Tribalism and unity

The Parasha in our everyday life - Parashat Vayehi – 5783

Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Yalon Farhi ז''ל

Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - Head of the Hesder Yeshiva 'Meir Harel' Modiin

Last week, we held a memorial service for the late Chief of Staff (res.) Amnon Yosef Lipkin Shahak, on his tenth Yortzeit. He was a partner in the founding of our Yeshiva. His firm stand at the head of the public council in favor of the establishment of the Yeshiva, neutralized strong opposition from all those who did not want a Yeshiva to be established in the modern, renewed and re-shaped city of Modi'in, which could affect the status quo of the city. He liked the Yeshiva and its students; students of the Hesder Yeshiva who combine Torah study with long military service. The late Amnon was the great-grandson of Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant, the founder of the Musar Movement, he was a man of good qualities, humanity, connected to people, a leader and full of responsibility out of great cleverness. His connection to the Yeshiva and its students probably also came from this place. The late Amnon was a brave warrior and a smart and calculated commander who was admired by his subordinates because he instilled in them a sense of security during the difficult hours of battle. Twice he was awarded "The Medal of Courage" for his performance; in 'The Battle of Karameh', and in the 'Operation Spring of Youth' in Beirut. However, when asked by the students what was the highlight of his career, he pointed out the fact that he commanded 'Operation Solomon' to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel when he was the Deputy Chief of Staff.

One of the things he really cared about was to connect the different types of people of Israel. He used to say that we are a 'nation of tribes' who need to learn how to bridge the differences in order to live together –  יַ֖חַד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל"The tribes of Israel together".

This can also be seen as a type of public 'will' that has an existential meaning. It seems that in recent times, mainly due to the frequent multiplicity of election campaigns, this tribalism, and the differences between the various tribes, are more prominent, causing uneasy tensions.

Our Parasha deals, among other things, with the transition of Ya'acov Avinu's family, from being mere 'sons' to 'tribal heads' that make up the nation. Before Ya'acov's death, he asks his sons to gather around his bed:

כָּל אֵלֶּה שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר וְזֹאת אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָהֶם אֲבִיהֶם וַיְבָרֶךְ אוֹתָם אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר כְּבִרְכָתוֹ בֵּרַךְ אֹתָם

" All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them; each man, according to his blessing, he blessed them". (Bereshit 49:28)

Ya'acov blessed each of them with a special blessing. In his blessings, he described his sons by character traits that set them apart from one another, and compared them to the traits of different animals. However, it turns out that despite the differences, each one had some of the qualities of his other brothers:

כל אלה שבטי ישראל שנים עשר וגו' - כבר כתיב ויברך אותם. ומה ת"ל איש אשר כברכתו ברך אותם? אלא, לפי שבירכן, יהודה באריה, דן בנחש, נפתלי באילה, בנימין בזאב, חזר וכללן כולן כאחד, ועשאן אריות, ועשאן נחשים. תדע שהוא כן, יהי דן נחש והוא קורא אותו אריה, הה"ד (דברים לג): דן גור אריה, לקיים מה שנאמר (שיר ד): כולך יפה רעיתי ומום אין בך:

"He blessed them: It should have said, “every man according to his blessing he blessed him”; why, then does it say “he blessed them”? But since in the blessings he ascribed to Yehuda personally “the strength of a lion”, to Binyamin “the rapacity of a wolf” and to Naphtali “the swiftness of a hind”, one might think that he did not include all of them in all the blessings, Scripture therefore states “he blessed them” (i.e. each of them personally and all of them together — extending all the personal blessings to each of them) as it is writtenכֻּלָּ֤ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔י וּמ֖וּם אֵ֥ין בָּֽךְ    

"Every part of you is fair, my darling, there is no blemish in you". (Bereshit Rabbah 99)

There is a question that comes up in light of the tension from 'tribalism' and diversity: What is the need for the people of Israel to be made up of different 'tribes'?

The diversity stems from the fact that each 'tribe' had a unique characteristic, and each tribe contributed it to the entirety of the nation of Israel. When each tribe wants unity, this is a necessity and an advantage, however, if there is no such ambition, diversity may become a dividing factor. That is why there was a period when the affinity for the tribes became blurry.

שִׁכְחַת הַשְּׁבָטִים לְיִחוּסָם הִיא הֲכָנָה לְאַחְדוּת הָאֻמָּה. עַל-יְדֵי הַזִּכָּרוֹן שֶׁל חִלּוּק הַשְּׁבָטִים הָיְתָה הַגָּלוּת גּוֹרֶמֶת, שֶׁכָּל שֵׁבֶט יְחֻלַּק וְיִפָּרֵד לְגַמְרֵי מִכְּלָלוּת הָאֻמָּה, וְאֶרֶס הַנָּכְרִיּוּת הָיָה חוֹדֵר בַּחֲלָקִים הַמְיֻחָדִים וְהַבְּדוּדִים

"Forgetting the tribes' lineage is a preparation for the unity of the nation. By remembering the tribes' division, the exile would have caused each tribe to be divided and separated completely from the rest of the nation and the venom of alienation would penetrate in special and isolated parts". (Lights from Darkness Israel and its Rebirth 27)   

