Last week, the head of NATO Forces in Europe and the British Defense Ministry announced that war with Russia may be closer than we think and that military conscription could be on the cards in Europe. This was, predictably, met with a huge degree of cynicism from teenage (and older) influencers on social media, with cartoons showing lazy Gen-Z kids being called up to the army and making excuses about their weak stomachs, their personal needs, and their busy schedules that must surely exempt them from army service?!
Meanwhile in Israel in recent months, we have witnessed the extraordinary courage and commitment of Israeli youth and reserves to fighting (and dying) for our country. From where does this huge cultural divide emanate?
The Midrash points out that the Torah begins with the second letter of the alphabet (Bet for Bereishit) whilst the Ten Commandments begin with the first letter (Aleph, for “Anochi”). Since Hebrew letters are also numbers, the Torah starts with the number 2 and the Ten Commandments with the number 1. Why would this be? Surely the Torah should have started with an Aleph?
Commentators explain that, since all creation requires two partners - male and female - it was logical for God to start the story of Creation with the number 2. It is also logical that the Ten Commandments, representing the direct gift of the Torah from God to the Jewish people, should commence with 1, signaling that the prime purpose of Creation was for the dissemination of the Torah. But there's another angle.
As Rabbi Sacks zt"l points out in his epic book "The Politics of Hope", modern politics presents two major conflicting ideas. On the one hand, Capitalism prescribes the freedom of the individual to acquire wealth and live however we wish (ideally without depriving others of their freedoms). On the other hand, Socialism proscribes the duty of the State to provide for its people, often to the detriment of individual freedom. This explains why the conflict between the needs of the individual and the state remains our prime political question.
A culture of individuality and freedom
And then there's Judaism. A culture of tremendous individuality and freedom, but built on concern for and obligation to the community of other people. How do we fuse these seemingly opposite ideas? The Aleph of the Ten Commandments might just give us a clue.
Whilst many of the Ten Commandments pertain to community life (forbidding murder, theft, sexual crimes, introducing Shabbat, etc.) it puts the focus on each individual's obligations to make these things happen. The emphasis is on the "one" for the benefit of the many. The Ten Commandments are stated in the singular form, although they clearly relate to all of us.
Any society that puts the individual above the interests of the community results in a lack of desire to fight for one's country, which is ultimately suicidal for the nation. At the same time, any society that is purely focused on the state (think Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, etc.) stifles individuality and creativity and is also doomed to destruction.
The ideal society is one that encourages free thought and action, but commands and enables each individual to take responsibility for others. That is the culture of the Ten Commandments. That is the society of Israel. That is one of the great beacons of light that Jews have lit up, and continue to shine on all other nations.
May our brave soldiers in Israel continue to fight the battle for individual empowerment over tyranny; the fight for good over evil.
Rabbi Leo Dee is an educator living in Efrat, and a Social Initiatives Envoy for Israel. His book “Transforming the World: The Jewish Impact on Modernity” has been republished in English and Hebrew in memory of his wife Lucy and daughters Maia and Rina, who were murdered by terrorists in April 2023.