"R. Abba kept away from Rab Judah because he wanted to go up to Eretz Israel; for Rab Judah said, Whoever goes up from Babylon to Eretz Israel transgresses a positive precept, since it says, They shall be carried to Babylon and there shall they be, until the day that I remember them, saith the Lord."
Obviously operating under a pre-Zionism framework, what does Rav Yehuda's statement mean for us?Are we still in Bavel? Should we still be waiting for God to remember us? How can we reconcile this lovely sentiment of affirming diasporic identity with a world that has demonstrated the strength of Zionism both politically and ideologically?
Adam, I love this passage – makes me feel reinforced in my love of being an American. It helps me feel that I can be proudly Jewish and zionist, without sacrificing my pride in the country and culture I live in. Yes, we need Israel and it's great, that goes without saying. But if that's all we have to live for, than what good are our lives in the diaspora? How can we possibly live meaningful lives in Bavel? I think this statement is Rav Yehuda's way of saying "for those of us who can't realize the dream of living in Israel – we're ok too, and we're doing the best we can. Let that be good enough – better yet, let that be better."
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