Jewish Domination
There are many forms of domination. One can exercise control over others or exercise control over oneself.
Do We Want to Dominate?
One of the blessings—indeed, the very first that appears in this week’s parsha— that G-d gave the Jewish people if they would follow His commandments was:
“G-d, your G-d, will place you above all the nations of the world. And all these blessings shall come upon you…”
There are two points to ponder in this verse:
First, what does the Torah mean when it says that we are to be placed above all the nations?
If the Jewish people would have harbored a desire to dominate other nations it would have made sense that the first blessing proffered would be domination of other nations. But, as a group, Jews have never harbored such ambitions. If anything, the Jewish people, who have been dominated and persecuted by other nations, would just love to live in peace with everyone, so long as they allow us to live freely as Jews.
Second, after it promises us that we will dominate others, the Torah follows with a more general and comprehensive blessing: ”And all these blessings shall come upon you..” Usually a general and all-encompassing blessing precedes a more specific one. Yet, here, the order is reversed. First the Torah promises the specific blessing of world domination and then all of the blessings.
A Facilitator of All the Blessings
It may be suggested that, in fact, the blessing of “world domination” was not intended as a blessing, but as an extension of the opening phrases of this parsha:
“And it will come to pass that you will listen to the voice of G-d your G-d, to keep and perform all of the commandments that I command you today.”
Immediately after this introductory sentence the Torah follows with the words:
“And G-d your G-d will place you upon all the nations of the world.”
This means that the immediate effect of compliance with G-d’s will is the ability to exercise control over the nations of the world. This, while not a blessing in and of itself, will make our commitment to G-d complete and that will lead to all of the blessings.
In other words, domination over others is not a blessing per se, but rather a consequence of the observance of all the other commandments. Conformance with G-d’s will coupled with “domination” of other nations; will make us worthy of all of G-d’s blessings.
We still must understand what is the meaning of world domination and why is it a consequence of observance of the commandments?
Assimilation or Inspiration?
Throughout history there have been two modes of interaction and engagement with the nations of the world in whose countries we resided. One mode is where the Jewish people, bearing the pressure of dictatorial and despotic regimes on the one hand and the assimilationist pressures on the other, allowed the values of other nations to infiltrate into the Jewish community and compromise our own values and teachings.
The other mode was where we stood above the other nations. Not in the sense of domination and the exercise of power, but as a “light unto the nations,” showing them the beauty of our own traditions. Even when we were dominated by others, the Jew did not feel confined and pressured. On the contrary, the Jew felt liberated and empowered to withstand any amount of pressure.
A Matter of Choice
In truth, whether we feel free to be ourselves or compelled to be dominated by others is a matter of choice. As Viktor Frankel—the famous Holocaust survivor and psychologist—wrote, based on his Holocaust experiences, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s own way.”
These two attitudes have been alluded to by our Sages in the Midrashic explanation as to why the Jews have been likened to an olive. The first is that like an olive, we give our oil and light when we are crushed and oppressed. Second, like olive oil which doesn’t mix with other fluids, we, too, remain aloof and separate from all other nations.
Our Sages have in this Midrash described the two distinct attitudes that we discussed earlier:
We are either compelled to assimilate and as a result we are either physically or spiritually crushed by the nations, or we can recognize our unique Jewish identity and stand apart from the other nations. Standing apart does not mean a desire to dominate them or discriminate against them but rather a desire to retain our own individuality and self-respect as Jews.
A Jew who chooses the standing-apart, anti-assimilation approach will find that his commitment to G-d will be enhanced, for nothing can and will stand in his way.
This then is what the Torah meant when it speaks of how we will stand above everyone and then proceeds to enumerate the manifold blessings we will receive.
When one finds himself crushed by the prevailing fads, mores, secular and other religious cultures, notwithstanding their observance of the commandments, they cannot possibly receive all of G-d’s blessings. Only a self-respecting Jew who resists the assimilationist influences and remains steadfastly committed to Torah will be able to reap and enjoy all of G-d’s blessings.
Exile Mentality
There is another term for this tendency to emulate the other cultures; it is called a Galus-exile mentality.
The lack of self-respect and the tendency to emulate other cultures at the expense of our own is one of the destructive features of exile.
Our constant prayers for the Messianic Age is not just so that we will no longer be subjected to tyranny and war, but that we will also be able to gain total self-respect that will ensure the integrity of our Jewish identities. That will be real world domination.
Moreover, in the Messianic Age our influence, under the direction and leadership of Moshiach, will bring all nations of the world under the banner of one G-d, and will be faithful to the Seven Noahide Commandments. In addition, as Maimonides puts it in the very last paragraph of his Mishneh Torah:
“The preoccupation of the entire world will be to know G-d exclusively.”
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Ki Savo by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
