There is video available on YouTube which, set to music, which tells of many facts and accomplishments of the State of Israel during its relatively short history. Add to that the relatively hostile conditions and military obligations of all of its citizens and it is indeed quite remarkable. I am not going to link it because it contains one image that is somewhat objectionable. It is also may be inappropriate for Sefira for those who do not listen to recorded music then.
But the impact it makes is very powerful and testifies to the intelligence and the industriousness of the Jewish people. We have indeed contributed much to the world.
Here is a partial list:
*Israel has more patents per person than any other country.
*Israel has more scientists and engineers per capita than any other country in the world.
*Israeli companies pioneered voicemail, and other cell phone services.
*Israel has the highest per capita concentration of high-tech companies in the world.
*AOL instant messaging technology was developed in 1996 by a team of four young Israelis.
*Israeli engineers developed the world’s first cell phone in Motorola’s lab in Haifa, its largest research center in the world.
*Microsoft’s windows XP operating system was developed in Israel.
*An Israeli company developed the first high resolution camera that fits onto a single electronic chip small enough to fit on a cell phone.
*An Israeli company developed a camera so small it fits into a pill sized capsule one can swallow for digestive tract examinations.
And from a Torah perspective one would have to of course include the enourmous amount of Limud HaTorah that takes place there now… more than any place in the world including the US. I would venture to say that the amount, depth and scope of Torah learning taking place there now rivals almost any period in history since the oral law was redacted into the Mishna and Talmud.
This is not to say that there wasn’t more depth in earlier periods. Of course there was. How many Rambam’s are there today? How many have there been since? Of course the Rishonim were deeper and broaders in Torah knowledge than we are today. But in terms of sheer numbers combined with the depth of their study, I would guess that the learning Torah situation in Israel is unparalleled.
Can anyone imagine what would happen if some of our best and brightest Bnei Torah in Israel were allowed to pursue other fields? The limits seem endless!
We have tens of thousands of Bnei Torah in the system learning full time. Would it be so terrible if a few of them were allowed to pursue areas of their own choosing and achieve great hieghts in other fields? Does Klal Yisrael really need so many of our best and brightests learning full time and then later scrounging around for low paying jobs, because of a lack of training?
Wouldn’t it be better if those who had a penchant for other fields were allowed or even encouraged to follow their talents and learn and train in those fields? Let those who’s true Tachlis is learning Torah do so. Let us support them. We need Torah leaders in Judaism. But by the same token we need doctors, scientists and the many other people whose services are vital to our existence and the quality of our lives. Why not change the paradigm and allow for more diversity in the Torah world? Imagine the possibilities!
