JERUSALEM POST
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| Torah scrolls around the world Photo: Elie Posner/ Israel Museum |
ISRAEL---It was a temporary and uncharacteristic moment of Jewish unity, the rabbis teach, which facilitated the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. At that time, just 50 days after the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish People were united “like one person, with one heart.” It was this unique state of unity that paved the way for the receiving of the Torah. But is unity really such a good thing? Obviously, the sort of fratricidal violence that gripped the Jewish People at numerous periods in their long history has proven to be self-destructive. However, what is wrong with good healthy debate? The bickering, argumentative, authority-questioning aspect of Jewish and Israeli culture is what makes us such a dynamic and innovative people. The same holds true for religion. [
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