Once, there were no Israelis. Then, about 3,800 years ago, a great eruption of egoism—the desire to enjoy at others’ expense—took place. This is described in the story of the Tower of Babel.

A persistent Babylonian thinker named Abraham discovered that nature is interconnected and unified, and that we human beings must also unite above the ego that separates us, building complementary bonds of connection and love. By doing so, we would join the harmony that naturally exists throughout every system of nature, through conscious inquiry and free choice.

After Abraham discovered that this adaptation to achieve balance with the interconnected and unified force of nature was the purpose of our existence, he set out to spread the idea. Most people told him, “Forget it.” They chose to distance themselves from each other and dispersed across the earth. The few who felt drawn to his spiritual vision gathered into a community of students, from which the people of Israel eventually emerged. The name itself, “Israel,” points to the direction and the goal: Yashar-El—”straight to God,” or straight to the single unifying force of love and bestowal that underlies creation.

This brings us to a fundamental insight: Israel is not a nation like other nations, which formed around common geography or ethnicity. Instead, it is a group founded upon an idea. When love exists among us despite all our disagreements and opposing tendencies, we are considered Israelis. Without that love, the nation does not........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)