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Exploring our connection to Israel
Chabad class on the 'attachment of a Jew ... to the land'
By Sarah Morrison
October 24, 2008
The Benjamin Rosenberg Center for Jewish Studies, a division of Chabad of Western Monmouth County, is holding a special series on the Jewish connection to Israel. The center, which holds various adult education classes throughout the year, is offering the two-part series on Wednesdays Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. The class is being given by Rabbi Boruch Chazanow of the Chabad house.
"Every time you turn on the radio or see a newspaper, Israel is in the headlines," Rabbi Levi Wolosow, also of the Chabad of Western Monmouth, said. "There are opinions on the land and the people in it everywhere. The intent of our class is to give a clear view according to Torah on the land of Israel, what our responsibility is to Israel, and what our responsibility is to the people living in it."
The class is not a political one and is intended to be from a purely religious perspective, Wolosow said.
"The class is about the attachment of a Jew, wherever he or she may be, to the land of Israel," Chazanow said. "Many people love their home countries, but once they leave, the love begins to fade -- especially after many generations. There's a spiritual connection between Israel and the Jews. It is beyond historical. The connection is much stronger than a Greek man and his ancestors' attachment to Greece. That's what the course is for."
Chazanow plans to discuss why a Jewish person's connection to Israel is so strong.
"What's our responsibility towards Israel?" Chazanow said. "The fact of the matter is that Jews have been outside of Israel for 2,000 years. Our hopes are always towards Israel. What's the spiritual connection between Jews and the land of Israel? Was it just the home that our ancestors lived in? It's much more that than. Why does it form such an integral part of Judaism? In our grace after meals, we talk about Jerusalem. We pray toward Jerusalem. It's a very integral part of Judaism. It's much more than our land that our ancestors lived in. The class will delve into the connection. After that, we begin to understand the responsibility that every Jew has towards Israel."
"This is a powerful class," Chazanow continued. "We know that God promised Israel to Abraham. Why this specific piece of land? What's unique about this land? It's all part of understanding what the connection is, the spiritual connection of a Jew to Israel and to understand why this piece of land was given to our ancestors."
The classes are being held from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Monmouth County Library, Sims Rd., Manalapan. The class is free and open to the public. To RSVP, call the Chabad at (732) 972-3687.
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