Why are there so many people out there that don't like Israel? Yeah, of course some just hate us for no good reason, some are uninformed, many misinformed, and maybe some have deformed ideas about Israel. But what I want to know is this: what's the root cause of it all? What's going on at the sub-conscious level?
Sometimes a kid will argue with his father (really? does that really happen??) and in the heat of the argument the kid may say something like: "In that case – I don't want to live here anymore!" And sometimes, sadly, the father may retort: "Oh yeah? So go! Leave if you don't like it here!"
Now listen to this: you know what really went on here in this exchange? The kid doesn't really want to leave his home, family and parents. The father doesn't really mean to throw the kid out of the house. The kid wants his father to be his loving father who is a role model he can look up to. The kid is really saying: "Father! I love you so much that I need you to be my role model!" The father says: "Go!" but he really means: "I love you so much, how can you go? Please stay!"
The thing is that the kid expects his father to be a father, but he feels that his father isn't what he expects. So – out of great respect and love for the father a great demand arises which may not be met.
The same is true in regards to the relationship between teacher and student. Sometimes teachers may make the mistake of trying to be just friends with the students, instead of being a teacher. In that case the student may resent the teacher, outwardly being disrespectful, but inwardly saying: "I have friends! I don't need that from you! Don't try to be me – be you! I need you to be my teacher - to teach and to lead!"
Where is this going? Simple: Israel often tries to find favor by trying to outdo the West in being western, sort of trying to be more goyish than the goyim! But goyim just means nations, and believe me – there are plenty of nations out there in the wide world. The world doesn't need for us to be French, German or American – the world's already got one of each of those and one of each is enough! The world does need for us to be us, the Jewish nation, the nation of Israel, you know – Am Yisrael!
We're saying: "Like us – we have nice beaches!" But the world expects us – subconsciously – to be a spiritual and moral beacon to the world, "a priestly country and a holy nation". The world needs for us to be us!
Two hundred years ago Jews started returning to the Holy Land, when a group who were disciples of the Vilna Gaon came here (including our president's forerunners). Why then? At the same time Napoleon had caused an upheaval in Europe, and the return of the Jewish people to sovereignty in our homeland will cause a moral uplifting in the world. That's why during the darkness of WW1, when no one could see the end and the world was frozen in war trenches – the Balfour Declaration suddenly pointed to a better future through the redemption of Israel. That's why just three years after the utter moral bankruptcy of Europe the state of Israel was established – in order to lead the way to a more moral, spiritual world full of goodness, peace and harmony. But if we shirk our duty, if we try to be a second America instead of a unique Israel – then we're not living up to our role, and the nations subconsciously resent that. Why? Because the first time we were here we brought wonderful prophecies to the world, of peace and love, and we perfected the rule of law to uplift our nation. Now – the nations of the world are waiting for us, our soul is waiting for us – we ourselves in our innermost selves – are demanding that we be what we can be, what we are meant to be, what we will be: a holy nation that has the spiritual and moral light for the world to be a better place.
I know this all sounds mystical… but mystical is as majestic as a beautiful sunrise, as magical as an exquisite painting and as real as a well thought out theory.