My new article on Linkedin “When Power Is the Only Goal, I Worry Less”

A famous Chinese proverb says that “An ant may well destroy an entire dam.” Nothing could be more apropos when describing China’s global policy. One small step at a time, they’re buying their way to world dominance. A food production company here, a port there, a politician here, a hedge fund manager there, the Chinese have all the tools they need: patience, perseverance, diligence, and money, lots and lots of money.

But as ominous as China may appear, I think it poses much less of a danger than other countries with ambitions to take over the world. Even if their plan succeeds, it will be nothing more than economic dominance. They have no religion, they’ve abandoned communism, and they have no other ideology in place besides the craving for power.

But as ominous as China may appear, I think it poses much less of a danger than other countries with ambitions to take over the world. Even if their plan succeeds, it will be nothing more than economic dominance. They have no religion, they’ve abandoned communism, and they have no other ideology in place besides the craving for power.

Over the past several decades, they have amassed gargantuan amounts of money and economic power, which they have translated into political clout the world over. There are great forces at play here, far stronger than China or any other human made entity. These forces, which come from the kernel of reality, are driving China’s dominance forward. I don’t think it’s to our detriment.

In fact, if I needed to choose between being under the influence of an ideological or a religious power, or a power whose ambition is only power, I would choose the latter. Moreover, even the independence we think we have right now is utterly illusory. We are dependent on the world, and on the powers of the world, in every aspect of our lives, so fearing that we might be taken over is nonsense since we’ve already been taken over, we just don’t know about it.

However, if we want independence, we can certainly achieve it. To do this, we have to rise above calculations of power struggles. When these are the calculations, we see that countries rise and fall; it is the nature of reality and history has proven that this is what always happens. On the worldly level, it is certain that America will fall and another country, or several countries, will take its place at the helm of the world. It is simply how things work.

However, when it comes to Israel, we have a choice. If we choose to be Israel, in the deeper sense of the word, we will always be free. In fact, the nations themselves will guard and cherish our freedom.

Being Israel has nothing to do with financial or military power; it has to do with our nature as Israelis. Currently, we are treating each other with selfishness and alienation. This weakens us and degrades us in the eyes of the world. The world examines our every step, but mostly how we treat each other. When we are mean and display deplorable relations to our neighbors, the world despises us and hates us. When we treat each other with respect and warmth, the world relates to us likewise.

We are the nation that coined the proverb “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which, as hard as it is to do, is still the most noble notion that has ever been conceived. And although we are completely opposite from it, the world does not forget where the idea came from and expects us to set an example.

If we, for the first time since the ruin of the Temple, manage to rise above our petty selves and truly feel concern for one another, the world will envy our ability. It will look to us in awe and seek to be like us. We, in turn, will open our arms and hearts to everyone, and become the role model, the “light unto nations” that sets an example of true peace—not truce, but peace!

This will be our true freedom, this will be our triumph over domination, and this will be our ticket into the global family of nations.
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My new article on Linkedin “You Can Implant Chips, But You Can’t Implant Happiness”

Last week, Neuralink, Elon Musk’s neuroscience startup, aired a video of a Macaque Monkey playing MindPong using only its brain after a coin-sized computer chip was implanted and connected to its brain with more than two thousand electrodes. The idea, according to Neuralink, is to develop a chip that will enable paralytics to perform independently many things they cannot do today by simply using their minds.

What we do need to implant, and for which there is no chip, is caring in our hearts. This cannot be done by surgery, but through an educational process. It may take years, but in the end, we will really change from within, and then everything will change from without. It is not new technology that we need, but a new spirit—a spirit of kindness, caring, and mutual responsibility. If we join hands in planting this spirit in society, we will also implant it in our hearts.

This may sound terrific, but it really gives me no joy. Before I got into the wisdom of Kabbalah, I might have been happy to hear such news, but now, I do not feel this way. All I know is that even if we sacrifice all the animals, and even ourselves, on the altar of innovations in biotechnology, it will not help us be happier people. We need to take a completely different route.

I understand why entrepreneurs do these things: they’re kids, and they like to play with such games, but this is not a good example; it is really not a good example. If anything, what they are doing to the monkeys reminds me of what the Nazis did to people. This is how I feel about it, truly. When I started my scientific career as a bio-cyberneticist, I might have appreciated such things since I, too, was dealing with the functioning of systems in the human body. But today, fifty years down the line, I cannot view this favorably. It is simply not the way to make life better. If there is any benefit in these investments, it is the realization of their futility and our need to look elsewhere for happiness.

