A Victory in Israel

What a week it has been in the Jewish world.  Just a few days ago, Israel held its re-take election and although there weren’t any major shifts in the results from the last elections held earlier this year, there was enough of a change to put Kachol v’Lavan ahead of Likud by two Knesset seats (at last count).
For some people, this was a sigh of relief; they have viewed Netanyahu’s tenure as having gone on too long with too little progress made.  Others are distressed, wondering how they will be kept safe given the rough neighborhood (Iran and Saudi Arabia as a case in point).
No matter where you fall on the political spectrum in Israel or in the US, this week was a victory for Israel.  The Torah–and in particular the Book of Deuteronomy–outline what the new society in the Promised Land would like.  We never achieved the ideal.  After the destruction of both Temples and the dispersion, Jews dreamed that a messiah would return us to our homeland.  That did not happen either.
Instead, with hard work, determination, political savvy and too many wars, Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel is a reality.  It has not reached its ideal yet.  The relatively young nation is still finding its way, but Tuesday’s elections show that democracy is alive and well.  Another reason to celebrate this Shabbat!