History

It tells us who we are and where we are going...

While there is the old adage that “history is written by the winners,” truth of the matter is, there is also the reality on the ground (or under the ground if you are a student of archaeology). There are the bones of ancient lives, which gives us the real answer to what happened and when.

Rome may have salted the grounds of Carthage in order to erase it from history, the same that she tried to do with Jerusalem, several hundreds of years later, but not only do we know of Carthage and the greatness of Hannibal, Jerusalem is still a living breathing reality. So Rome may have won for a while, but history teaches us that perseverance may be stronger than the victor’s sword.

Just a few empires (there were many more)-Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Hittites, Akkadians, Philistines, Goths, Gauls, Celts, Angles (now the UK), Pics (later becoming the clans of Scotland), Norsemen (aka Vikings), Huns, Scythians (over 100 indigenous peoples in Russia), Mongols, Slavs, Serbs, Aztec, Inca, Berbers, Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Aksum, Kongo, Great Empire of Zimbabwe….

All once stood, but were later conquered by others. Did their stories end when the “victors” took over? Did history change? Did these empires not exist because some group came along and was able to overpower them? Are their artifacts not real? Are their stories not true? Are their genetics not proof of existence?

History in fact, is not so simple. And yes there can be many ways to view what has happened in the past. 2 sides to every coin, so to speak (except for the genociders. There is no 2 sides to those who want to commit or have committed genocide. Sorry Tucker/Candace/Nick/Megyn/Tankies/Hamasniks/Islamists/Lefty-Progressives, the Nazis were not the good guys, and neither was Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao, the Hutus, or right now the Chicoms or Hamas/Iran).

That is why exploring what may have actually happened is most important. What we need to understand is who these people were in the past, how they lived; what they believed; how they interacted with each other; how their societies were run; who benefited; and who did they victimize. In order to understand where we are going, humanity needs to have a true understanding of where we have come from.

History gives us the human story.

It is a thread that goes back hundreds of thousands of years in evolution, but only 5000 years of the written word. How are we to understand who we are today without understanding what came before us?

Humanity did not come about in a bubble. We did not spring forth from the earth after one of the Gods spilled his seed on the ground, as they believed in Athens. We did not come from the waters emerging like Venus, created by twins suckled by wolves, nor suddenly appear in a tropical paradise (sorry Bible believers, but Adam and Eve were also fictitious). We also are not products of an alien breeding program or descendants of an alien crafted Atlantis. (just so everyone understands that the nonsensical is still nonsense).

The human condition is one of trial and error. Of trying to figure out the best way forward. Of trying to understand the world around us so that we can survive to live another day.

And our history makes us who we are.

We can always delve into the truth of a story- I am sure George Washington had to have told a lie or two in his life - the founding fathers were human after all, not mythical giants without human flaws (which does not take away from their achievements and goals, no matter their inherent shortcomings.)

Human beings are many things, hypocrites fine, seeking a higher better world is a goal, yet so often tried and always falling short. Why? Because no matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter the history, in the end we are all human. And humans by their intrinsic nature are fallible.

Oh we have tried through the ages to make the world a better place. Communal rules. Setting right from wrong. Understanding that there are consequences to actions and acceptable behavior. There are supposed to be norms and conduct. Ideas that propels society forward and allows for growth, development, and to produce a future for its children. All ideas which later became what we call “laws.”

Knowing who you are is passed on to your offspring. Respect for the past actions, or understanding past actions is the way that people move forward. When we have no idea who we were or where we come from there is no reason to move beyond ourselves. What is the reason for existence? Are we worthy of a future?

We have hit a crossroads in the west of misunderstanding who we are and the legacy that we have built. To single out the west for egregious behavior that is inherent in every period of human history is disingenuous at best, self destructive at the least. Ignoring the good that has been done because of the western belief in human individuality, democracy, capitalism, and civil rights because it is not a perfect system is idiocy. To give succor instead to beliefs that destroy the human spirit, that take from humanity that essential part of the soul which is curiosity, is beyond stupid.

This is why history matters. That is why understanding the human need to explore, to create, to produce, to build, to reach out for a better way of life, is innate within ourselves.

But we also need to understand that in order to build a future, we need to understand our past.

History matters. Real history. Not your enemy’s version of your history. But your actual history.

It is why within the Jewish world we hold on to our memories. Whether it is Passover (freedom from slavery and the freedom to worship), Tisha b’av (consequences of being unable to defend yourself), Hanukkah (strength, the right of selfdefense), Purim (pride and standing up for yourself), or Shavuot (receiving the law, the making of a People), they all tell the story of who we are, where we came from, what we fought for, and what we need to preserve for the future.

This Thursday begins the holiday of Shavuot. It is when the newly freed Israelites, came to Mt. Sinai to receive God’s laws. Whether you believe it was only the 10 commandments or the entire Torah itself does not matter. This is when through the imposition of laws and community standards that the Jewish People, became a People and not merely a mishmash of tribes. Here we receive the covenant from Hashem. Here we are taught our purpose. Here we know the direction we need to give our children. This is the holiday of study. We stay up for 24 hours learning, listening and exploring topics, issues, and concerns with each other. We spend the time trying to understand….

So history….

The Jewish People are in every story for the last 4000 years.

The Jewish People are the People of history.

We are the People of forever.

This Thursday we remember how it all began, at the base of Mt. Sinai.

*Picture on the cover of the essay. It is important to understand that the laws, history, and the learning belongs to the entire community. So at the end of the Torah service (apparently the sephardic tradition is to do it before the reading) there is a ritual called the Hagbah- where the Torah is lifted so everyone can see the words being read.

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And speaking of history, if you haven’t already seen Bill Maher about the hypocrisy of Jew-hatred watch below:

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May Hashem keep all those brave civilians fighting to Free Iran from the grip of evil safe.

May God Bless the US Armed Forces and the IDF.

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