WorldStorm: Finding Meaning and Directive Amidst Today's
World Crisis, by Roy. S. Neuberger, will be of vital
interest to anyone who finds him/herself overwhelmed, anxious
or confused by the events of our time. As the world rebounds
from one catastrophe to another and Jews everywhere recoil in
disbelief from the rising virulence of new/old antisemitism,
author Neuberger guides us through an analysis of the current
clash of civilizations and cultures. Using the timeless
framework of the Torah and the Jewish prophetic tradition,
the author traces the moral and spiritual evolution of the
Jewish people and how this legacy is crucial to our national
welfare today.
In a style both earnest and energetic, Neuberger builds the
case of his worldview through the stories of the Patriarchs:
"Maasei Ovos siman l'vonim -- the actions of the
Fathers are signs for the children," asserts Mr. Neuberger in
his introduction. In the span of seven chapters, the author
examines the biblical narrative and, within it, discovers and
articulates the root causes of the current world turmoil. It
is the author's conviction that if our understanding and
analysis of what the Torah is telling us is complete, we will
comprehend what is going on now, what has transpired in the
past and perhaps, even what awaits us in the future.
Neuberger's unifying premise is that all world events have
been foreshadowed in the Torah. Having discovered the world
of Torah relatively late in life, he has come to the
conclusion that the only reliable navigational device on the
stormy sea of life "is to fix my sights on G-d." Wanting to
find some answers to the big questions, and, wanting those
answers to provide hope for a safe future for ourselves and
our children, Neuberger decided to go back to the source, and
look for "the keys to redemption" in the accounting of
Hashem's creation of the world.
"I went back to the days of Ishmael and Eisov and explored
the ancient rivalries that are being played out today in the
worldwide war against Israel and the Jewish People, as well
as the current battle between the Moslems and the Western
World." What Mr. Neuberger has found and how he has put it
together makes for a fascinating analysis.
Neuberger proceeds methodically, starting with Adam and Chava
in Gan Eden, and continuing to the Ovos, the era of kings in
the land of Israel and the exile. At each stage, the author
examines the lesson Hashem presented to the Jewish people,
how the spiritual challenge was met by the children of Israel
and what we can continue to learn from the consequences of
belief and behavior the Torah has laid down for us.
For example, Neuberger recounts the struggle between Yaakov
and the angel. "One of the most unforgettable scenes in the
Torah is the epic struggle between Jacob and the angel of
Esau (Genesis 32:25 ff), which our rabbis have
understood to be a prophetic revelation of the fate of the
children of Jacob during the coming centuries of exile. Why
does the struggle take place at night? Because in the current
state of the world, Israel's exile is a long, dark night
filled with constant struggle."
This prompts Neuberger to ask, "Why do they hate us?... Why
do the communists call us fascists and the fascists call us
communists?... Because the world is dark! The holy is hidden
and corruption rules!"
A few chapters later, Neuberger returns to the account of
Yaakov's struggle with the angel. "But what happens at the
end of the fight? Oh, listen to this! Jacob's name is
changed! Jacob is not going down! Jacob is not going to
die!... The nations of the world cannot believe it, but Jacob
is still here, and he is fighting. Look at America! Yarmulkes
all over the place! Jacob is not going to disappear! Never!
There is nothing Eisov can do!"
Then the author internalizes this episode by asking, "What
does it mean to be a Jew?" From a verse concerning the
struggle between the angel and Yaakov, he finds his answer.
To be a Jew is to "strive with the Divine and with men and to
overcome." The striving with the Divine is an effort to
overcome our evil inclination so that we may grow closer to
Hashem. The striving with man is to defend ourselves from the
Eisov's of the world who are bent on the destruction of the
Jewish people.
Neuberger uses a model of three Biblical forces:
Eisov/Edom/Rome as the foundation of the Western World;
Ishmael as the foundation of Islam; and the Children of
Israel, the nation of priests and the third dynamic force. He
examines the age-old enmity and bloodletting between
Eisov/Rome and Ishmael/Islam that have determined the course
of human events. These two civilizations have directed
merciless violence both towards each other and their nemesis
and scapegoat, the Jewish people.
The author's inquiry isn't limited to the historical record,
but also looks to other sources for the keys to each
civilization's destiny. His comparison of calendar systems
amongst the three civilizations is revealing. First there is
the Roman calendar based on the sun, the symbol of the
created world, materialism and human achievement. Then there
is the calendar of the Moslem world; based on the cycles of
the moon, it governs the world of night and spirituality.
Transcending both these systems is the Jewish calendar,
calculated by both the moon and the sun, thereby insuring
that "our feet are on the ground, even while our head is in
heaven."
Neuberger goes beyond the diagnosis of our present crisis. He
reminds us of the certainty of prophetic fulfillment. In a
sub-chapter entitled "How Rabbi Akiva Comforts Us," he
recounts that R' Akiva smiled when he looked upon the
destruction of Jerusalem. Because the prophecy of destruction
came true, so would the prophecy of redemption also come true
in the fullness of time. The lyrical closing chapter of
WorldStorm renders the redemption of the Jewish people
in vividly detailed, hope-inspiring prose.
This is not a scholarly tome. As related in his previous
book, From Central Park to Sinai (Jonathan David,
2000), Neuberger did not even enter a synagogue until he was
in his thirties. But those lost years of spiritual vacuum
have fueled the author with passion, purpose and a rare
insight.
"I am not qualified, but my desire outweighs my caution," he
explains in his introduction. Then he quotes Chovos
Halevovos, "If everyone who intended to perform some good
act... kept silent until he felt perfectly qualified, not a
word would have been spoken by man since the prophets..."
Neuberger has performed this good act during a critical time
and readers of every background will gain from his pure and
thoughtful critique of the causes of today's evils and the
cure that is within our reach.
