Regeneration of the Nation - Martin Buber

The Heart of the Matter

The internal overturning of the community, which settled The Land of Israel, can be called a regeneration or renewal of life.

This term raises in our hearts two different pictures. The first picture is a psychological one and the other biological. A person who experienced religious influence in a process of renewal of the soul, which changes his path in life, is said to have undergone regeneration. The idea I want to express here, following the religious writings of Judaism and Christianity, is that one who had been on the wrong path in life is allowed a clean slate after undergoing a total internal revolution. He feels that he is born again. This process all takes place within the limits of the soul of a person. This process does not need to remain within the limits of the soul, it can influence all external aspects of their life, but the basis of the regeneration is spiritual.

As opposed to this first picture [the biological one] the second picture is rooted in changes to organic forms. This regeneration takes place when organic cells disintegrate and are replaced by new healthy tissue. In the place of dead organs new ones come to life and take over their roles. The underpinning process takes place here in the material world and not in the consciousness as in the first picture. There (in the first picture) we refer to a spiritual act and here it is nature, which recreates the body. A living thing faces its annihilation, and regeneration takes place, in which what was lost develops anew. In this case regeneration is a process that works against degeneration. If we use the term regeneration to describe an important chapter in the life of a nation or a part of it, the first of the two pictures takes precedence in our minds. What this means is that in the soul of the nation or part of it, something essential changes.The national consciousness that declined as a result of historical processes rose again. The nation believes in itself again, and is not hopeless about its future; it believes in itself again as a force which can make things happen. The nation dares to start in a new path. This self-confidence strengthens the people and excites them toward acts of emancipation and victory, and prepares them to create structures that reinforce society and culture...

According to these assumptions we could expect a regeneration of the entire people, not only on the level of consciousness and will, but also on an objective level rooted in the creation of new tissues and organs, which mean structures. We bare witness to a rare event in the history of man. The aforementioned describes the overturning that is taking place in the hard core of the community which has settled in The Land of Israel.

The Principal of Choice

Of course those who went on brief tours of the country or encountered the people of Israel through buying memorabilia from them in shops in Tel Aviv will doubt this point. They will say that the people in Israel with whom they did business did not appear at all renewed (or regenerated). Maybe they didn't see properly. I intentionally emphasized that I am speaking of the hard core. Only one who infiltrated deeply and had direct contact with the hard core will be able to attest to this complete regeneration. What is the nature of the hard core? Where can it be found? What is its connection to the rest of society? How was it formed? What can be expected of it?

Therefore, generally they must be olim, especially the earliest, the founders, not a horde of poor exiles and fortunate seekers who are self-interested, but healthy, good, honest people, lovers of labor who live in peace according to good social norms. Because from those we can hope that while they are asking the question of what will we eat in Eretz Yisrael, they will silently and patiently do any work. Despite all of the difficulties, they will continue on their chosen path until they find a fair answer to their question with meaningful labor, which will make them into an example for the entire nation...


The Internal Layered Structure

Obviously the hard core in the regenerative sense in any organization, including an organization based on common opinions, cannot be based on profession or any other such thing. Of course one can be a Zionist and even a Socialist Zionist without undergoing an internal revolution of the soul and worldview, without changing one's way of life or perception of life to that which exemplifies true participation in the act of renewal. Enthusiasm is very important but the regeneration is not a matter of enthusiasm, however much it takes place in ones actions. Undoubtedly, the hard core is more likely to be found in villages, both in those organized more individualistically and those organized more collectively. In the difficult conditions of the collective life in the villages, a surplus of spirit is formed between partners at work. This surplus of spirit causes community members to relate to each other more and be there for one another on matters more important that structures or principals. I am not saying that this collective spirit exists in the villages; in fact it does not exist in any of them, however it is present in either a majority or minority of the members of each village and more importantly: this spirit exists in every place and in every person whom I describe as hard core. I identify with the spirit in which they live, and which radiates from them. In every village the hard core is surrounded by a different layer or more correctly a series of layers: A layer of those who are held up by the spirit only in part of their souls, those who are held up only on an intellectual level and not on a fundamental level, and an apathetic layer. They are influenced by the hard core on different levels, which are unintentional (on the part of the hard core), but in the example of the way they live their lives. This group, which I call the hard core, is an education one. The hard core grows as it educates by example. It directly influences the layer which is only partially committed, the younger generation, and the youth aliya which is joining many of the villages. It indirectly influences through the various youth movements the youth from the city who strive for the village, which is important in quality and growing in numbers...

The relationship between the hard core, the layers under its influence, and the layers which refuse its influence, is the measuring stick for the state of the regeneration of Am Yisrael in its land.