Psalm 127 begins this way: “A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

It’s an idea that has always stuck with me: Human beings cannot truly build alone. What we build by ourselves, the psalmist suggests, cannot ultimately endure.

And yet one of the most beloved songs sung in Israel on Yom Haatzmaut insists: “I built a house in the Land of Israel.” Human initiative — human courage, labor, and creativity — stands at the heart of the Zionist ethos. Even in religious communities, where the day is marked by the recitation of Hallel, a prayer of gratitude to God, the name of the day itself — Yom Haatzmaut, Independence Day — centers the human story.

Some Jews objected to the State of Israel for precisely this reason. But even if we assume, as I do, that the founding of the state was a positive event — and that human beings are not only permitted but sometimes obligated to shape the world they wish to inhabit — the verse still presses its question: “Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

How can we reconcile the empowering experience of human capability, the blessed ideal of independence, with the humble, reflective religious voice that insists we cannot build anything alone? And what does this mean for how Jews should relate to the phenomenon called the State of Israel?

One possible answer lies in the psalm preceding my opening quote, one that we regularly sing during Birkat Hamazon for Shabbat and festivals:

“God, restore our fortunes like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, they shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” (Psalm 126:4–6)

The psalm begins with a plea:........

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