Israel: A Steaming Pot

In what is the first of the three “haftarot of doom” leading up to the fast of Tisha b’Av, God asks the prophet Jeremiah “What do you see?” God is really asking Jeremiah if he understands the brewing political and social problems within the Jewish state of his day.

Jeremiah answers God’s question with a prophetic metaphor that reflects the impending doom on Israel: “I see a steaming pot.”

What was this “steaming pot”? Was it a description of Israel’s enemies that were waiting to unleash war and terror on the Jewish state? Was it a reflection on political, social and religious divisions that were brewing within Jewish society, about to reach a boiling point? It was both.

Israel’s enemies – in this case the Babylonians – were prepared to march on Jerusalem and lay siege to the city:

“They shall come, and shall each set up a throne, before the gates of Jerusalem, against its walls roundabout, and against all the towns of Judah” (Jeremiah 1:15).

The threats from Israel’s enemies were seen as a “steaming pot” by Jeremiah, and the pot was ready to explode any day.

Coinciding with the threats from beyond Israel’s borders were the equally disturbing threats from within Jewish society:

“They have forsaken Me and sacrificed to other gods, and worshipped the works of their hands” (Jeremiah 1:16).

Idolatry is understood as the moral decay of Jewish society. The ultimate downfall of the first Jewish State was due to widespread idolatry, sexual immorality and bloodshed – Judaism’s three cardinal sins.

Jeremiah’s “Steaming Pot” prophecy of doom teaches us that the enemies from beyond our borders go hand-in-hand with the threats from within.

This message was carried into the second Jewish State, where the “steaming pot” of its day was the Roman Empire’s oppression of the Jews, along with internal Sinat Hinam – baseless hatred – within Jewish society. That poisonous combination brought about the destruction of the second Jewish State.

Today, in the third Jewish State, Jeremiah’s “steaming pot” vision is unfortunately alive and well. Israel’s enemies continue to threaten Israel with terrorism and destruction, and Israeli society is as divided as it’s ever been – politically, religiously and socially.

From where can we draw strength in these challenging times?

I turn to the wisdom of the great Sephardic Hakham, Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel.

In 1951, just three years into the newly declared modern-day Jewish State (and two years before he passed away), Rabbi Uziel wrote:

“Loving truth and peace are especially needed in the State of Israel today, for only truth and peace can create an atmosphere of pleasantness and tranquility throughout the land. Each individual in Israel must internalize truth and peace, which in turn will foster a true love for the State of Israel, and a genuine desire for its internal peace.

“This internal peace will ultimately lead to an external peace, guiding us towards peace initiatives with other nations and kingdoms.

“Let us conduct ourselves in the paths of true peace, respecting each other’s opinions and feelings, as well as respecting the differences amongst the factions in our country. Let us remove all language of hatred, animosity and provocation from our midst.

“Let us remember the enlightened deeds of our rabbis – Shammai and Hillel – who behaved with love and respect towards one another and respected each other’s opinions, fulfilling the verse ‘You shall love truth and peace.’”

The prophet Jeremiah described the “steaming pot,” and in almost equally prophetic words, Rabbi Uziel laid out the formula for cooling that pot.

In his vision, cooling the pot starts from within. Only when we have internal peace within Israel can we properly deal with our external enemies.

“This internal peace,” as he so beautifully envisioned, “will ultimately lead to an external peace, guiding us towards peace initiatives with other nations and kingdoms.”

Are we up for Rabbi Uziel’s challenge?

Rabbi Daniel Bouskila is the director of the Sephardic Educational Center and the rabbi of the Westwood Village Synagogue.