Madonna celebrates Purim in Charlie Chaplin costume

The Diaspora resembles the shepherd —dynamic, mobile, and less tied to place and land. Israel resembles the farmer — rooted, sovereign, and engaged with land and the challenges of power. The challenge is not to choose one over the other, but to create a balance.

For us today, as for God in Genesis, the question is how to bring out the best in these creatures while limiting the dangers they pose.

Israel’s path to independence unfolded under conditions where the outcome remained uncertain until it was achieved. No external mechanism could deliver it cleanly or without cost. It took shape through sustained effort in an environment defined by risk.

People who should know better seem to know absolutely nothing when the stakes are at their highest. The Pope, who is the final arbiter on Catholic teachings, appears to be only vaguely familiar with both Christian and papal history.