one year later
“the defeat of probability by the power of possibility”
Monday, October 7, is the one-year anniversary of the brutal crimes of Hamas. Last year, October 7 was the date of Simchat Torah (the Joy of Torah), as suggested, a celebration of God’s word. Many have labeled that day “Black Shabbat.”
In the Free Press article “Things Worth Remembering: Jonathan Sacks on the Improbability of Israel,” Douglas Murray reflects on Rabbi Sacks’ address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in 2013. Sacks commented on the rise antisemitism in Europe.
Who could have imagined the explosion of that vile reality ten years later? (Well, I’m afraid it has come of no great surprise to many Jews worldwide.) Still, it is a classic case of blaming the victim.
In his speech Rabbi Sacks mentioned some British atheists had paid to advertise on London the following notice: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” He picked up on that word “probably.” He wondered about the probability of the existence of the universe… the existence of life… only humans being able to ask that question…
And then moving to the probability of Abraham, without empire or army or miracle, being the spiritual father of three faiths… the probability of the Jewish people, that tiny number, outliving hostile nations throughout time…
He concludes, “Israel is the greatest collective affirmation of life in the whole of Jewish history. Friends, Judaism is the defeat of probability by the power of possibility. And nowhere will you see the power of possibility more than in the State of Israel today.”
The defeat of probability by the power of possibility.
It’s not simply a probability, just a shot in the dark. It is possible—a rock solid reality.
A comparable reality is New Testament hope. The Greek word for hope is ελπιζω (elpizō), which carries the sense of expectation, an expectation with confidence. This isn’t an empty hope. It’s not a case of saying, “I wish it were so.” It’s a strong and secure hope. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
It’s a hope when everyone else has given up.
That is the hope for the nation of Israel, as is befitting its national anthem, “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”). When everyone else has given up.