What is the Story Of Israel
Every story has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an ending. The story of Israel
also has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Each part of Israel’s story is made up of many smaller stories that are connected. Too many stories for one website.
The story of Israel is like a puzzle. Any good story has separate pieces that fit together when the story ends. However while the story of Israel has an ending just as it has a beginning, that does not mean the story has an end. It doesn’t. Its puzzle pieces fit together in a very unique way.
Israel’s story is like a three-dimensional puzzle, where all three dimensions – the beginning, the middle, and the ending – connect with each other to form a sphere. All pieces of the puzzle are, themselves, three-dimensional and, all are somehow connected to the beginning, the middle, and the ending of Israel’s story, all at the same time.
So how can we tell Israel’s story?
First of all, why tell Israel’s story?
About me, the creator of this website
My name is Jerry Waxman. I have been known by other names, but usually I am known as Jerry. My own story is not important at all in any scheme of things. However, I
have had opportunities most people have not had to witness and be a part of Israel’s story, and to gain a very unique perspective.
As to why I want to share my take on Israel’s story – Well, actually for me it is a journey of learning and self-discovery. I am learning about Israel’s story just as I am writing about it. As I write, more of Israel’s story becomes a bit clearer to me. I see puzzle pieces falling into their places and I want to share these revelations with you. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s the teacher in me who wants you to think and have your own revelations.
The three parts of Israel’s story
How will we tell Israel’s story? Well, like any other story, the story of Israel has three parts, a beginning, a middle, and an ending.
We are accostumed to treating each part of a story separately. Where the middle begins, the beginning ends. Where the middle ends, that is the ending of the story. The story of Israel is different. The beginning, the middle, and the ending are not separate from each other. I have referred to these parts as three dimensions of a sphere, all interacting with each other.
The Beginning
Torah, the Hebrew Bible (also called “Tanach”) is the beginning of Israel’s story. Obviously, the stories of Biblical times come before the rest of Israel’s history. But Torah does not end with the Tanach’s last story. The word, “Torah,” carries the connotation of “teachings.” These teachings never
end. They live on.
I am by no means an expert on the Torah. I will not pretend to teach Torah in the way actual Torah scholars teach their students the deeper meanings and lessons from the Tanach. What I can do is present synopses of the stories in the Tanach, and add my own take – my own insight – into what is happening in the story. As I have said, I am not a Torah scholar, and I encourage you to disagree with my take on any story, and share your own insights.
The Middle
The people of Israel are the middle dimension. Timewise, the Biblical era came to a close when Romans expelled the Jews from Israel. That was the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora, when the Israelites migrated and settled in every corner of the world, but had no country of their own. Although there is now a Jewish state, the Jewish diaspora lives on today, and continues to be an important element in the story of Israel.
The people of Israel, of course, have a lot in common with each other. However,
nearly two-thousand years of diaspora has given the Jewish people multiple histories of how they were treated and how they responded in different parts of the world. Diasporic Israelites have also adopted some of the customs and traditions of their host countries over the years.
As I said before, too many stories for one website. I am not a historian. In no way can I pretend to be an expert on the Jewish experience around the world. But there are two things that I believe can help tell the story of Israel.
There are stories of individual Jews, past and present, from all corners of the globe, that together show us a picture of the uniqueness of the people of Israel.
Adding even more vivid color to the story, nearly half of the world’s Jewish population resides in Israel. This is a very recent development, but a very important one in the telling of Israel’s story.
The Ending
The third dimension of Israel’s story is the Land Of Israel. Timewise, the establishment of a Jewish state in Israel signifies the ending of the diaspora. But, of course, we are not there yet. Nevertheless, with a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, we
live now in uniquely interesting times.
News stories come from Israel daily. Not all of them are about politics. Some are human interest stories. In addition, I have had my own experiences in Israel, and I think they may contribute to a better understanding of Israel’s story.
In Conclusion
Welcome to my website. I hope you will enjoy the content and relate to it in your own way. You are welcome to register as a subscriber, and leave comments about the material you find here. I look forward to seeing your discussions.