Diversity & Unity
Thoughts on Yom Yerushalayim 2020
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“Pray for
Jerusalem’s peace; May your lovers rest tranquil!” (Tehilim 122:6) King David’s
mention of peace and tranquility with regards to Jerusalem is
telling. Jerusalem transcends its mere confines of place and location. It
represents harmony and agreement. The Hakhamim thus refer
to Jerusalem as “the city which makes all of Israel friends.”[1]
It is the city of unity.
Consider, for a
moment, the scene in Jerusalem on the three regalim. Throughout the days
of Pesah, Shavuot and Sukkot, the streets and alleys of the city were filled
with the many people of Am Yisrael. Men and women of all stripes and
colors gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the holidays together.
Focusing on Am
Yisrael’s unity is perhaps most appropriate at this time of the
year, in our preparation for Shavuot. The Hakhamim envisioned the
nation’s unity as the prerequisite to receiving the Torah. Am Yisrael’s
encampment “as one person, with one heart” demonstrated their readiness for
the Torah.[2]
But is unity actually
a virtue? Consider the Torah’s description of the time in history when
humanity was completely unified:
And
all the earth was one language, one set of words. (Bereshit 11:1)
It would appear, at
first glance, as if things couldn’t get better than that state of unity! And
yet, that time is forever remembered as a period of utter destruction. It began
the episode known to us now as Migdal Bavel:
And
they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower with its top in the
heavens, that we may make us a name, lest we be scattered over all the earth.” (Bereshit 11:4)
Surprisingly, the
people’s unity drove them away from growth, leading them instead to an
attempted rebellion against God. “With everyone given over to the one common
way, there would be mass identity and mass consciousness,” Leon Kass wrote,
“but no private identity or true self-consciousness; there would be
shoulder-shoulder but no real face-to-face.”[3]
In the absence of conflicting thoughts and opinions, without disagreements, the
people couldn’t discover the error in their ways.
Think about how
this reality rings true in your own life. We dread the discomfort of being confronted
by a friend or peer regarding a mistaken thought or character flaw. But how
could we develop without ever being challenged? Our decisions would be
determined solely by our own thoughts and feelings! And there would be
little or no room for change. We could never grow.
And
God said, “As one people with one language for all, if this is what they have
begun to do, now nothing they plot to do will elude them. Come, lets us go down
and baffle their language there so that they will not understand each other’s
language.” (Bereshit
11:6-7)
God secured the
future of humanity by dividing them! “Discovering the partiality of
one’s own truths and standards invites the active search for truths and
standards beyond one’s making,” Leon Kass wrote, “Opposition is the key to the
discovery of the distinction between error and truth…between that which is
appears to be and that which truly is.”[4]
Is Jerusalem’s
feature of “unity,” then, a matter to rejoice about? Perhaps, instead, it is a
dangerous aspect to avoid at all costs!
I believe that the
nature of Jerusalem’s particular “unity” is fundamentally different than that
of Migdal Bavel.
The Rabbis taught
that “Jerusalem wasn’t divided amongst the tribes.”[5]
Whereas the Land of Israel was generally zoned according to the twelve shevatim,
Jerusalem was left open to all. The concept of this structure seems to be an
embrace of diversity – through the division of the larger country, while
at once maintaining a particular unity at the center – in the undivided
city of Jerusalem.
Indeed, R. Yisshak
Hutner z”l pointed out that God demonstrated two divergent realities when
He began humanity with a single person. On the one hand, it reflected a particular
unity. Humankind’s shared ancestry means that we are all related to one
another. On the other hand, however, that single starting point highlighted the
spark of individuality inherent in each of us. The life of every
person is significant, irrespective of their society or community.[6]
Human existence, then, was born with a dichotomy which equally stresses the
equal importance of unity and diversity.
Consider the
structure of most successful organizations. The general direction and mission are
clearly stated. Everyone must agree to work in unison toward their realization.
That is Jerusalem. But the particular method or approach to reaching
that end is open to different vantage points and expressions. There are, for
that reason, separate departments and specific committees. That is the
surrounding Land of Israel.
Jerusalem, “the
city of peace and tranquility,” calls our attention to national unity. It
reminds us that although our growth is owed to an embrace of diversity, we
remain unified in purpose. Rising above all conflict and disagreement, the city
of Jerusalem is a constant reminder that “all of Israel is friends.”