Israel

Significance of "Israel"

Israel

"The word Israel, used throughout the Bible, simply refers to the Jewish people, and not to the chosen ones of this day."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, April 21, 1939, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1674)

Erroneous Belief

"The belief, according to which Judah represents the Jews and Israel the Chosen people, is erroneous."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, July 10, 1939, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1679)

Bahá'í view of the Holy Land

"...whereas Jerusalem is the spiritual center of Christendom it is not the administrative centre of either the Church of Rome or any other Christian denomination. Likewise, although it is regarded by Moslems as the spot where one of its most sacred shrines is situated, the Holy Sites of the Muhammadan Faith and the centre of its pilgrimages are to be found in Arabia, not in Palestine. The Jews alone offer somewhat of a parallel to the attachment which the Bahá'ís have for this country inasmuch as Jerusalem holds the remains of their Holy Temple and was the seat of both the religious and political institutions associated with their past history. But even their case differs in one respect from that of the Bahá'ís, for it is in the soil of Palestine that the three Central Figures of our religion are buried, and it is not only the centre of Bahá'í pilgrimages from all over the world but also the permanent seat of our Administrative Order...."

(From a letter of Shoghi Effendi to the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, July 14, 1947: Bahá'í News, No. 199, September 1947, p. 3, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1675)

See also

• https://bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_letter_un_palestine

Present and Future

All Palestine to Become Home

"You can see that from all the parts of the world tribes of Jews are coming to the Holy Land; they live in villages and lands which they make their own, and day by day they are increasing to such an extent, that all Palestine will become their home."

('Abdu'l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p. 66, 1985 ed., in Lights of Guidance, no. 1676)

Gathering of Israel

"You have asked Me a question with regard to the gathering of the children of Israel in Jerusalem in accordance with the prophecy.

"Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies, is a revered Temple, a sublime name, for it is the City of God... The gathering of Israel at Jerusalem means, therefore, and prophesies, that Israel as a whole is gathering beneath the banner of God and will enter the Kingdom of the Ancient of Days. For the celestial Jerusalem, which has as its center the Holy of Holies, is a City of the Kingdom, a Divine City. The East and West are but a small corner of that City.

"Moreover, materially as well (as spiritually), the Israelites will gather in the Holy Land. This is irrefutable prophecy, for the ignominy which Israel has suffered for well-nigh twenty-five hundred years will now be changed into eternal glory, and in the eyes of all, the Jewish people will become glorified to such an extent as to draw the jealousy of its enemies and the envy of its friends."

(According to information received by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States several years ago this Tablet was revealed by the Master in the year 1897 to a Jewish Community in the Orient: Bahá'í News, No. 250, December 1951, p. 5, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1677)

The Jews Have a Great Spiritual Destiny and Will Enter the Faith in Large Groups

"Regarding your question concerning the future of the Jews: They certainly have, as explicitly stated by the Master, a great spiritual destiny, and will gradually enter the Faith in large groups."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 13, 1937, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1681)

Day of abasement of Israelites is over; the race will day by day progress and delivered from obscurity and degradation

"Praise be to God," writes `Abdu'l-Bahá, "that whatsoever hath been announced in the Blessed Tablets unto the Israelites, and the things explicitly written in the letters of `Abdu'l-Bahá, are all being fulfilled. Some have come to pass; others will be revealed in the future. The Ancient Beauty hath in His sacred Tablets explicitly written that the day of their abasement is over. His bounty will overshadow them, and this race will day by day progress, and be delivered from its age-long obscurity and degradation."

(Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, p. 54, 55-56)

Hope for Palestine if Zionists will mingle, live in unity, and develop country for all

Has Hope for Palestine.

For Palestine Abdul-Baha has the brightest hopes. "It will develop day by day now," he declared, "in industry, in commerce, in agriculture, under an enlightened government. Up to the present the people of this country were like lost sheep. Now they have found their shepherd.

"If the Zionists will mingle with the other races and live in unity with them, they will succeed. If not, they will meet certain resistance. For the present I think a neutral government like the British administration would be best. A Jewish government might come later.

"There is too much talk today of what the Zionists are going to do here. There is no need of it. Let them come and do more and say less.

"The Zionists should make it clear that their principle is to elevate all the people here and to develop the country for all its inhabitants. This land must be developed, according to the promises of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zachariah. If they come in such a spirit they will not fail.

(Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 10, issue 10, p. 196)This content belongs to Pilgrim's notes, notes known not to have an original language text or transcript and which "may be interesting but not authoritative" to Bahá'ís

Zionists must not work to separate Jews from other Palestinians; schools and companies to be open to all

Must Be Open to All.

"They must not work to separate the Jews from the other Palestinians. Schools should be open to all nationalities here, business companies, etc. The Turks went down because they attempted to rule over foreign races. The British are always in power because they keep fair and promote harmony.

"This is the path to universal peace here as elsewhere—unity. We must prevent strife by all means. For 6,000 years man has been at war. It is time to try peace a little while. If it fails, we can always go back to war."

(Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 10, issue 10, p. 196)This content belongs to Pilgrim's notes, notes known not to have an original language text or transcript and which "may be interesting but not authoritative" to Bahá'ís

Past

Journey of the Israelites

"It was both spiritual and physical. They journeyed to the Promised Land and geography and history both prove that this was a physical journey.

"Moses viewed the Promised Land but died before it was reached, having given over his charge to Joshua.

"The crossing of the Red Sea has a spiritual meaning. It was a spiritual journey, through and above the sea of corruption and iniquity of the Pharaoh and his people, or army. By the help of God through Moses, the Israelites were able to cross this sea safely and reach the Promised Land (spiritual state) while Pharaoh and his people were drowned in their own corruption.

"The Egyptian History recorded even trifling events. Had such a wonderful thing happened as the parting of the physical sea it would also have been recorded."

('Abdu'l-Bahá: Daily Lessons Received at Akka, p. 45, 1979 ed., in Lights of Guidance, no. 1678)

Ten Tribes of Israel

"The Teachings throw no light on the question as to what became of the ten tribes of Israel, or whether they were absorbed into some other nation or not."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, July 10, 1939, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1680)

Greek Philosophers Visited Israel's Scholars and Religious Leaders

"It is furthermore a matter of record in numerous historical works that the philosophers of Greece such as Pythagoras acquired the major part of their philosophy, both divine and material, from the disciples of Solomon. And Socrates after having eagerly journeyed to meet with some of Israel's most illustrious scholars and divines, on his return to Greece established the concept of the oneness of God and the continuing life of the human soul after it has put off its elemental dust. Ultimately, the ignorant among the Greeks denounced this man who had fathomed the inmost mysteries of wisdom, and rose up to take his life; and then the populace forced the hand of their ruler, and in council assembled they caused Socrates to drink from the poisoned cup."

('Abdu'l-Bahá: Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 77, 1975 ed., in Lights of Guidance, no. 1682)

See also

• Race#Jewish

To-dos for this page

• Include portions of Star of the West, vol. 10, issue 10, p. 196