Zion is a
woman who appears to lean upon her two strongest children. One of these children
curses her with a contorted anti-religious fervour. The other turns away from
her to serve G-d religiously with ultra-fervent denial. While this woman cares for
all her children, not all her children care for her. For example, her strongest
ignore her. They fight so bitterly they have no time for her. One hates the
other and the other rejects the one; so disposed, they seem to have nothing but
scorn for their mother. Zion might feel completely
abandoned but for her younger children. These youngsters reach out to her. But as they reach they cannot touch because they
are pushed away by their anti- and ultra- siblings. Zion is trapped between the
hate of the anti- and the denial of the ultra-. She wanders, aimless, her heart
torn by those closest to her.
Her
misfortunes come in pairs. Two Temples destroyed. Two exiles.Two irreconcilable
sons. But her comfort also comes in pairs: teshuva as spiritual return to faith
and teshuva as physical return to Zion; two self-defensive wars that have
miraculously brought freedom and emancipation--the War of Independence and the
Six-Day War; and two all-powerful parents, the source of who she is--Heritage
and Land.
Zion weeps because
she can see her Future but is powerless to move forward: her two strongest children
restrain her and her younger children are not yet strong enough to help her.
If her eldest
struggle against each other, they still agree on one thing: Zion will always be
their focus, as one rejects with cursing, the other with denial.
Zion tries
to escape her imprisonment. Her youngsters watch, appalled.
Her eldest
force themselves on her. One child, the most powerful—the anti-- has controlled
her before. He wills to control her now; meanwhile, the other son—the ultra—refuses
to speak; because his belief contains
denial, he will offer no comfort; because that faith is both strong and stubborn,
he refuses to let her move.
Her younger
children become restless. Awake, Zion! Do not weep! Awake for your children’s
sake!
Her parents,
Heritage and Land, watch their family in sorrow. Their daughter is abused by
her strongest children, the anti- and the ultra-, while the youngsters are
treated by their elder siblings as unwanted orphans. The strongest grandchild,
the one with the most responsibility, rebels by rejecting his entire past, both
Heritage and Land, while the other strong grandchild rebels by denying Land,
claiming that he descends only from Heritage. Torah, he cries, is everything. It is the only
thing. Land today is at best neutral; at
worst, it is the embodiment of wickedness: Land means nothing to us.
Together, Heritage
and Land mourn. They have created Zion
together and their Zion is enthralled: the anti-child hates, the ultra-child denies,
and the younger children are spurned.
Still, Heritage
and Land are wise. They can see what the grandchildren cannot. They see the Future;
and they see that only the youngsters, the most scorned, will inherit that
Future with the fullest inheritance. It is they who cling to family. It is they
who are loyal.
Zion does
not have her Parents’ vision. She cannot
see her Future as clearly as they. She cannot move forward. She cannot defend
herself. And yet, despite the pain caused by her older children, she hears her
youngsters.
She is indeed
restrained. But through those younger voices--so persistent, so filled with
hope and joy-- she stirs, reminded of Family, her Lineage. Through those joyous
voices, she understands that her Future does not belong to those who refuse or
deny. Her future belongs to those who want
to embrace the Land-- and Sing.
Zion, Zion,
awake, awake! If your anti-child would destroy and your ultra- would deny, they
cannot help you. It is they who are helpless, not you! Forgive them! Sing to them! Comfort them! If
they cannot see how events lead to your Fulfilment, you must turn to them. Draw
them near. They are your children. Do not let their refusal tarnish your hope.
Help them
heal; show them the way. Do not be silent!
Zion, you have
the power to awaken closed hearts with Song: sing with your young children. It
is they who will lead. Sing with them. They are your Future.
Let your
Future become your song.
Zion, your
Legacy is Heritage and Land. Your strength is Heritage and Land. Your past was Heritage and Land. Your Future
will be Heritage and Land. Sing, Zion. Remember the Songs of old. Sing to teach
your stronger children while you Sing for joy with your younger children.
Sing, Zion. Sing now of Heritage and Land so
that those who choose the wrong path can return.
Sing before
they turn against you forever.
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