the
first centuries of Christianity. Isaac Luria is a classic Jewish source in the
study of reincarnation, but evidences are many in older scriptures, of which we
could mention the Bahir and the Zohar. Tyron Goldschmidt and Beth Seacord
write:
“The most extensive and detailed Jewish exposition of
reincarnation is Sha’ar HaGilgulim (The
Gate of Reincarnations), a record of the teaching of Isaac Luria on the subject
by his primary disciple, Hayyim Vital.” [3]
Classic theosophical sources teach that reincarnation
or the law of cycles does not apply to individual souls only. Entire civilizations
are born and built once and again. One of the Eastern Masters of esoteric
philosophy wrote:
“…Nor do we feel in any way concerned about the
revival of our ancient arts and high civilization, for these are as sure to
come back in their time, and in a higher form as the Plesiosaurus and the
Megatherium in theirs. We have the weakness to believe in ever recurrent cycles
and hope to quicken the resurrection
of what is past and gone. We could not
impede it even if we would. The ‘new civilization’ will be but the child of the
old one, and we have but to leave the eternal law to take its own course to
have our dead ones come out of their graves; yet, we are certainly anxious to
hasten the welcome event.” [4]
And in her 1877 book “Isis Unveiled” Helena Blavatsky
wrote:
“Be this as it may, the religion of the ancients is the religion of the future. A few
centuries more, and there will linger no sectarian beliefs in either of the
great religions of humanity. Brahmanism and Buddhism, Christianity and
Mahometanism will all disappear before the mighty rush of facts. ‘I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh’, writes the
prophet Joel. ‘Verily I say unto you . . . greater works than these shall you
do’, promises Jesus. But this can only come to pass when the world returns to
the grand religion of the past; the knowledge
of those majestic systems which preceded, by far, Brahmanism, and even the
primitive monotheism of the ancient Chaldeans.” [5]
That gives us a wider context from which to look at
the recent existence of Israel. Its slow building is no passing event. It has
roots in human soul. The rebirth of Israel, its Gilgul, is part of a larger cyclic movement in human history which
brings wisdom back, one way or another.
The 21st century paroxysms of psychological violence, abuse
of children, war, terror and corruption are expressions of an Alchemical boiling
in the cauldron of human soul. There is a painful Karmic fever accompanying the
higher aspects of human transformation. Leading an ethical life is the best way
for one to help reduce the causes of suffering and despair.
The Second World War and the Holocaust both preceded and
prepared the formal creation of Israel in 1948. Who knows what the needs are in
the Balance of Justice for the next steps in human evolution to be taken?
Perhaps no one has the answer.
The present levels of social injustice, anti-Semitism,
organized crime and lack of good will
around the world suggest that there will be a price to pay for the next
springtime of ethics and spirituality. Regardless of uncertainties, Israel does
not belong to the past more than it belongs to the future of mankind, and each
citizen around the globe can do his or her best to reduce the pain necessary to
the dawn of a better civilization. The universal roots of Judaism become easier
to see by the day. The inter-religious and multicultural character of both Jewish
nation and Israeli society are as undeniable today as they were in any other
time, only more evident.
While life is imperfect, improvement is always a
possibility. The pluralistic lesson embodied in Israel is of importance for everyone.
Israel, like India, China and other ancient cultures, has something to teach
the world.
However, a universal view of life does not mean
carelessly mixing all schools of thought or attempting to merge them into one.
Shallow thinking is of no use. While young countries may be inclined to naïve syncretism,
it is never a good idea to forcefully suppress specific traditions in the name
of human unity.
Inter-religious dialogue, if frank, is good. External
diversity complements the internal unity of human experience. Contrast is necessary to life. The small is the inner door to the big. The
seed reflects the tree: the universals can be found in the specifics, just as
the cosmos is present in every atom. One must cherish and study the unique
tradition of Judaism in itself, in order to fully recognize in it the presence
of that universal wisdom that also belongs to other nations. One key characteristic of Judaism is its
internal diversity and contrast. As Jonathan Sacks puts it, the unity is to be found in the diversity.
[6]
Though entirely human and having many lessons to
learn, the Land of Israel preserves, protects and embodies one of the main
wisdom-traditions of our humanity. At the same time, it constitutes a safe
haven for various religious minorities in the Middle East. As a national
project, it is an imperfect yet real example of unified diversity.
Obvious facts are often not easy to see. It is for
instance utterly false to think that Arabs as such are enemies to Israel.
Arab-Israelis and Arabs living in other countries are by now visibly getting
fed up with hate and terrorism; and this is a green light for those who respect
human rights to get tougher regarding terrorism. It is a natural choice for honest
Arabs to get rid of terrorist “leaders” and be friends with Israel.
Law-abiding Arabs deserve full support and respect. As
to law-offenders, including priests and members of Parliament, law-enforcement is
probably the best approach to their activities. Difficult as it may seem to
understand, the fact remains that religious and political freedom do not include encouraging or inciting
violent criminal activities.
It is the right time now for good-willing citizens
and authorities - in Israel as well as around the world - to promote friendship
with peaceful Arab communities and citizens, while supporting policies that
will totally uproot terror and the preaching of terror in TV, radio, social
media or mosques.
NOTES:
[1] “The Jewish State”, Theodor Herzl, Dover
Publications, Inc., 1988, New York, USA, 160 pp., see p. 69.
[2] “Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures”, The Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia, USA, copyright 1985, 1624 pp. One should take into
consideration that the Book of Job is also an approach to the law of cycles and
can be read as a study in the round of Saturn. The Law of Cycles applies to every celestial body in our sky and to its
influence over human life, both in material and spiritual aspects.
[3] See the essay “Judaism, Reincarnation and Theodicy”,
by Tyron Goldschmidt and Beth Seacord, in “Faith and Philosophy”, October 2013,
pp. 393-417.
[4] “The Mahatma Letters”, Theosophical University Press,
Pasadena, CA, USA, Letter 28, pp. 214-215.
[5] “Isis Unveiled”, H. P. Blavatsky, Theosophy Co., Los
Angeles, Volume I, p. 613.
[6] “The Dignity of Difference”, Jonathan Sacks,
Bloomsbury, 2002-2014, 216 pp., see p. 53.
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The above article
is also published in our blog at “The Times of Israel”.
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On the role of the esoteric movement in the
ethical awakening of mankind during the 21st century, see the book “The Fire and Light of Theosophical Literature”, by
Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
Published in
2013 by The Aquarian Theosophist,
the volume has 255 pages and can be obtained through Amazon Books.
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