What we do need to implant, and for which there is no chip, is caring in our hearts. This cannot be done by surgery, but through an educational process. It may take years, but in the end, we will really change from within, and then everything will change from without. It is not new technology that we need, but a new spirit—a spirit of kindness, caring, and mutual responsibility. If we join hands in planting this spirit in society, we will also implant it in our hearts.

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My new article on Linkedin “The War Never Ends for Some Warriors”

On the eve of Israel’s Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism, Itzik Saidian, a wounded soldier, set himself on fire. He was not physically hurt, but his soul has been shattered for years. In 2014, an APV (Armored Personnel Carrier) carrying nine soldiers from his platoon was hit by an RPG shoulder-fired missile. Seven of his friends died in the fiery explosion, and the two who survived were injured by the explosion and the barrage of bullets that followed. Itzik was not on that APV; he came to rescue his friends and saw what was left of them, and his soul was shredded for good. He kept fighting; he wouldn’t back down, and he stayed with his unit even after the battle. But that day, when he saw what had happened to his friends, prevailed over him. He never recovered. Itzik is not alone. For many warriors, who experienced the horrors of war firsthand, the war never ends.

People need hope. If there is no hope in sight, if their present is full of torment and their future is bleak, I can see why they would see no point in living. But if their pain has a purpose, a worthy goal that is within reach, even if only in the long run, then life has meaning and existence makes sense.

The other day, a student asked me a hypothetical question: “If you were to meet Itzik Saidian a few minutes before he torched himself, what would you tell him?” When you meet a person with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), the clinical name for the state such people are in, the most important thing is to listen to them, be with them in their pain. Only afterwards can you say anything. But when the moment comes to speak, I would tell him that for all the pain, life has a higher, more sublime and beautiful goal than he can even imagine. And even though at the moment, he is agonizing, he can still reach that goal. Despite all the pain, it is precisely from that state that he can rise to eternity, wholeness, and beauty, and be happier than any person on the planet.

I, too, have had my share of trauma. I grew up in a family that was wiped out almost entirely by the Nazis, I was in a car accident when a bus collided head on with the car I was driving, and I remember every second leading to the collision. I was clinically dead for days, and when I came to, I couldn’t breathe because my lungs were filled with blood. I remember the anguish. In fact, toward the end, it got so bad that when the doctors finally told me they were going to operate on me to clear my lungs, I literally jumped on the bed in the surgery room and said, “Cut me open!” And I meant it!

Despite the pain, I know what I have gained from these ordeals; I know what they have given me. The purpose of life is to rise above it to a higher realm that we can find if we truly seek it. And sometimes, it takes great pain for us to start seeking, but it is always worth it.

For this reason, I would tell Itzik, and anyone who is suffering unbearable pain, that the hurt is precisely the lever that can lift us above any injury. I would stress that nothing ever happens without a reason, and the pain he feels right now is only the beginning of a road whose end is bliss and beauty. And precisely this place of unbearable heartache is where that road begins.

People need hope. If there is no hope in sight, if their present is full of torment and their future is bleak, I can see why they would see no point in living. But if their pain has a purpose, a worthy goal that is within reach, even if only in the long run, then life has meaning and existence makes sense.

In truth, the states we go through are imprinted in nature’s system, and they all lead to happiness. However, how we experience those states depends on us. The path is paved, but we determine how to walk it. It will lead us all to rise above our selves, and immerse ourselves in humanity, and ultimately in all of creation. Life provides each of us with opportunities to take initiative and move in that direction of our own volition. We often miss these opportunities or decline to take them, and then nature leads us to our predetermined, yet blissful goal against our will. Our predicaments, our trials and tribulations are the levers that life hands us to propel us toward a better reality, a more transcendent one. Itzik’s trauma, however dreadful, is such an opportunity, and so are the traumas of countless people who suffer for no apparent reason.
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My new article on Linkedin “Food for Thought”

In modern times, food has become not only a vital source of nutrients used for our survival as an organism, but it has transformed into an obsession with us. Over the last fifty years we have started consuming countless industrialized, processed foods, and at the same time, a new trend of so-called “healthy diets” has taken consumers by storm.

