Are the People of Israel a Light for the Nations? Rabbi Cherki

Israel, International Criticism & The Question Of Light

A French journalist once told Rabbi Ouri Cherki that despite global hostility, he felt something radiant in Jerusalem.

• Rabbi Cherki answered that hatred is painful, but when hatred appears, light can reveal itself.
• That tension between criticism and inner light is the heart of the question: are the people of Israel truly a light to the nations today?​

Rabbi Cherki argues that international criticism of Israel is not like criticism of any other nation, because the world carries a deep, often unconscious expectation that Israel should bring a unique moral and spiritual message.

This expectation threatens existing worldviews, especially in Christian culture, and so admiration, fear, hope, and hostility mix around the Jewish state.​

Light For The Nations & Israel’s Universal Mission

The expression “light for the nations” comes from the Book of Isaiah, where Israel is described as chosen not only for its own sake, but to serve a universal role.

Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, is promised that through him all the families of the earth will be blessed, which Rabbi Cherki understands as a mission of connection, not just privilege.​

Israel is called a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” which means a people whose job is service for all humanity, much like priests serve the rest of the nation.

Even the phrase “and they will be blessed through you” can be read as “and they will be grafted to you,” a language of attachment and linkage, like connecting a branch to a vine.​

The Return To History & The Unique Lens On Israel

During the long exile, Jews often challenged the nations for ruling with force instead of morality, but the nations could dismiss them as powerless people in ghettos.

The answer was always: if you had a state and an army, you would behave just as cruelly.​

When the Jewish people returned to the stage of history and reestablished the State of Israel, a new test began. If this state could be both politically strong and morally grounded, it would silently accuse generations of Western history that normalized conquest and oppression.

This is part of the reason why criticism of Israel is so emotionally charged: success here threatens long-standing justifications elsewhere.​

Rabbi Cherki points out that Israel is, in his view, one of the most religious countries in the world, living 75 years in almost constant war while still maintaining democracy and protecting itself from a hostile minority. He sees no real parallel to this combination in Western culture of the last 2,000 years.​

Occupation, Morality & The Inner Israeli Debate

From much of the world’s perspective, the ongoing control of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria is the key moral stumbling block to viewing Israel as a light for the nations.

The criticism focuses on occupation, military control, and perceived exploitation, which seem to contradict a message of justice and human dignity.​

Rabbi Cherki’s response begins with identity: in his eyes, the Jewish people are the people of the Tanah who returned to the land of the Tanah, and this is deeply understood in the Western collective consciousness, even if it is not always openly acknowledged. He argues that the core issue is not just borders and military rule, but Israel’s relationship to its own biblical narrative and mission.​

Within Israel, the left often feels a sharp moral pain about ruling over another nation and is highly sensitive to international criticism. Rabbi Cherki insists that this sensitivity is not a weakness or an import, but a genuine part of Jewish identity, which includes a universal mission and a drive toward justice and equality.​

Judea, Samaria & Historical Belonging

Regarding Judea and Samaria, Rabbi Cherki is explicit that he supports Jewish belonging and sovereignty there. He argues that if Jews do not belong to Judea, they also have no real claim to Tel Aviv, because the deep historical connection flows from the same source.​

He does not dismiss the presence of another population, but he insists that this does not erase the historical and covenantal link between the Jewish people and the land.

When asked whether annexation would trigger catastrophic global reactions, he shifts the focus to long-term identity: a people that does not know why it is here and what it is doing is in greater existential danger than one facing sanctions.​

For him, the real task is to think in multiethnic and multicultural terms that still honor the original Hebrew narrative and Israel’s unique role. Without that inner clarity, policy debates remain shallow and reactive.​​

​How The Nations See Israel

Rabbi Cherki once told Israeli diplomats that what matters most is not what they think of the nations, but what the nations think of them. In his view, the nations perceive the Jewish people as a kind of metaphysical shadow, reflecting back questions about faith, history, and morality.​

In classic Christian theology, the continued existence and political independence of the Jewish people are theological problems.

