I stand aghast, amazed. I rub my eyes in wonder. Maybe it's me. Maybe I've lost my mind. Throughout my life, I've accepted the fact that most people would rather not think about what's going on around them. The daily grind, combined with a dose of cynical, "what can I do" has reduced most citizenry to complacent apathy. Yet, I would assume that at some point, the threshold of the absurd would reach such a level, that it would demand a response.

      We've gone beyond what has become the normal absurdity of civil affairs, and yet, most, even those most directly effected, have taken their cognitive dissonance and manage to stay firmly rooted in the most contradictory of beliefs. And most people think that walking and chewing gum is a difficult feat.

     The "Disengagement/Expulsion" is simply the latest, albeit most blatant example. The stated reason, agree or disagree, is an attempt to preserve both the Jewish and Democratic character of the State of Israel. The validity of the argument aside (it in itself might seem absurd to many), one would assume that if these two ideals are so precious as to necessitate the uprooting of innocent people from their homes by the government and take another risk with less than reliable "peace partners," then one would assume that self-same government would make every effort to preserve these two ideals, almost at all costs, under less demanding circumstances. Yet, the opposite actions are being taken.

      To preserve "Democracy," every last vestige of democracy in the state is being ravaged. The basic democratic rights of free speech and assembly are systematically and arbitrarily being eliminated. Even when their own absurdity backfires and reveals its ugly head, as with the case of banning the wearing of orange by foreign dignitaries, they continue in their mad path. The very next day they prevent a member of parliament from wearing an orange hat. Where they afraid it would be more disruptive than the catcalling and bickering that normally characterize a Knesset debate? It has even been rumored that the Knesset cafeteria has been ordered to stop serving oranges, carrots and other such colored foods.

     How is it possible, for individuals whose stated highest ideal is democracy to calmly watch these things transpire and not raise their voice in opposition?

     The rule of law is being abused by the authorities who are sworn to uphold them to the point of making the law itself non-existent and laughable. Police officers, and other authorities in the state have systematically, and purposefully violated the law and their own rules of conduct. In making a mockery of the law, they remove any legitimacy to their authority. They have reduced themselves to thugs and villains, against whom one would have a right, if not obligation to defend oneself.

     And despite the ambiguous nature of the phrase, "preserving the Jewish nature of the state," it seems a little more than contradictory to pass legislation making it easier for Arabs of Yehuda and Shomron to receive citizenship and move to within the "green line," if one the main reason for the expulsion is to defend against the "demographic demon." Good defense - move him from your periphery to the heart of your territory, and give him the right to vote you out of office. If one wants to preserve the "Jewish nature of the State," one doesn't systematically remove all of the Jewish cultural and traditional trappings of the state, as superficial as they may be, in place of Western ones, such as the decision to remove the Hebrew date from the Identity card, or rush to make a commemorative stamp for the deceased leader of the Catholic church.

     We've entered into the realm of the absurd and gone well beyond. If it weren't so tragic, it would be comical. If I didn't have a strong belief in HaShem, and recognize that all of this is "shake us from our slumber," I would have to check into a mental hospital. HaShem clearly wants to shake our paradigms, yet it seems that we continue, adamantly, roll with the punches, absorbing the most absurd contradictions into our already entrenched worldviews.

     Of course, if this is a message from the Almighty, it is not aimed at the irreligious, who are not prone to see His hand in even the most blatant of miracles. It is aimed at the "believers," and the question that seems to being posed is: are they/we believers in HaShem or in the state mechanism known as "Israel?"

     I have been flabbergasted to read articles and hear most every leader or spokesperson in the religious Zionist camp continue beat the same drum, continue to act towards the state that has betrayed them (and itself) as some errant and wayward child that will eventually mature and realize its real destiny. This is simply not true. The state of Israel is founded on contradictory and adversarial principles. It cannot continue to be all things to all people; it cannot be both an absolute western democracy and a Jewish state and long endure.

      When the paradigm is shown to be absurd, it is time for a paradigm shift. The problem is not the uprooting of settlements or the level of kashrut in the army; these are symptoms. The system is faulty. The ingathering of the exiles and the establishment of a state by Jews, ostensibly for Jews, might very well be the beginning of the redemption, but as it functions now, this state system is only a mechanism for exile, both spiritual and physical.

     So what's the solution? The first step is to honestly confront the dilemma. If we ask the right questions, if we prioritize our goals and seriously consider what type of mechanism can realize them, then we have a chance at redeeming this chance at redemption. Maybe it is time for a separation, but one in which the Jews who want to fulfill HaShem's Will separate from the state that is preventing them. Sometimes, only a separation can preclude healing. Maybe it's time, once again, for two Jewish states.