Each one of us should eat a healthy simple diet and drink clean water. All the foods we put into the body should be as natural and simple as possible, close to the source. We should eat in moderation, just enough to live. That is, we should not limit ourselves through abstinence but eat normally. The main thing is not to become sidetracked and dragged into the “healthy” hysteria to make a cult out of it while missing the essence of life.

There are lots of foods that are produced for the sole purpose of filling someone’s bank account, and as a consequence, for the purpose of filling the hospitals with patients. We consume products processed with chemicals and preservatives used in both agriculture and food production. It turns out that it is possible to make a profit on every food product that is invented, a way to make it into a successful business. So accordingly, entrepreneurs who identify an opportunity to rake in profits, advertise forms of food and diets that are supposedly healthier. They recommend to the public what to eat and hire their own experts and researchers who will validate and promote the product or lifestyle they sell. And the experts do as they are requested: “Indeed yes, this is the way to eat, this is the right way to live!”

Despite all the studies and advertising, there is usually not necessarily any real benefit to this or that food. Even if we were to prove that we would extend our lives from 80 to 90 years through some special food, what would be the benefit of living another ten years? The end is the same, so exactly what does the person gain if we focus on the length of life instead of the quality of life?

Each one of us should eat a healthy simple diet and drink clean water. All the foods we put into the body should be as natural and simple as possible, close to the source. We should eat in moderation, just enough to live. That is, we should not limit ourselves through abstinence but eat normally. The main thing is not to become sidetracked and dragged into the “healthy” hysteria to make a cult out of it while missing the essence of life.

Since the human body is similar to that of any other animal, the care it requires is like the care of any animal, simple and basic care. If we truly want to reach a more holistic and balanced approach to life, we should turn our attention to the development and investment in the soul. These are the essential questions that should feed us: What do we live for anyway? Where is the world going? What is the purpose of it all? What is our special role in this life and world?

We will find the answer to these intriguing questions by observing the various forms of existence in nature. How all its levels—inanimate, plants, and animals—consume only what they need and nothing more. How the power that governs all forms of life, the supreme mind acting in creation, causes them to exist in perfect integration, in reciprocity, without omitting or neglecting a single detail. We must admire the ramified connections in nature which sustain the world, and we should strive to resemble them in our interactions.

In the pursuit of the intellect operating within nature, we will develop our higher functions—our mental, intellectual, and social capacities. Most importantly, we will develop the soul. In an attempt to liken ourselves to the system of natural laws, we will create a healthy, strong, and robust society that will eliminate the morbid relationships of mutual exploitation and profiteering at the expense of others. Thus we will live not only a better life, but also an existence full of much deeper meaning.
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My new article on Linkedin “Israel – an Illusory Defeat of Covid”

As of Sunday, April 18, 2021, wearing masks in open spaces is no longer mandatory in Israel. For some time now, new cases have been dropping and hospitals are growing emptier as more patients leave for home and far fewer come in. The majority of the population is inoculated and it seems as though Israel has defeated Covid-19. I wish it were that easy, but I understand that this cannot be the case. We haven’t completed the process that instigated the arrival of the virus, so I am certain that if not Covid, something else, worse than Covid, will come along and pick up where Covid left off.

Without hope, people have nothing to live for. They sink into depression, substance abuse, commit suicide, or seek refuge in violence, as the US has seen over the past few months, with 147 mass shootings since January, according to CNN.

I’m not trying to scare people, but we need to be aware because awareness can help us prepare, and if we don’t prepare, it will hurt much worse. The current vaccines are like aspirin; they treat the symptoms but they don’t cure the disease. And since the disease keeps developing regardless of the symptoms, the next time it breaks out, its symptoms will be much worse. As long as we keep trying to suppress the symptoms, our solutions will be temporary and will end up with worse outbreaks of the illness once they stop working. If we want a real defeat over Covid, as opposed to the current, illusory one, we must uproot its cause.

The root cause of Covid, and of virtually all our problems, is emotional rather than physical. More specifically, it is social rather than individual. The sickness is not in each person individually but in the whole of society. However, in each person, the same sickness manifests in different ways. Just as Covid can manifest in many symptoms—sometimes so unrelated that physicians fail to detect that they are caused by the coronavirus—this root cause generates many illnesses that seem unrelated, yet stem from the same septic seed.

