Torah Instead of Walls: How Did Israel Survive in the Diaspora?

This article provides a profound analysis of the mechanisms of survival of ancient Israel in the face of the loss of statehood. Drawing on the work of Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich, the author explains how this community managed to maintain identity continuity by shifting the focus from territory and walls to the normative capital contained in the Torah text. The text illuminates the process of decentralization of meaning that made Jewish culture resistant to the collapse of central centers of power. The reader will learn how to distinguish historical Israel from biblical Israel and the role of patriarchal traditions and the ethic of loyalty in building national resilience. This is a study of how a "portable homeland" allowed social structures to survive for millennia, prevailing against the military might of empires.