Sacred Cows Foul The Land
by Dov Chernok; Jerusalem February 21, 2007
Two events were prominent in the news: 1) the tripartite meeting of Dr. Rice, Ehud Olmert, and Muhammad Abbas; and 2) the dismissal of high ranking police officials and the consequent reshuffling. There is apparently no connection between the two events but there may well be a philosophical base uniting them. “But they … had broken the yoke, had snapped the bonds. Therefore the lion [America?] of the forest strikes them down, the wolf of the desert [the Palestinians?] ravages them.” (Jer. 5:5-6)
After two thousand years of very bitter exile from its homeland the Jews returned from the four corners of the earth to build what has sometimes been designated as The Third Jewish Commonwealth. Because the odds were strongly against it many people came to believe that its success was due to particular institutions. Those institutions became sacred cows. The most sacred of the sacred cows was the army—it could do no wrong. Even the tragic losses of the Yom Kippur War were blamed on the politicians rather than the army itself (a contention easily justified). The Second Lebanon War has virtually slaughtered that cow. While realizing the absolute necessity of maintaining a strong military the average Israeli now realizes the need to not accept its pronouncements and actions without question and to keep it under scrutiny. The word defense cannot automatically cease all questioning. “He who loves discipline loves knowledge; he who spurns reproof is a brutish man.” (Prov. 12:1)
The second sacred cow to feel the knife at its throat is the judicial system. The judicial activism whereby everything is adjudicative has considerably lowered respect for the Supreme Court. (Is it appropriate for the court to decide if a certain military officer is to be promoted?) Many persons of both the left and right have spoken out against this philosophy. The conviction of a minister of justice who intended instituting major reforms in the court system has led to strong suspicion that he was railroaded specifically to prevent those changes. A respected legal figure, himself a former minister of justice, has stated bluntly that Israel is not living by the Rule of Law, that the judicial authorities have gone wild, and that most of the investigations are unjustified.
The investigation of possible corruption by politicians or other government officials does not faze most Israelis. It’s generally taken for granted that government is dishonest. (One person noted that in America people are generally believed. When caught cheating the law comes down hard. In Israel no one is surprised—what else did you expect?—and the penalties are lenient.) To add to the long list, the head of the income tax office has been forced to resign and the national police chief has been dismissed. Considerable dispute surrounds his replacement. As a society Israel appears to be crumbling. “The purposes of the righteous are justice; the schemes of the wicked are deceit.” (Prov. 12:5)
Israel’s foreign relations are almost as corrupt as her politicians. The Mecca Accord has given Hamas a tremendous boost and shown both Abbas’s weakness and his true nature. (He opposes violence only on practical grounds. It hasn’t brought Israel to its knees.) America’s insistence on holding a tripartite meeting to discuss the outlines of the final arrangements belie its statements about the need for the PA to recognize Israel, renounce violence, and adhere to existing agreements. The PA is encouraged to believe that it will gain legitimization and increased foreign aid without those commitments. A Washington-based spokesman for the State Department says that the US will not deal with members of the new government but Dr. Rice heavily implied that the US will deal with the Fatah members. (Fatah is actually responsible for a greater number of terrorist acts than Hamas.) Israel is in a position of acquiescing in arrangements that can lead to her destruction.
The two problems have a common base in that Israel has “married foreign women”. Authors are praised when they bash Israel, revisionist historians are glorified when they undermine Israel’s legitimacy; universalism rather than loyalty to country and people, is held up as an ideal. Judaism is negated while foreign concepts and procedures are admired and adopted. A selfish materialism is actively taught in the public schools. Numbers are important but so is quality. Now, with Iran becoming a real threat on the horizon, the brain drain will gain tremendous momentum. Both domestically and in foreign policy Israel is not adhering to the ideals that have preserved the Jewish people through thick and thin. “…but there is still hope for Israel despite this….” (Ezra 10:2) Determined action can alter the situation dramatically as it has done previously. “Take action, for the responsibility is yours and we are with you. Act with resolve.” (Ibid., v. 4)
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A Bit of Bible
You shall make a Menorah of pure gold; the Menorah shall be beaten out, its base, its branch, its goblets, its knobs, and its flowers shall be of one piece. Six branches shall issue from its sides, three branches of the Menorah from one side and three branches of the Menorah from its second side….
Exodus 25:31
The difficulties in this verse are made obvious by comparing various translations. Specific points are clear:
1) the Menorah, including all of its adornments (goblets, knobs, flowers) are to be beaten out of a single piece of gold so that the Menorah remains a single object not divisible into various segments and,
2) the Menorah is to consist of seven branches, a main branch going straight up and down and three branches on each side of it.
The technical difficulties of following all of the detailed instructions can be left to engineers and mystics. What is important to the rest of us is are the lessons to be learned from it.
The Menorah is essentially a lamp although the amount of light it would ordinarily provide was inadequate for the Tabernacle of the Temple. The symbolism of light is rather universally recognized so that there is no problem arising from it. But if it represents only light there is no need for the elaborate instruction, especially for beating the entire Menorah out of a single piece of gold.
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The explanation may lie in the shape of the total Menorah. A tree has a trunk and branches growing out of it. The Menorah is indeed often referred to as The Tree of Life. Its complications are the complications of individuals as well as societies. No one’s life is so smooth that it can be said to be of pure gold. By making the Menorah out of a single piece of gold the Bible may be telling us that all life is of a unit and that only by appreciating that fact can light come into everyone’s life. A tree gains its nurture from the soil below but the Menorah gives light from oil poured from above. Only when appreciating the Divine nature of life does it become truly worthwhile.