That cause is social alienation. Social alienation, which has worsened dramatically since the turn of the century, is depleting our emotional strength and physical resilience, draining our spirit from optimism and hope, and makes life seem purposeless.

Without hope, people have nothing to live for. They sink into depression, substance abuse, commit suicide, or seek refuge in violence, as the US has seen over the past few months, with 147 mass shootings since January, according to CNN. We may not all feel pathological symptoms, but we should have no qualms about it; we are all affected. Our physical health deteriorates, our mental health declines, and our spirit becomes drained.

We’re making great efforts to legalize drugs in order to make life’s burdens easier to bear, but we’re not making any serious efforts to remove the burden altogether, even though we can. If we remove the burden of alienation, we won’t need to disconnect from reality into a dream world since reality will be great, positive, optimistic. Who wants to disconnect from life when there are great promises ahead and a clear path to achieving them?

If we start focusing on human connection, bonding, increasing mutual understanding, empathy, and mutual responsibility, we will dramatically improve every aspect of our lives. We will nearly eliminate depression related disorders, all forms of violence will drop to near zero, people’s overall health and vitality will skyrocket, and crime will virtually disappear. Instead of feeling locked inside our homes, we will feel belonging. We will feel connected to our families, to our communities, towns, and to the country, and we will gladly share and contribute what we can to the overall well-being.

A society whose members feel responsible and accountable for one another truly cares for its townsfolk and countryfolk. Its members don’t need policing; their concern for one another guides them to behave not only in a civil manner toward others, but to actively seek the well-being of their community members. Think of where we are today compared to the kind of society we need to be in, and you will understand what harm we’re doing to ourselves through our mutual hostility.

Our hampered immune system, debilitated by endless attempts to protect ourselves from others’ ill-will, is losing its ability to protect us physically. Thus, increasingly susceptible, we are becoming “sitting ducks” for viruses, which sicken us in droves. If we want to defeat Covid-19, and the viruses that will soon follow, we must focus on defeating alienation.
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My new article on Linkedin “Covid Has One Message for Israel, and One for the World”

More than a year after its outbreak, the world is still grappling with Covid-19. More than three million people have died from the virus, and in some countries, the pandemic is still spreading despite at least six companies that manufacture vaccines. At the same time, Israel has revoked the instruction to wear masks in open spaces, completely reopened its schools and entertainment facilities, and Covid numbers are dropping. With more than half the population inoculated, Israel seems to have overcome the virus.

I think we have to spread the message that the only justified reason for taking off the masks is to smile at each other, but sincerely, from the heart. The smile, or rather the feeling behind it, is the real cure for the virus. If Israel uses the opportunity it’s been given to increase its solidarity and unity, it will become a positive example to the world. If it uses it to revert to the old and nasty ways, the world will turn against us.

This is a precarious situation for the State of Israel. People always feel that Israel is winning at their expense, and Covid will be no exception. While they are dying in droves, we are celebrating our reclaimed freedom. While their economies are crashing, ours is quickly recovering.

Therefore, I think we have to spread the message that the only justified reason for taking off the masks is to smile at each other, but sincerely, from the heart. The smile, or rather the feeling behind it, is the real cure for the virus. If Israel uses the opportunity it’s been given to increase its solidarity and unity, it will become a positive example to the world. If it uses it to revert to the old and nasty ways, the world will turn against us.

There is only one thing that can help humanity against Covid-19: connection. It may be hard to do, but it is easy to understand that only if countries work together, if there is solidarity, it will be possible to defeat the virus. As I’ve written in countless articles and two books, the leader in connection must be Israel. It is our role, our duty, to set an example of unity, yet it is the one thing we are not doing.

We can look at the break from the virus we’ve been given as an advance that the world has given us, but if we don’t pay back with connection, it will demand its debt. The frozen state of the world, its paralysis, can only be thawed by Israel’s example of warmth among ourselves. This is the only example that we need to give, and the nations will know how to use it to their benefit. But if we don’t start, nor will the world. The onus is on us, and so is the reward or punishment.

For more on this topic, refer to the books Like a Bundle of Reeds: Why unity and mutual guarantee are today’s call of the hour, and The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, Historical facts on anti-Semitism as a reflection of Jewish social discord.

