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September 15, 2000/15 Elul 5760, Vol. 52, No.53
Ethical monotheism holds key to Jerusalem
Torah Study
RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN
Ki Tavo/Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8
The most difficult problem standing in the way of a peace treaty between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is sovereignty over Jerusalem. One of the more interesting suggestions is to declare the Temple Mount to be under "divine sovereignty".
On the surface, it seems to be both strange and appealing at the same time. What does divine sovereignty really mean and to what extent is it relevant to the present situation? After all, from a theological perspective one could argue that the entire world is under divine sovereignty, and the fundamental argument - the one which has caused many religious wars over the centuries - is which country God believes will best guard God's interests.
Nevertheless, I believe this divine sovereignty may very well hold the only key to an ultimate solution of what is a most difficult and tragic conflict in the Middle East.
Our Torah portion this week opens with the ceremony of the first fruits: "You shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you ... and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish His name." (Deuteronomy 26:2)
Individuals came to the holy city of Jerusalem for the annual celebration ceremony of the first fruits.
It is fascinating that within the Five Books of Moses the name Jerusalem itself virtually does not appear; the reference is always to "the place of God's name," the one locus in the world described in terms of the palpable presence of the divine.
But certainly God can hardly dwell in a specific place where there is more of the divine than there is in any other place.
The interpreters of the Oral Law composed a central blessing relating to Jerusalem: "May You return with compassion to your city Jerusalem and dwell in its midst. ... May you establish quickly in its midst the throne of David your servant..."
On the one hand, the blessing speaks of the Davidic dynasty, which is an expression of Israeli sovereignty over the Holy City. At the same time however, the real subject of the blessing regarding Jerusalem is the return of the divine presence and not a description of an earthly monarch.
We can understand this liturgical hierarchy when we understand the position of the king within biblical law.
When the Bible grants permission for the Israelites to choose a monarch, it stipulates that he "have a copy of this Teaching (Torah) written for him on a scroll" which will be with him always and to whose laws he will be totally committed. (Deuteronomy 17:18,19)
God's throne means the acceptance of God's law, of ethical monotheism, of justice and compassion. And when ethical monotheism is accepted by the entire world, the messianic era of peace and redemption will be at hand. The human sovereign at that time is called messiah; the Holy Temple on the Temple Mount will be the central focal point from which this message of ethical monotheism will spread throughout the world.
As long as the various nations of the world understand that the rules of morality include ethical conduct toward Jews as well as gentiles, divine sovereignty can be said to reign supreme.
The Jewish God was never perceived to be the God of Israel alone. Our Bible begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," and our Yom Kippur liturgy iterates and reiterates the divine prayer that "My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples."
If indeed Jewish, Muslim and Christian leadership could honestly subscribe to the fundamental principles of ethical monotheism, we shall have achieved divine sovereignty over the Temple Mount.
Unfortunately, current Palestinian suggestions for divine sovereignty, in the face of their anti-Israel pronouncements, are a smokescreen for denying Jews our rightful place in Jerusalem. We must therefore continue to insist on exclusive Israeli sovereignty, even while believing true peace lies in our most most powerful concept of divine sovereignty over the Temple Mount.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the spiritual leader of Efrat, Israel.
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