SEVERAL months ago I asked a question in one of my columns (What drives the Jews) and invited your input. Answers came from all over the country and were as diverse as Jews themselves.
The question, originally posed to me by my 23-year-old daughter, was this: What drives the Jews? In keeping with the Jewish tradition of two Jews, three opinions, many of you had multiple responses and often your answers refined the question or posed new ones.
To all of you who took the time to share your thoughts with me, thank you!
The consensus was that this question is not an easy one to answer because each one of us views Judaism from both personal and historical perspectives, and these differ based on the period of time we grew up in, our family traditions, social, economic and cultural realities and our genetic makeup.
Yet, of the themes that emerged, one was certain: that there is a feeling deep inside, a spark that dwells within the Jew regardless of denomination, social background and education, that drives him or her to identify as Jewish.
Some may call this the pintele Yid (Yiddish for Jewish spark), others may think of it as the Yiddish Neshamah (Jewish soul) while still others jokingly refer to it as being a Member of the Tribe (MOTT). It seems, however, that there is a unique, somewhat ineffable feeling of being Jewish that drives many of us to think, act, and respond as Jews today.
Many readers identified the Torah, Jewish learning and the quest for knowledge as that which binds Jews together in their struggle to survive. Jewish education consists of more than training the mind; it also requires training the heart.
One reader eloquently wrote:
We are driven as a people by the knowledge that there is a power for good, for right, for beauty, that is beyond our comprehension that we strive to imitate and achieve. We are driven by this power, which is not random, and is intelligent beyond our grasp . . . the Torah is the earthly representation of this power we know as G-d.
OTHER insights about what drives the Jews included:
a sense of community and feeling responsible for one another,
the idea that the promotion of human freedom and dignity is essential to living a Jewish life, and
we are committed to the Jewish future because we dont want to be just the grandchildren of great men and women, we want to be the grandparents of an even greater generation! Interestingly, each one of these ideas is articulated in traditional Judaism as Kol Israel arevim ze-lazeh, Be-Tzelem Eloh-m and le-dor va-dor, respectively.
Perhaps one of the more controversial responses suggested that there is something in our genes that drives us to leave a bad situation for a better one, to push ourselves to excel and succeed, to respond to the worlds problems with compassion and a sense of justice.
While the genetic answer might be more applicable to the question of Why have Jews achieved scientific, financial, artistic and cultural success to a great extent than statistics would indicate, it opens the door to other arguments that are potentially dangerous to Jewish survival.
Judaism is and has always been a religion and a way of life, but not a race. Contemporary scientific research on Jewish DNA concludes that while some genes may be more prevalent among modern Jews, Jews do not constitute a single group distinct from all others. Rather, modern Jews exhibit a diversity of genetic profiles, some reflective of their Semitic-Mediterranean ancestry and others suggesting an origin found in European and Central Asian groups.
The answer to what drives the Jews is a question that can and should be discussed for years to come. For only in looking back at our past and examining our present can we hope to find inspiration, guidance and direction as to how we want to live as Jews in the future.
At a minimum, the answer gives us pause to think about how remarkable we are as a people and feel grateful for the privileges and freedoms we have to live today as Jews.
Copyright © 2011 by the Intermountain Jewish News