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My new article on Linkedin “Diversity – the Key to Success”

A few weeks ago, several news outlets published a story that went largely unnoticed by legacy media, but which defies reason. Apparently, the Grace Church School in Lower Manhattan issued a 12-page guide to students and staff explaining the school’s mission of inclusivity. The guide encouraged them to replace some of the most essential words in any language with substitutes that denied them of their meaning. For example, the guide reads, “Instead of ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad,’ at Grace we say ‘grown-ups,’ ‘folks,’ or ‘family.’” Or, “Instead of ‘husband,’ ‘wife,’ ‘boyfriend,’ ‘girlfriend,’ at Grace we say ‘spouse,’ ‘partner,’ ‘significant other.’”

Instead of making everyone the same, we should boldly emphasize our differences and use them for the common good. All of a sudden, we will discover that everyone is beautiful in their own unique way! Building a robust society depends not on making everyone the same, but on embracing everyone’s differences. Diversity is the key to success; uniformity—the road to failure.

The guide does not stop there. It continues its effort to engineer the consciousness of students and teachers by clearly stating its agenda: “We actively try to undo notions of a ‘typical’ or ‘normal’ family structure, each family is unique.” Also, the guide points to a problem it defines as “Heterosexism,” which is “The assumption that heterosexuality is the natural or default form of sexuality, and is inherently good or inevitable.”

Religion, too, is “treated” in the guide. “Instead of [asking] ‘What religion are you?’ say ‘Are any religious/faith traditions important to you?’” Or, “Instead of [saying] ‘Merry Christmas!/Happy Holidays!’ say ‘Have a great break!’” There is much more but you get the point.

The thing is that the blatant attempt at consciousness engineering was largely ignored. The children and parents were afraid for their future, teachers were afraid for their jobs, and legacy media had no interest in protesting the obvious oppression of free thought, so very few outlets reported it.

But one person could not keep quiet. Paul Rossi, a teacher at Grace Church, wrote a piece titled “I Refuse to Stand By While My Students Are Indoctrinated,” and published it on Bari Weiss’ blog Common Sense. In the subtitle, he wrote, “Children are afraid to challenge the repressive ideology that rules our school. That’s why I am.”

Rossi admits that he is afraid for his future, but feels he has no choice since the problem isn’t only with Grace Church, but a widespread issue. “I know that by attaching my name to this I’m risking not only my current job but my career as an educator, since most schools, both public and private, are now captive to this backward ideology,” he admits. “But witnessing the harmful impact it has on children, I can’t stay silent.”

Luckily for Rossi, and for all of us, although it may take a while, and may still spread further, eventually, forced elimination of differences among people will not work. Nature created us different, not the same, and we cannot “undo” our making on a whim. If it contradicts nature, it will not work. It will only torment those who try.

The Procrustean bed to which the “inclusive” ideology is attempting to chain us will create the suffering that all Procrustean beds are made to create, but it will not make us the same or equal; it is totally useless and redundant. Mom and Dad are the two most important figures in our lives, which is why every culture since antiquity has dedicated specific pronouns to designate them. They are not “family” and they are certainly not “folks.” They have given us our very lives, and to a great extent, they are responsible for the people we are. It is almost the same with “husband” and “wife”: “Partner” just doesn’t carry the same weight. “Husband” and “wife” imply commitment, and “partner” implies much less of it, if any. Each person that we meet is unique, and merits a unique name or title. Denying uniqueness deprives all of us of personality.

Diversity is not something to erase; it is something to embrace! It is a source of power, resilience, and beauty! We can only appreciate the qualities of one race when we know how unique it is. However, we will know that it is unique only if we know the qualities of all the other races. Therefore, we cannot appreciate one another unless we know who we are and how different we are from one another. Erase the differences, and you have erased our uniqueness and, even worse, our ability to appreciate one another.

Instead of making everyone the same, we should boldly emphasize our differences and use them for the common good. All of a sudden, we will discover that everyone is beautiful in their own unique way! Building a robust society depends not on making everyone the same, but on embracing everyone’s differences. Diversity is the key to success; uniformity—the road to failure.
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My new article on Linkedin “Is Less In Our Lives More?”

The trend of minimalism is transforming societies globally. More and more people are deciding to detach from their material possessions or to avoid acquiring stuff in excess, to escape the stress of the Western life, and to live in a much more relaxed style with only those things considered really indispensable. Where does this come from? And is this the secret of happiness?

