Yearning - Mirror Images

I feel odd posting this here, as I promised myself I wouldn't post political or philosophical treatises here. But since it touches on my Aliyah, I decided to take the plunge.

Again, on twitter, I got into a conversation with a Palestinian teen. Again we butted heads over who's land it is, war crimes, terror, and all the juicy stuff. There was no dialogue, as there was no real interest in hearing someone else's opinion - I believe that haShem gave us the Land, and she believes we are apartheid imperialist occupiers.

What was striking to me was reading her blog post about her yearning for her ancestral homeland. Replace "Palestine" with "Israel" and it could have been a Nefesh B'Nefesh piece.

We seem to sound the same, her and I. Both of us have an identity tied to a sliver of real estate in the Middle East, an overarching worldview that says our people hood is tied to being there, and a nearly insane determination to hold that land regardless of cost. No wonder the rest if the world thinks we are the same, and sides with the underdog figure.

But there is one difference (besides the whole haShem gave it to us bit): The view for the future. The jewish view of the future is one of ומלאה הארץ דעה את ה׳. OUR ALIYAH, THE ASCENT, IS PART OF A VIEW OF THE HAR HABAYIT HOUSING THE PRESENCE OF G-D HIMSELF FOR ALL THE WORLD. Otherwise, it's just real estate, claims on the past, and yes - we ARE no different than them. Democracy is democracy, religions are religions, and states are states. None of that matters. What matters is the dream for the Beit HaMikdash, the vision if the future, the embodiment of the Shechina that Yisrael is.

We are they who carry the mantle of the name Man - אתם קראים אדם. And we are tasked with creating the template, the example, the definition of what it means to be a human being. And the Place to do that IS the Place - המקום.

I believe, or rather I KNOW, that when Klal Yisrael asserts its mission, this non-entity of "peace in the Middle East" will disappear. The koach these people have is the mirror image of ours - and when we are Yisrael, and the Ohr shines throughout the whole world, all will see the stupidity, falsehoods, and the havdala bein Yisrael la'amim.