Light to the Nations is a term originated
from the prophet Isaiah which may express
the universal designation of God's kingdom
of priests as a mentor for spiritual and moral
guidance for the entire world.
"Yea, He saith, 'It is too light a thing for
you to be My servant, to establish the tribes
of Jacob, and to restore the scions of Israel,
and I shall submit you as a light unto the
nations, to be My salvation until the end
of the earth' Isaiah 49:6.
"I the LORD have called unto you in righteousness,
and have taken hold of your hand, and submitted
you as the people's covenant, as a light unto
the nations" Isaiah 42:6.
"And unto your light, nations shall walk,
and kings unto the brightness of your rising"
Isaiah 60:3.
Rashi interpreted 'nations' as referring to
the tribes of Israel and not to the Gentiles.
The context of these three references are
a prophecy of comfort and a promise to the
people of Israel, in which God will restore
the people of Israel to their land, and this
return will cause the rest of the nations
to open their eyes, and look up to the people
of Israel.
From the commencement of the era of the national
revival of the Jewish people, various Jewish
philosophers began to see in the national
revival a chance to fulfill the prophets'
vision of a "Light Unto the Nations". One
example that may give an insight into the
term's meaning, is the one of Rabbi Abraham
Isaac Kook, one of the chief leaders of the
Religious Zionist Movement, saw in the aspiration
of the people of Israel to be a "light unto
the nations" a noble part of its designation.
In his writings and speeches, Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion emphasized his vision of
the state of Israel as a moral and social
beacon to the whole world, and by that, in
his view, it shall implement the vision of
the prophets. The selection of the Menorah
as the Emblem of Israel was derived from the
image of the state of Israel as a "Light Unto
the Nations".