Simplicity is the trend applicable to basically any area of our existence and it is becoming more appealing. Despite what we may think, this phenomenon is not new, it existed in ancient cultures. There were times when people chose to live modestly, even though they could afford a great deal. The tendency towards minimalism stems from the fact that everything we acquire controls us. As our sages said long ago, “the more possessions the more worry.”

A meaningful life depends on one’s attitude not on matter, on material things. So if we develop good mutual relationships, we will all be filled with joy and no one will lack anything. We will discover that the secret of life truly lies in the right human connections and the fulfillment that can be achieved through it is boundless.

For instance, when people purchase lavish properties they get the feeling that they expand their control, but they become slaves to those acquisitions. In the same way, people get addicted to their new cars, new phones, new clothes, prestigious brands, symbols of status. Trapped by Black Friday, Cyber Monday, end of the season, buy one get one, in short, they become enslaved by consumerism.

However, at a certain point they get tired, feel empty, and reach “enough! A beautiful apartment in a marble-clad tower with an opulent design? Living in nature is much more exciting. One sweatshirt to change into is enough when there is no washing machine. Freedom from stress is the biggest asset in the world!”

Really? Is it enough for us to get rid of our belongings and assets to be happy in the long run? The answer is no. Why? Because in all of the above there is not yet the qualitative development for which man was created. Accumulation of assets and objects or getting rid of them for personal convenience is in both cases a manifestation of selfish thinking: What will be better and more comfortable for me? And as long as the direction of thought is about myself, whatever I do will not make me feel the plenitude that can be achieved in life.

Only a fundamental change in the direction of our thoughts, from a natural thought of self-good to a thought about the good of others can be considered a new development in our evolution as human beings.

Such a change will result from a deep inquiry: What is worth living for? Is there anything that can be acquired during this life that will always stay with me? Then clearly the fulfilling answer cannot be material property but something more meaningful and enduring.

A special sensitivity is developed in us when we invest in others. We gradually reach a state where we really want to bestow upon our neighbors. We find that the love and good treatment we give to everyone fills us with more satisfaction than anything else. It is an attainment that will not go away and no one can take it from us.

In our evolution as a human species, we have reached a state where we must be interconnected in a reciprocal way. We currently live in dissonance with the connected world we have created; we think only about ourselves and this is totally unsustainable. Our safe future depends on building a new society where people will treat each other and the environment well, a society where no one will be disrespected, where we will think together about how to provide each person with what everyone needs to live well, without producing unnecessary things endlessly that pollute the environment and destroy our common home, the planet, and us included.

The method of enjoyment for a person in the future will be upgraded. Now we strive to accumulate more and more stuff to feel satisfied, to be above everyone else so others will envy us, but it also puts us under constant pressure from fear that any moment someone will surpass us. When we realize this is a futile quest, we will learn to enjoy doing good to those around us and this will uplift both us and them; it will create a pleasant and satisfying atmosphere.

Therefore, lasting fulfillment is not related to the amount of objects or assets in our possession. So we will not need to purchase material objects to find pleasure or to make someone happy. We will see that the greatest gift anyone can give or receive is first of all warmth, a smile and genuine, sincere concern. A meaningful life depends on one’s attitude not on matter, on material things. So if we develop good mutual relationships, we will all be filled with joy and no one will lack anything. We will discover that the secret of life truly lies in the right human connections and the fulfillment that can be achieved through it is boundless.
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My new article on Linkedin “Churchill and the Jews – A Matter of Fate”

A hundred years ago, on March 24, 1921, to be exact, an important visitor came to Palestine to witness firsthand the progress of the Zionist endeavor to build “A national home for the Jewish people,” as stated in the 1917 Balfour Declaration. That man was Winston Spencer Churchill, at the time Great Britain’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, and during World War II, its illustrious Prime Minister. The 1920 San Remo conference gave Britain the mandate for the administration of Palestine, and Churchill, an avid supporter of Zionism, came to see how his vision was unfolding.

Churchill seems to have realized that for the Jews, unity had a deep spiritual meaning, and not merely a worldly benefit to yield. Gilbert writes that Churchill “did not think that people could unite in communities ‘unless they possessed some guiding principle. They in that part of Manchester had the spirit of their race and of their faith. He counselled them to guard and keep that spirit. It was a precious thing, a bond of union, an inspiration, and a source of great strength.’”

