You are here: Kabbalah Library Home / Other Authors / Gems of Wisdom / The Meaning of Israel and the Nations of the World / Israel's Role Toward the World

Israel's Role Toward the World

Israel bring Light to the world.

Midrash Rabba, Song of Songs, Portion no. 4

 

A nation that any good that comes to the world, comes by its merit.

Beresheet Rabba, Portion no. 66

 

When the Children of Israel are complemented with the complete knowledge, the fountains of intelligence and knowledge shall flow beyond the boundaries of Israel and water all the nations of the world.

Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book

Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 4

 

It is incumbent upon the Israeli nation to qualify themselves and the rest of the people in the world through engagement in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma [for Her name], until they evolve into assuming this sublime work of love of others, which is the ladder to the purpose of Creation, being Dvekut [adhesion] with Him.

Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee],” Item 20

 

The Israeli nation had been constructed as a sort of gateway by which the sparks of purity would shine upon the whole of the human race the world over. And these sparks multiply daily, like one who gives to the treasurer, until they are filled sufficiently, that is, until they develop to such an extent that they can understand the pleasantness and tranquility that are found in the kernel of love of others. For then they will know how to shift the balance to the right, and will place themselves under His burden, and the scale of sin will be eradicated from the world.

Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee],” Item 24

 

Know that a branch that extends from the internality is the people of Israel, which has been chosen as an operator of the general purpose and correction. It contains the preparation required for growing and developing until it moves the nations of the worlds, too, to achieve the common goal. The branch that extends from the externality is the nations of the world. They have not been imparted the qualities that make them worthy of receiving the development of the purpose one at a time. Rather, they are fit to receive the correction at once and to the fullest, according to their Higher Root.

Baal HaSulam, “A Handmaid that Is Heir to Her Mistress”

 

The Israeli nation was to be a “transition.” This means that to the extent that Israel cleanse themselves by keeping the Torah, so they pass their power on to the rest of the nations. And when the rest of the nations also sentence themselves to a scale of merit, then the Messiah will be revealed. That is because the role of the Messiah, is not only to qualify Israel to the ultimate goal of adhesion with Him, but to teach the ways of God to all the nations, as the verse says, “And all nations will flow onto Him.”

Baal HaSulam,

“The Love for the Creator & Love for the Created Beings”

 

The revival of the nation is the foundation for the construction of the great repentance’s, the repentance of the Upper Israel and the repentance of the whole world which will follow.

Rav Raiah Kook, Orot HaTshuva [Lights of Repentance] 17, 1

 

The role of the Israeli nation to qualify the world for a certain measure of purity, until they are worthy of taking upon themselves His work, no less than Israel were worthy at the time they received the Torah.

Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee],” Item 21

 

Judaism must present something new to the nations. That is what they expect from the return of Israel to the land! It is not in other teachings, for in that we never innovated; we were always their disciples. Rather, it is the wisdom of religion, justice and peace. In this, most nations are our disciples, and this wisdom is attributed to us alone.

Baal HaSulam, “The Solution”

 

The end ofthe correction of the world will only be by bringing all the people in the world under His work, as it is written, “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the Lord be One, and His name one.”

And the text specifies, “on that day,” and not before. And there are several more verses, “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord…” (Isaiah, 11:9) “…and all the nations shall flow on to him” (Isaiah, 2:2).

But the role of Israel towards the rest of the world resembles the role of our Holy Fathers towards the Israeli nation: just as the righteousness of our fathers helped us develop and cleanse until we became worthy of receiving the Torah, were it not for our fathers, who observed the whole of Torah before it was given, we would certainly not be any better than the rest of the nations.

Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee],” Item 20

 

Altruistic Communism (The religion of bestowal upon another) is seldom found in the human spirit; hence, the nobler people must take upon it to set an example for the entire world.

Baal HaSulam, “The Solution”

 

Each and every Mitzva that each person from Israel performs in order to bring contentment to one’s Maker, and not for any self gratification, helps, to some extent, with the development of all the people of the world. This is because it is not done at once, but by slow, gradual development, until it increases to such a degree that it can bring all the people in the world to the desired purity.

Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee],” Item 20

 

Now it is upon us, relics, to correct that dreadful wrong. Each of us remainders should take upon himself, heart and soul, to henceforth intensify the internality of the Torah, and give it its rightful place, according to its merit over the externality of the Torah.

And then, each and every one of us will be rewarded with intensifying his own internality, meaning the Israel within us, which is the needs of the soul over our own externality, which is the Nations of the World within us, that is, the needs of the body. That force will come to the whole of Israel, until the Nations of the World within us recognize and acknowledge the merit of the great sages of Israel over them, and will listen to them and obey them.

...And they shall follow the words (Isaiah 14, 2), “And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord.” And also (Isaiah 49, 22), “And they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.” That is what is written in The Zohar (Nasoh, p 124b), “through this composition,” which is The Book of Zohar, “they will be delivered from exile with mercy.”

Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 71

 

Our sages said about the reason for the words: Therefore, the blessing of peace in the whole world precedes the strength, meaning the redemption, because “God did not find a vessel to hold the blessing for Israel but peace.” Thus, as long as self-love and egoism exist among the nations, Israel, too, will not be able to serve the Creator in purity, as bestowal, as it is written in the explanation of the words, “And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests,” in the essay, “The Arvut [mutual guarantee].” And we see it from experience, for the coming to the land and the building of the Temple could not persist and receive the blessings that God has sworn to our fathers.

And this is why they said, “God did not find a vessel to hold the blessing,” meaning thus far Israel did not have a vessel to hold the blessing of the fathers. Therefore, the oath that we can inherit the land for all eternity has not yet been fulfilled, because world peace is the sole vessel that enables us to receive the blessing of the fathers, as in the prophecy of Isaiah.

Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”

Back to top
Site location tree