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.

And If Not Now, When? - Martin Buber

        I frequently hear some among us saying: "We too want the  spirit of Judaism to be fulfilled; we too want the Torah to issue  forth from Zion, and we know that to realize this purpose the  Torah must not be mere words, but actual life; we want God's  word on Zion to become a reality. But this cannot happen until  the world again has a Zion, and so first of all we want to  build up Zion, and to build it with every possible means." It may, however, be characteristic of Zion that it cannot be built  with "every possible means," but only bemishpat (Is. 1:27),  only "with justice." It may be that God will refuse to receive his sanctuary from the hands of the devil. Suppose a man  decided to steal and rob for six years, and in the seventh, to  build a temple with the fortune thus amassed; suppose he succeeded would he really be rearing temple walls? Would he not  rather be setting up a den of robbers (Jer. 7:11), or a robber's  palace, on whose portals he dares to engrave the name of God?  It is true that God does not build his own house. He wants us  to build it with our human hands and our human strength,  for "house" in this connection can mean only that at long last  we may begin to live God's word on earth! But after we have  laid the foundations of this house by his means, bemishpat, do you really imagine that God is not strong enough to let it be finished by those same means? If you do imagine that, stop  talking about Judaism, Jewish spirit, and Jewish teachings! For  Judaism is the teaching that there is really only One Power  which, while at times it may permit the sham powers of the  world to accomplish something in opposition to it, never permits such accomplishment to stand. But whatever is done in  the service of that power, and done in such a way that not only the goal but the means to that goal are in accord with the  spirit of justice, will survive, even though it may have to struggle for a time, and may seem in great peril, and weak compared to the effective sham powers.  

I should like to bring a concept of the utmost importance  home even to those who cannot or will not understand the language of religion, and therefore believe that I am discussing theology. I am speaking of the reality of history. In historical reality, we do not set ourselves a righteous goal, choose whatever way to it an auspicious hour offers, and, following that  way, reach the set goal. If the goal to be reached is like the  goal which was set, then the nature of the way must be like  the goal. A wrong way, that is, a way in contradiction to the  goal, must lead to a wrong goal. What is accomplished through  lies can assume the mask of truth; what is accomplished  through violence, can go in the guise of justice, and for a  while the hoax may be successful. But soon people will realize that lies are lies at bottom, that in the final analysis, violence  is violence, and both lies and violence will suffer the destiny history has in store for all that is false. I sometimes hear it said that a generation must sacrifice itself, "take the sin upon itself," so that coming generations may be free to live righteously. But it is self-delusion and folly to think that one can lead a dissolute life and raise one's children to be good and happy; they will usually turn out to be hypocrites or tormented.

Reuven and Shimon - Martin Buber

Let us imagine two human beings, sitting one beside the other, having a conversation - Reuven and Shimon - see if we can count the number of faces acting in this play.

Firstly - here is Reuven the way he wishes to be seen by Shimon, and Shimon the way he wishes to be seen by Reuven. Reuven as he really appears to Shimon, that is Shimon's image in Reuven's eyes, that usually isn't the same with the image wanted by Shimon, and vice versa.

Add to this Reuven as he is in his won eyes and Shimon as he is in his own eyes.
Lastly, Reuven and his inner world, and Shimon's inner world.

Two living human beings, six imaginary characters.
A truly spooky crowd.
 Often involved in a conversation of two!

If so, what is really real in human dialogue?

Laz - Zika - Martin Buber

There are two ways one person can relate to another in this world:
The first - "I - You" The second - "I - It"

We're walking on our path and we meet another person walking on his. All we know is the road that we walked on, and we don't know the road the other person has walked on. It is a coincidence that we met, nevertheless our relationship is valuable. While we look at the person in front of us, we decide how we'll behave: will we warmly greet the person, or will we ignore them? Will we try to be open and honest, or maybe closed? Will we be indifferent about the road that he's walking on, or maybe the opposite - we could ask him where he's coming from and where he's going to, and we can show curiosity towards all that happens to him. The question "what is our wish/intention we carry when we approach a conversation," is the first and most basic question that we shall ask ourselves. One wish is to form a relationship of "I - It" type. The "It" is the other. The unknown. The distant. The frightening. The "It" is for us just a shaky bunch of qualities, that will never be linked strong enough to form a whole human being. Another wish is to form a relationship of affinity, the "I - You" type. The other person isn't an object. I don't have any prejudice towards him. I see him as a whole human being that has wills, dreams, loves, and disappointments. He's complex and multi-colored and it's impossible to put one label on him. In every encounter that we have, we choose our relationship to our world: Is this a world of people who see each other as "It," that are all strangers to each other, or is this a world of "I - You," where people are seeking of human contact, where people are looking for other people?

Zion and the Youth - Martin Buber

The youth are humanity's eternal possibility for happiness. This possibility occurs repeatedly and humanity misses it again and again. Generations of people in their twenties return to the stage again and again with the passion of absolute yearning in their hearts, devoted to ideals, ready and waiting to break through the blocked gates of Eden.

Nothing stands between this generation and the fulfillment of its obligation but the deed itself; and hence they prepare themselves. But in the hour of preparation an abundance of inferior and unimportant goals from the society around them take control of the youths' souls. Vain urges of egotism and the urges for excellence and power take control of them. Their environment preaches the perception that the 'facts' are stronger than the ideals and that we are subjects in a sequence of events that we cannot change, shape, or control, and that the aspiration to escape from the rituals of the all-powerful “greater good” will turn the rebel into an outsider from society and a hallucinatory person. He will become a man that lives a life of celibacy, who isolates himself from society, and is unsuccessful. This preaching overcomes the longings and devotion; the pure force, which was going to actualize a life of truth on earth, was coerced into becoming a burden of lies and the burden of the soulless walking on the sidelines. And the remaining few rebels, who were abandoned and left behind by their friends become – as was foretold – the exceptions that do not succeed in life. And again the empty mechanism was saved; it was proven again that inertia is stronger than the flight of the free spirit, which aspires to legislate more exalted laws. And again humanity did not receive the achievement and the chance that fate summoned for it, and a new generation rises up, a new youth, and what had happened to its predecessors will happen to it too.

However, the uniqueness of times in which great internal and external crises occur in the lives of nations and humanity as a whole, is that they refuse to surrender to the decree, they rebel against the law of inertia and dare to save the youthful vigor that did not yet disintegrate, and from it they dare to grow an act of revolution, an act of renewal. These times speak to the youth with lungs of fire, they demand from the youth, even command of it, not to surrender, to face the evil, to save the soul, and to do its deeds. And the youth listens.

This youth stretches via great exertion and shakes itself free from the coercion of the empty mechanism, and is not tempted by it. This youth dares to do what is beyond. It performs an act like Yehoshua in Givon: it delays the sun from rising in the sky until its endeavor is completed. It prolongs its youth by one hour, one great hour, and performs what is necessary for the turning point to occur.