In light of the Palestinian Arabs’ resistance to the Jewish settlers, Churchill declared: “It is manifestly right that the Jews should have a National Home where some of them may be reunited. And where else could that be but in this land of Palestine, with which for more than 3,000 years they have been intimately and profoundly associated.”

Acclaimed British historian Martin Gilbert, author of the book Churchill and the Jews, included numerous quotations by Churchill. In one of them, he writes that an Arab delegation protested the expansion of the Jewish settlement in Palestine. In response, Churchill told them, “I am myself perfectly convinced that the cause of Zionism is one which carries with it much that is good for the whole world, and not only for the Jewish people, but that it will also bring with it prosperity and contentment and advancement to the Arab population of this country.”

Indeed, Churchill’s interest in the success of the Jewish National Home went deeper than a sense of historic justice. His passion for Zionism stemmed from his sense of the Jewish fate with regard to the whole world. In Palestine, which is now the State of Israel, Churchill felt that the Jews could realize their vocation. Accordingly, during his visit, he said, “My heart is full of sympathy for Zionism. The establishment of a Jewish National Home in Palestine will be a blessing to the whole world.”

An even more surprising nuance about Churchill’s affinity for Jews had to do with his discernments about the nature of the Jewish society. I have written countless times about the significance of unity for the Jews. Throughout the ages, our sages have stressed numerous times that unity is the core of Judaism, that the people of Israel were forged only after they agreed to unite “as one man with one heart,” and that the example of unity is what the world wants to see from them.

Regrettably, for all their efforts, our sages did not convince their obstinate people; perhaps a distinguished member of the nations expressing precisely the same view will help us come to terms with our vocation. Churchill was not always aware of the importance of unity for the Jews, or as he referred to it, their “corporate spirit.” But some years before World War I, he got to know the Jews of Manchester. According to Gilbert, “His experience with Manchester Jewry had introduced him to the Jewish communal emphasis on social responsibility and self-help, with which he had been much impressed. … Churchill added that he had been ‘much struck … by the nature of the work that community had in hand.’”

Moreover, Churchill seems to have realized that for the Jews, unity had a deep spiritual meaning, and not merely a worldly benefit to yield. Gilbert writes that Churchill “did not think that people could unite in communities ‘unless they possessed some guiding principle. They in that part of Manchester had the spirit of their race and of their faith. He counselled them to guard and keep that spirit. It was a precious thing, a bond of union, an inspiration, and a source of great strength.’”

During a meeting in support of the Jewish Hospital Fund in Manchester, Churchill said that recently, we have heard a great deal about corporate life, but “If we were going to live decent lives in such great masses of people, we would have to study the corporate organization of society in a way we had hitherto not attempted to do. We had got to band ourselves together for definite purposes.” In Churchill’s eyes, the corporate life “was worth nothing unless it had behind it personal effort. The mere mechanical arrangement of society into larger combination would be utterly sterile unless those larger combinations were sustained by a great spirit of personal interest and of impersonal aspiration.” He was convinced that if the Jews could keep that spirit, “They would have created a new thing in the world; they would have brought from the realms of the infinite something new into the arena of mundane affairs.” In fact, Churchill was so convinced of the power of Jewish unity that he stated that it would be “a lever which could remove vice, disease, sorrow and want, which could wipe away the grossnesses of our state in the world, and which would be of far greater value than any stereotyped or hidebound official organization.”

Moreover, Churchill realized that worldly Jewish unity could be successful only if it were tied to the spiritual essence of Jewish unity. It seems as though in his eyes, that unity made them “a light unto nations,” an example to follow. In his words, “If we were to have the higher corporate life, we must have the higher corporate incentive; we must have the larger spirit, the larger driving power. The Jews were a lucky community because they had that corporate spirit, the spirit of their race and faith.” Churchill would not “ask them to use that spirit in any narrow or clannish sense.” He believed it would be “far from their mood and intention, far from the counsels that were given them by those most entitled to advise. That personal and special driving power which they possessed would enable them to bring vitality into their institutions, which nothing else would ever give.”

At the end of his speech about the corporate nature of the Jewish spirit, Churchill concluded with a humorous, if stern advice: “Be good Jews.” And perhaps to show his appreciation for Jewish unity and desire that the Jews would share it, he added, amid cheers: “A Jew cannot be a good Englishman unless he is a good Jew.”

