Over the past year we’ve repeatedly heard the slogan “Make America Great Again.” The same motto can be applied to the Jewish people, who were definitely great in the past, such as during the time of Kings David and Solomon, but whose greatness subsequently diminished during the ensuing centuries of galus and its tribulations.
But how do you really define “greatness”? What would it mean for the Jewish people to be great again? Is it merely the relatively recent reestablishment of the state of Israel – and all the accompanying political and military problems it is still coping with?
God is actually the One Who said to the first Jew, Abraham, “I will make your name great” (Gen.12:1) after commanding him to leave his land and father’s house, promising him that great blessing. But for what? Perhaps for his initial confrontation with the idol worshippers of Ur Kasdim? Or his victorious philosophical debates? Or his self-sacrifice when thrown into a burning furnace etc?
If so, why aren’t any of these great accomplishments openly mentioned in the biblical text that precedes “I will make your name great”? (See Ramban’s commentary). Isn’t Noah described as a “righteous man,” meriting therefore to be spared the Deluge?
The absence of Abraham’s previous spiritual accomplishments in the Torah text implies that what was crucial at this turning point was merely God’s command to leave his land. That was what resulted in the reward of making his name great (once the command would be obeyed).
In other words, his previous recognition of God and his gradual ascent by dint of his own efforts were not the cause of this great blessing.
Why is that?
The answer is that the most effective way for finite man to connect with and cling to the Infinite Creator is via the Mitzvah-Command Channel. Abraham was the first Jew and the command of “go and leave your land” was in effect the first direct command God gave him. Torah and the observance of mitzvot are the main determinants of the greatness of the Jewish people. History has amply demonstrated that the Torah’s predictions of Jewish destiny to be determined by future Torah observance or lack thereof are thoroughly exact.
Jewish greatness, indeed, will come back to Israel once it becomes the theocracy God wants it to be, with all its inhabitants abiding by the Torah’s directives.
Similarly, the United States of America, from its inception, was “great” in terms of the democratic freedoms and balance of powers it was based on. But while there always was a separation of state and religion, the U.S. had been, for most of its history, a society that acknowledged God in a monotheistic manner, with biblical morality widely posited as the ideal.
Over the past 50 years or so, however, we have witnessed a steadily diminishing trend in this area. I believe this is an important contributing factor in the decrease of American greatness. Whatever political and economic policies are implemented by the new administration, a return to religious values, especially those of the God-given Seven Noahide Laws for all of humanity, is necessary if we indeed wish to “Make America Great Again.”
