Zionism: A state as a moral laboratory and a beacon to humanity

Source: Ben-Gurion's vision: A state tested by its moral character

The State of Israel will be tested not by wealth, not by military might, and not by technology, but by its moral character and its human values... We are permitted to aspire to fulfill the words of the prophet: 'And I will make you a covenant for the people, a light to the nations'... The State of Israel will be worthy of its name only if its social and economic, political and legal system is founded upon this eternal human teaching... A path of peace and justice and freedom and human brotherhood, which will be based on the teaching of the prophets, the teaching of justice and compassion and peace. Without vision, a people unravels.

(David Ben-Gurion, from the essay "Uniqueness and Destiny", 1953)

Explanation: From survival to destiny: Zionism's metaphysical bar

At the height of the Zionist project, founding father David Ben-Gurion raises the bar to a metaphysical level. Being militarily strong (Sunday) and logistically capable (Monday) is an existential necessity to keep from being slaughtered. But what are we surviving for? If Israel becomes merely another small, well-armed high-tech powerhouse, Zionism has failed. The Jewish nation's sole ontological justification for existence is the duty to serve as a moral testing ground for all of humanity ("a light to the nations"). Nationhood, ultimately, is the instrument for repairing humanity and the world.

Perspective: A beacon, not a fortress: The true power of projecting morality

Survival is a biological instinct; destiny is a human choice. If the State of Israel is just a well-fortified overnight camp for Jewish refugees, we might as well close the gates of Ben-Gurion Airport and move to Canada. Real strength is measured by the ability to project morality into the chaos. Yeshivas and mechinot (pre-military academies) aspiring to build a nation worthy of the kingdom of heaven on earth; Israeli search-and-rescue teams arriving first among the rubble of earthquakes in Haiti or Turkey are not a PR gimmick—they are the essence of an ancient mandate; Israeli agritech companies teaching African villages to draw water from sand and desert are fulfilling the vision of the biblical prophets; and a society that manages to maintain a vibrant, raucous, and lawful democracy while fighting for its life against brutal terrorism for 75 years radiates a blinding light in a darkened Middle East. This is the catharsis of nationhood: you don't build a fortress to hide from the world; you build a beacon to show it the way.

Going Deeper: Rabbi Kook: God's throne and the ideal state that was never built

Rabbi A.I. Kook, the foremost among the rabbis of the Land of Israel, saw the emerging state as the return of the ideal kingdom of Israel—one that had never yet existed—bringing a religious and moral message to the world. Every Jew, according to Rabbi Kook, looks toward the state, demanding and expecting it to indeed be God's throne, bringing down to earth the destiny foretold by Israel's prophets. In his words:

"The state is not the ultimate happiness of man... but all of this is said of an ordinary state. Yet a state that is ideal in its foundation, etched in its very being with the supreme divine ideal... this state is our state, the State of Israel, the foundation of God’s throne in the world, whose entire desire is that the Lord shall be one and His name one, which is truly the supreme happiness."

Culture: Song of Freedom: Pioneers marching toward a momentous hour

In the 1920s, "Shir HaCheirut" (Song of Freedom) was written by Jewish pioneers in Germany and set to music by Daniel Sambursky. The song was translated into Hebrew and is one of the most beautiful and significant anthems of the Zionist revival. The people of Israel march toward their future and their past, turning eastward toward a momentous hour. You are invited to be moved.