It is my wish for the people of Israel to take the advice of our sages, to listen to the wishes of the nations, and forge the unity that we must then share with the world. Our unity, above all our many differences, shines a light that the whole world wants. If we spread this light, the world will embrace our nation for the first time in our history.
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My new article on Linkedin “How Many Forces Are in Nature?”

The scientific community has been abuzz lately over a possible discovery of new particles, or even a new force in nature. Scientists working at Fermilab, a Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics near Chicago, say they’ve seen strong evidence of an unknown force working at the subatomic level, which caused a particle called “muon” to wobble in a way they did not expect based on the current understanding of physics. Chris Polly, one of the lead scientists on the experiment, described this as “our Mars rover landing moment.” Marcela Carena, head of theoretical physics at Fermilab, added excitedly, “I feel like this tiny wobble may shake the foundations of what we thought we knew.”

We must start being more considerate of others’ needs, and not only of our own. Moreover, we must do this as a society, and not individually, since individually, it will not work in a self-centered society.

Fermilab is not alone. Last month, researchers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe also found hints of an unknown force at work. They smashed together particles called “beauty quarks,” expected the collisions to produce equal amounts of electrons and muons, but ended up producing fifteen percent more electrons than muons. “Something funny going on,” observed David Kaplan, a Johns Hopkins University theoretical physicist in an interview on Global News. According to Kaplan, the results of the experiments point to something that could be explained by a new particle or force that isn’t in the Standard Model. “This is not a fudge factor,” he said. “This is something wrong.”

The current understanding of subatomic physics, working under what is called “The Standard Model,” maintains that there are four forces in nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force. So far, the four forces have managed to explain pretty much everything. Now, apparently, the Standard Model cannot explain the new phenomena, and scientists are questioning their understanding of the world. If there are five forces, then they don’t understand how things work. Worse yet, they don’t know the nature of this force, if there are other forces that they still don’t know about, or if there is even a new force or a new particle to discover. This can get quite confusing, if you’re a physicist, but in fact, there is an easy way to put order into this conundrum.

I wrote about it extensively in my book Self-Interest vs. Altruism in the Global Era, but I’ll try to share the gist of the explanation in this little snippet. At the most basic level of reality are two forces. They have no scientific names, but they are opposite, and their interactions create and maintain every iota of reality. When they are balanced, matters thrive; when there is imbalance between them, matters decay and deteriorate. These forces, which we can refer to as positive and negative, create the opposite charges between protons and electrons, the opposite seasons of the year, the oppositeness between day and night, birth and death, growth and decay, male and female, and love and hate. Specifically in humans, these forces manifest as desires: a desire to receive and a desire to give.

When there is exploitation, it is clearly an exaggeration of the desire to receive. Motherhood, on the other hand, is the best example of the desire to give, even if the mother receives pleasure while giving.

These desires are not static. Their development creates what we know as evolution, but they maintain their balance, or as biologists refer to it—homeostasis—namely a dynamic balance where the forces alternate in dominance.

Currently, the apex of evolution is humankind. However, in humans, there is a flaw: The desire to receive is overbearing in us, and the desire to give is, well, meek. As a result, the revelations we make are all used by the desire to receive. This is why every scientific discovery is immediately used for selfish purposes: from seeking fame through gaining wealth to developing military weapons and technologies.

Because our desires keep developing, we will continue to discover new particles, new forces, and new laws in nature. The only limit to our discoveries is the intensity of our desires. The more they grow, the more we will discover. However, you can be sure that we will misuse whatever we discover just as we have misused everything that we have learned about nature to this day. The only possible result of discovering more forces is that they will be used to inflict more harm and pain on humanity and on our planet.

The real discovery we need to make is how to balance our unhinged desire to receive with our feckless desire to give. We must remember that any structure in nature where the two forces are off balance is short lived. If we want to be more than a flicker in the history of our planet, we must learn to balance receiving with giving.

In simpler words, we must start being more considerate of others’ needs, and not only of our own. Moreover, we must do this as a society, and not individually, since individually, it will not work in a self-centered society.

We’ve already discovered what nuclear weapons can do. Now, once more, we are growing obtuse enough to use them, for all their consequences. Therefore, while there are countless forces in nature, there is only one that we really need to discover: the force of giving, the desire to give. This will reveal to us the physics of happiness.
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