For Love of the Land: the conversation continues  

A Solution to Anti-Semitism?

The article about Israel focused on a spiritual approach of bringing shalom, achdus, and kedushah to the land. That’s certainly crucial. But we can’t ignore the material steps we can take — the mission to spread knowledge, facts, and accuracy. Every one of us is required to be an ambassador of goodwill bringing about “r’eih b’tuv ha’aretz — may you see the good of the land’” — and we can all do that with proper research, which will help us advocate for our land in whatever way we can.

Iagree. We do need to help ourselves in whatever way we can.

“Nu,” some readers are saying, “they’ll hate us anyway.”

It’s easy to resign ourselves to the innate hatred of Eisav toward Yaakov (Rashi, Bereishis 33:4), which always existed, is here for the duration, and is currently guised as anti-Israel rhetoric. But it’s not true that anti-Jewish sentiment can’t be helped.

Going all the way back, Yaakov sent gifts to Eisav despite the strong antipathy (ibid 32:4). Rules of dialogue were established when they met up, and Yaakov presented his side strongly, but as accommodatingly as possible (Sotah 41b). Centuries later, Yaakov’s deference guided Rebbi to curry favor in his written communication with Antoninus (Bereishis Rabbah 75) and has informed our political approach throughout galus.