The rapid fall of Afghanistan and the Taliban conquest in mere days after the US withdrawal after twenty years of American war and nation-building was a huge shock and news buzz and the talk around town. As it should be. This is a monumental shift, (perhaps in the cooker for longer than most people realized) a historic event that be a shaper for this generation and next. You don’t need my political or military commentary, there’s an abundance of that online, but in the spirit of the Baal Shem Tov teaching to seek and find lessons and connections in everything, there must be lessons in this for us.
In my quest for find lessons I came across an article by Lee Smith for Tablet Magazine: “Assabiya Wins Every Time.”. Much of the article focuses on politics and styles of leadership within the United States, but the point I was most interested came from an 11th century Arabic historian Ibn Khaldun:
“What drives the success of the rising tribe is its group solidarity, or assabiya. Its awareness of itself as a coherent people with a drive for primacy is frequently augmented by religious ideology. The stronger the tribe’s assabiya, the stronger the group…. Assabiya is the engine of history. With it, the most primitive tribe can overturn the mightiest of civilizations; without it, a people will wither in the desert…”
This reminded me of the survival of the Jewish people against all odds and despite the greatest persecutions. It’s thanks to a strong and deep sense of identity, a sense of peoplehood and rooted connection, that persists and endures and at the end of the day overcomes anyone and anything.
It’s a similar idea to what philanthropist and Chabad on Campus supporter George Rohr said to us many times: “Fire in the belly always wins. Maybe not at first, it may take time, but fire in the belly wins.” When there’s a deep sense of unwavering conviction and commitment, when we’re not easily swayed or confused, when we have clarity in who we are and what we’re not, that’s what Ibn Khaldun called Assabiya.
Now, this is certainly no endorsement, celebration or support of the Taliban, far from it, but its a lesson we can use as a Jewish minority on a big college campus. This has been proven time and again, whether it is with classmates or roommates or members of a fraternity… when Jewish (or any) students show a commitment to an ideal or observance, or sense of identity, when they stand up for something they are proud of or feel deeply connected with – others respect them for it. Don’t feel intimidated or overwhelmed and worried about fitting in. This is a tolerant and understanding campus, people will respect you for who you are, if we respect that in ourselves.