Early Christian doctrine held that Jews refusing to accept Jesus condemned them to eternal subjugation, and their humiliation would prove Christianity’s truth. The resurrection of the State of Israel, therefore, must be explained away or contained.​

After the Holocaust, many Christian societies felt compelled to support a Jewish state. Still, a subtle narrative emerged: Israel may exist, yet it must never be fully sovereign or entirely free to control its fate. This quasi-dependence on international approval functions, in his reading, is a reworking of the old theological curse in modern political language.​

From 1948 To 1967 & The Tanakhic Dimension

When Israel was founded with the support of a UN majority, criticism was relatively limited until 1967. After the Six-Day War and Israel’s control of Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount, a deeper process began.​

The world had initially imagined Israel as a safe corner for persecuted Europeans, far from the sacred geography of the Bible. Once Israel returned to the heartland of Tanahic history, the state could no longer be seen as just another refugee project. Its existence became a Tanahic event in the center of modernity, activating ancient expectations and anxieties about prophecy, covenant, and destiny.​

That’s why, according to Rabbi Cherki, reactions to Israeli military actions in Palestinian villages are so intense: they’re not judged as current events, but as episodes in a larger sacred drama that many nations feel invested in, even if they do not articulate it that way.​

The Temple Mount, Isaiah & Global Expectation

Isaiah’s vision of many nations going up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, has become a symbol of a future in which Torah and moral teaching go forth from Jerusalem to the world. In practical terms, however, the Temple Mount today is under overall Israeli sovereignty but is administered by the Muslim Waqf, and Jews are not allowed to pray there.​

Rabbi Cherki acknowledges that this reality does not match Isaiah’s prophecy. Still, he feels that beneath the political noise, there is a growing international openness and even a latent desire to hear messages from the people of Israel as the people of the Tanakh. When the time is ripe, he anticipates not only internal Israeli initiative, but an international demand for a renewed spiritual center that may eventually include rebuilding the Temple.​

He does not imagine this will come from a simple legislative act by the Knesset, but from a gradual transformation of consciousness among both Jews and the nations.​

Where The Light Shines In A Time Of Crisis

Many Israelis today feel that the country is headed toward rupture or even the possibility of civil war, especially in the context of judicial reform, mass protests, and fierce polarization. Rabbi Cherki’s response is to describe himself as having “chronic optimism.”​

Drawing on psychological insight, he notes that crises can either break a society or become opportunities for growth. The fact that Israelis argue so intensely about justice, democracy, occupation, and identity, in his eyes, shows that they care deeply about moral questions rather than being indifferent or cynical.​

He sees the struggle between different value systems in Israel as a dialectic: thesis and antithesis that will eventually lead to a synthesis and a more integrated set of shared values.

Attempts at political dialogue, such as the talks at the president’s residence, may fail in the short term because the political system is often cynical and Machiavellian. Yet beneath the surface, he believes that each sector of society has a role, and that the very intensity of the conflict shows how significant the issues truly are.​

No Civil War & The Power Of Shared Memory

Despite the fear of internal conflict, Rabbi Cherki is convinced that there will not be a civil war in Israel. He attributes this confidence to a kind of collective health and historical memory: the Jewish people know, from their sources and experience, what civil war can do.​

Even if some extremists might fantasize about internal conflict, most of the people sense that “we are all brothers,” even when some shout, “I am not your brother.” That very protest still acknowledges the category of brotherhood and expresses pain within a shared family, not an irreparable schism.​

Law, Justice & The Moral Anxiety Of Israelis

Isaiah repeatedly speaks of law and justice as the foundations of a righteous nation.

In contemporary Israel, many feel that the legal system is deteriorating, public trust in institutions is crumbling, and economic and social gaps are widening. At the same time, the world often sees Israeli protests, clashes near Palestinian villages, and images of soldiers at checkpoints.​

Rabbi Cherki suggests that when Israelis say “the situation is terrible,” this reveals a high level of moral concern.

In his view, few societies are as preoccupied as Israel with questions of ethics, identity, and responsibility, and this very preoccupation is itself a sign of light.

It may not look perfect, but it shows that indifference has not won.​

The Seven Noahide Commandments & Israel’s Role

For Rabbi Cherki, one of the clearest ways Israel can be a light to the nations is through teaching and promoting the seven commandments of the children of Noah.

These are a minimal universal moral code described in Jewish tradition as binding on all humanity:

• Prohibitions of bloodshed, idolatry, sexual immorality, theft, blasphemy, and cruelty to animals (eating flesh from a living animal)
• The positive obligation to establish courts of justice.​

These commandments originate in the stories of Noah and the flood, where God speaks to humanity about the sanctity of life and the image of God in every person.

