Torah for Christians: The Promise of Israel

The first in a series that will try to explain some of the background and tensions concerning the Israel-Hamas crisis in the Middle East. Today, we look at the idea of Covenant in the Torah and why Jews lay claim to this land.

Transcript

TORAH FOR CHRISTIANS

 SEASON EIGHT     EPISODE ONE

THE PROMISE OF ISRAEL

          Welcome to Torah for Christians. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr.

          Pardon the stark opening of this podcast episode but times are stark. I was about to begin a series on the Hebrew Prophets. Understanding the unique role of the Prophets is essential if we are to understand Jews and Judaism. 

          But I’m going to hold off on that series for now. With the crisis unfolding in Israel, I thought that it would be more beneficial to look at the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is a topic which, frankly, I had hoped to avoid for as long as possible, knowing that it’s incredibly controversial and that our Facebook page would explode with anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist comments. But I cannot delay any longer; it’s a critical topic today.

          First some background. For many years, I have taught a History of Israel class on the university level. This is a topic in which I am well-versed. In addition, I have traveled many times to Israel, including spending a year living in Jerusalem during Rabbinical School. And finally, I have traveled through Gaza and the West Bank, as well as having visited Egypt and Jordan. When I watch reports on television about this horrific war, I flash back to my personal visits to these places. As we continue through this series, I will be including personal experiences in the episodes.

          Second, some ground rules. Disagreeing about the policies of the Israeli government, the Palestinian or Hamas leadership or even the United States’ response to the crisis is fair game; feel free to comment, either on the website or on the Facebook page. But anti-Semitic, anti-Arab, anti-Muslim or anti-Zionist comments will be deleted, you will be blocked on Facebook and reported to Meta. I hope that is clear.

          Where do we begin? We have to begin with the Torah, with God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis, Chapter 12. For reasons somewhat unclear, God chooses Abram, a Hebrew, to travel from his home in Haran, in what is today northern Iraq, to the land of Canaan, where he progressively travels from Shechem, modern-day Nablus, to Be’ersheva, in the Negev Desert. I’ve spent time in both Nablus and Be’ersheva; both cities live and breathe their histories as well as reflect contemporary reality.

          This would not be noteworthy except that God adds a unique qualifier. As we read:

The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.”

          With these words, God establishes a Brit, a Covenant, between God and Abram, later called Abraham. On two of our earliest episodes, back in May of 2021, we discussed both the idea of Covenant and did a quick survey of the importance of the Land of Israel in the Jewish mindset. I encourage you to go back and listen to them at www.torahforchristians.net.  In both of these episodes, we discussed Covenant; here, Abraham received a Covenant independent of his behavior. God promises him both the Land of Israel, then called Canaan, as well as blesses him with the promise of an infinite number of descendents.

          When Abraham enters Canaan, he knows that he is destined to possess this verdant land. He also knows that his children, grandchildren and all future descendants will live on this land. We cannot presume to know why God chose Abraham or why God chose the Land of Canaan to become his covenantal territory but ever since then, we Jews have laid claim to the Land of Israel as the place which God had promised to Abraham.

          God later reaffirms this Covenant with Abraham and later with Isaac. But with Jacob, God goes further. In Genesis, Chapter 28, while Jacob is dreaming of a ladder reaching to heaven, God defines the boundaries of the Land of Israel. God promises Jacob that he will return to the Land of Israel. More to the point, his children will spread to the east, the west, the north and the south. To the west is, of course, the Mediterranean Sea. To the east is the Jordan River and perhaps beyond. To the north is the Galilee and Lebanon. And to the south is the Negev Desert. While the exact boundaries are nebulous, God has granted the Land of Israel to Jacob and his descendants, including the Jews today.

          The other important aspect of God’s Covenant with the Jewish people is found in the Book of II Samuel, specifically in Chapter 7. Here, God tells David:

Your house and your kingship shall ever be secure before you; your throne shall be established forever.”

           In this passage, about 20 verses long, God promises that David’s son, presumably Solomon, would build God’s Temple in Jerusalem – and that a son of David shall sit on the Throne of Israel forever. The Temple in Jerusalem, paired with God’s Covenant with David, led to the concept of the Messiah, that a descendent of David will one day come forward and establish God’s rule on earth. Later in our history, Elijah the Prophet became the Messiah’s harbinger, the one who will announce the coming of this day, for which we pray daily. Furthermore, this passage is the foundation for the Christian belief that Jesus is the Messiah, in Greek Christos, Christ, who did come to earth and will one day return.

          What is the importance of God’s Brit, God’s Covenant, with Israel today? The Covenant of Land and People, along with the promise of a Messianic Age, fueled the Zionist dream, a dream that has existed ever since the creation of the Jewish Diaspora following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First Temple. Starting in the late 19th Century, the Covenant has motivated Zionist thinkers and pioneers to return to the Land of Israel. The creation of the political State of Israel is in part a fulfillment of God’s Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Davidic Covenant is yet to be fulfilled.

          We will return to the history of Zionism in a few weeks. Next week though, I want to look at the importance of the redemption of the captives in Judaism, one of the highest mitzvot in our faith.

          I want to thank you for listening to this brief episode of Torah for Christians. I encourage you to sign up for future episodes – and to listen to previous ones – at www.torahforchristians.net and to follow us on Facebook. Your polite comments are always welcome.

          Now more than ever, we say Hinei Mah Tov… L’hitra’ot, till we meet again. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.