"אָמְנָם עַל-יְדֵי הַשִּׁכְחָה הַזּאת שֶׁל הַהִתְפָּרְטוּת נִתְרַבָּה הַבִּלְבּוּל וְהָעִרְבּוּב, לֹא רַק הַתְּפִלּוֹת הַמְיֻחָדוֹת וּרְאוּיוֹת לְכָל שֵׁבֶט שֵׁבֶט בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ בְּתִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם נִתְבַּלְבְּלוּ, כִּי אִם כָּל עֶרְכֵי הַחַיִּים, הַפְּנִימִיִּים וְהַחִיצוֹנִים, כָּל צִבְיוֹנֵיהֶם שֶׁל הַהַרְגָּשׁוֹת, הַלִּמּוּדִים, הַמִּנְהָגִים וְהַהַדְרָכוֹת, שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם בִּמְקוֹמוֹ הוּא מוֹסִיף תִּקּוּן אוֹר וְחַיִּים מַתְאִים עִם הֲלָךְ הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַשִּׁבְטִית וּבוֹנֶה אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ, וְהוּא לִפְעָמִים מְעַכֵּר וְסוֹתֵר בִּנְיָן בִּהְיוֹתוֹ מְלֻפָּף בִּסְדָרִים שֶׁאֵינָם מֵעִנְיָנוֹ"

The blurring created unity, but it caused the loss of uniqueness:

"Indeed, due to forgetting of individuality, confusion and disorder increased, not only the prayers that are special and appropriate for each tribe were confused, but all the life values, internal and external, all the emotions, studies, the customs and tutorials, that each one of them in his place adds a patch of light and life matches the course of the tribal soul and builds its world, and it sometimes obscures and contradicts by being wrapped up in arrangements that are out of our sight". (ibid)

Therefore, in the future to come, we expect the return of the 'tribes', in a revised and unified format:

"וְיִשְׂרָאֵל יָשׁוּב עַל מְכוֹנוֹ וְכחַ שְׁבָטָיו יָשׁוּב אֵלָיו בְּאַחְדוּת הַרְמוֹנִית"

"And Israel will return to its foundation and the strength of its tribes will return to it in harmonious unity" (ibid).

In the modern era, tribalism has become a trend that also contributes to the whole. Each one has his advantages:

"שְׁלֹשָׁה כּחוֹת מִתְאַבְּקִים כָּעֵת בְּמַחֲנֵנוּ. הַמִּלְחָמָה בֵּינֵיהֶם נִכֶּרֶת הִיא בְּיוֹתֵר בְּאֶרֶץ-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲבָל פְּעֻלָּתָם הִיא פְּעֻלָּה נִמְשֶׁכֶת מֵחַיֵּי הָאֻמָּה בִּכְלָל, וְשָׁרְשֵׁיהֶם קְבוּעִים הֵם בְּתוֹךְ הַהַכָּרָה הַחוֹדֶרֶת בְּמֶרְחֲבֵי רוּחַ הָאָדָם. אֻמְלָלִים נִהְיֶה אִם אֶת שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַכּחוֹת הַלָּלוּ, – שֶׁהֵם מֻכְרָחִים לְהֵאָחֵד אֶצְלֵנוּ, לְסַיֵּעַ כָּל אֶחָד אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ וּלְשַׁכְלְלוֹ, שֶׁיְּבַצֵּר כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם אֶת הַקִּיצוֹנִיּוּת שֶׁחֲבֵרוֹ יוּכַל לְהָבִיא בְּצוּרָה מְקֻלְקֶלֶת, כְּשֶׁלּא יְסֻיַּג דַּרְכּוֹ, – נַנִּיחַ בְּפִזּוּרָם, בִּמְרִידָתָם זֶה עַל זֶה, וּבְהֵחָלְקָם כָּל אֶחָד לְמַחֲנֶה מְיֻחָד, הָעוֹמֶדֶת כְּצַר לַמַּחֲנֶה הַשְּׁנִיָּה. הַקּדֶשׁ, הָאֻמָּה, הָאֱנוֹשִׁיּוּת, וכו'.  הַהִתְמַזְּגוּת הַדְּרוּשָׁה שֶׁל שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַתְּבִיעוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת הַלָּלוּ מֻכְרַחַת הִיא לָבוֹא בְּכָל קְבוּצָה, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ תִּקְוָה שֶׁל חַיִּים עֲתִידִים"

"Three forces are now struggling in our midst. The war between them is known more in the land of Israel, but theirs is an action that is withdrawn from the nation as a whole, and their roots are fixed in the knowledge that penetrates the spaces of the human spirit. We will be miserable if we let these three factors (that should unite us, help one another, each one fortifies his friend's extremism, when there is unlimited path) settle the scattering, let the rebellion of one on top of the other and their division, each one to a special camp, which stands as a barrier to the other camp. The sacred, the Nation, the Humanity… The necessary fusion of these three major claims is necessary to come from every group, which hopes for a future life". (Orot Hatchiya 18)

However, if there is a denomination that claims to take control over everything, diversity may become a dividing factor:

"וּכְשֶׁאָנוּ סוֹקְרִים בְּחַיֵּינוּ וְרוֹאִים אָנוּ, שֶׁהַכּחוֹת הַלָּלוּ, לַמְרוֹת תְּעוּדַת הִתְמַזְּגוּתָם, הוֹלְכִים הֵם וְנִפְרָדִים, הִנְנוּ נִקְרָאִים לָבוֹא לְהַצָּלָה. יְסוּדָתוֹ שֶׁל הַפֵּרוּד הִיא בַּצְּדָדִים הַשְּׁלִילִיִּים שֶׁכָּל כּחַ רוֹאֶה בַּחֲבֵרוֹ"

"And when we review our lives and we see that these forces, despite their merger certificate they go and part away, we are called to come to the rescue. The basis of the separation is the negative sides that each force sees in his friend". (Ibid)