• The covenant with Noah predates the election of Israel and includes all nations.
• The Talmud even suggests, somewhat humorously, that the covenant was forgotten and needs someone to remind the world of it. That reminder is part of Israel’s mission.​

In Christianity, Rabbi Cherki notes, these commandments largely ceased to function as commandments. They remained moral recommendations, while the real bond with God shifted from action to faith. In teaching the seven Noahide commandments, Israel reintroduces the idea that moral behavior itself can be part of a living relationship with the Creator.​

Israel As The Bridge Between God & The World

Rabbi Cherki describes the Jewish people as the “cable” or conduit that connects the world to God.

The world and its natural order conceal the divine presence, creating a kind of cognitive screen that allows human culture to develop autonomously. That concealment is necessary for freedom and creativity, but it also risks complete forgetfulness of the Creator.​

In this setting, Israel bears responsibility for preserving and transmitting the divine word.

• Rabbi Cherki even cites Blaise Pascal, who wrote that if God ever revealed Himself to humanity, the guardians of that revelation would be the Jews.
• Hence, he says, Israel remains a small nation: like a sensitive instrument, it cannot constantly operate at full volume, but when it does speak, its message has global resonance.​

State Of Israel, Redemption & The Messiah

Some ultra-Orthodox groups reject the legitimacy of the State of Israel, insisting that a true Jewish state can only arise with the coming of the Messiah.

Rabbi Cherki responds by reframing the concept of redemption. In classic Jewish sources, revelation and redemption are deeply tied to political independence, not only to inner spiritual states.​

Christianity, in contrast, emphasized spiritual salvation and often separated religion from state, summarized in the saying: give to the emperor what is the emperor’s, and to God what is God’s.

This separation, and later secular demands for a strict division between religion and state, reflect a Christian intuition in secular form. Judaism, however, never saw itself as only a religion or only a nation.​

For Rabbi Cherki, the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is already a decisive step in redemption, because it restores political independence to the Jewish people.

The figure of the Messiah, as a descendant of the House of David, can fit perfectly well within a democratic framework, perhaps similar to a constitutional monarchy in which symbolic kingship coexists with democratic institutions.​

The Ideal Israel As A Light

When asked to describe an ideal Israel that truly serves as a light to the nations, Rabbi Cherki emphasizes that ultimately the state will be what the Jewish people want it to be.

At present, people are divided and unable to reach a broad agreement, which is why democracy is so precious: it provides a shared framework that allows for disagreement without tearing the fabric apart.​

• He rejects any approach that says, “If you do not think like me, I will break our shared framework.”
• Instead, he envisions a future where harmony emerges among society’s parts, not uniformity of opinion.

Shabbat observance, marriage and divorce laws, and public religious life will develop within this democratic dialogue, guided by a growing sense of mutual responsibility and shared destiny.​

Personal Tragedy, National Story & A Smile That Remains

In a deeply moving part of the conversation, Rabbi Cherki speaks about the murder of his son, Shalom Yochai Cherki, who was killed in a car-ramming terror attack on the eve of Memorial Day. Shalom was described as a joyful, life-filled young man, the kind of person who made everyone feel like his best friend because he focused so fully on the person in front of him.​

Rabbi Cherki explains that his personal tragedy is inseparable from Israel’s broader history. The day of his son’s death connects Yom HaShoah, Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, and Yom HaAtzmaut, when he himself leads a large prayer gathering at the Western Wall. Holding these together allows him to experience his pain within the larger story of a people returning home, marked by many wounds.​

Shalom used to end conversations by saying, “There will be peace because I am already peace.” In his memory, a charity organization called “There Will Be Peace” was founded, bringing families together and spreading kindness. Rabbi Cherki says that what remains in the world is his son’s smile, like the Cheshire Cat’s smile, which lingers even after the body disappears. For him, turning a cut-off destiny into an ongoing mission is part of how Israel, in all its grief and hope, continues to seek light.​

In that sense, Israel may not yet fully embody the ideal “light to the nations,” but it lives in a constant, passionate struggle with justice, faith, identity, and responsibility. That restless, stubborn refusal to give up on meaning is itself one of the ways its light is already shining, even in a very stormy time.​