As we debate the pros and cons of the Nation-State Law and analyze whether changes should be made to it, we should take these traditional Jewish values to heart.
ed note–a few reminders hailing forth from the Torah, the ‘how-to’ from whence ‘traditional Judaism’ originates/thrives are probably apropos here–
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And their kings to the brightness of your ascension…
You shall drink their milk and draw milk from the breasts of their kings…
Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers…
You shall be named the priests of the Lord and the Gentiles shall call you the servants of God as you eat their riches, while they boast of your greatness and surrender unto you all their gold and incense…
The children of those who afflicted you shall come bowing down to you,
And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet,
The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
And their kings shall minister to you, as your gates remain open, day and night,
So that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, while their kings are led in humble procession before you,
For the nation which will not bow down and serve you shall perish, it shall be utterly destroyed…
–Book of Isaiah
As well as–
When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are to possess and casts out the many peoples living there, you shall then slaughter them all and utterly destroy them…You shall save nothing alive that breathes…You shall make no agreements with them nor show them any mercy. You shall destroy their altars, break down their images, cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people unto the LORD thy God and He has chosen you to be a special people above all others upon the face of the earth…’–Book of Deuteronomy
As well as–
…Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly…–Leviticus 25:44-46
As well as–
…I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive them out of your way, little by little until you have increased enough to take possession of their land and of everything they own… Exodus 23
In addition to this, we have statements, very bold, very loud-n-proud, from such Judaic luminaries as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who–shortly before he died and went to hell–stated very matter-of-factly that Gentiles were nothing more than ‘donkeys created in human form’ so as to ‘better serve the Jews’.
But see, they can’t say these things when they are in the midst of trying to propagandize everyone–both Gentile as well as Jew–that there is nothing ‘racist’ or ‘supremacist’ about the recent ‘Nation-State’ law that was passed, and so what they do–as they ALWAYS do–is to come forth with their black magic and to do what they do best, which is to–
LIE.
And sadly, people believe it.
Dov Lipman for Jpost
Lost in the debate surrounding Israel’s recently passed Jewish Nation-State Law has been any discussion about the Jewish perspective regarding non-Jews. This is a shame, since if we seek to establish Israel as a Jewish state and we codify this reality in a constitutional law, we should insure that we are acting according to the morals and values of Judaism.
The Jewish faith is different than many others. Most religions encourage proselytizing, since they are founded on a belief that only members of their faith can earn eternal reward in the afterlife. Jewish tradition makes it clear that non-Jews do not have to become Jewish in order to fulfill their spiritual purpose on Earth, and that they can earn their reward in heaven without becoming Jewish.
Judaism believes that non-Jews are obligated to observe the Seven Noahide Laws: Establishing courts of justice, not cursing God, no idolatry, no incest or adultery, no murder, no stealing and not eating the flesh of a live animal. A non-Jew who observes these laws has a place in the World to Come.
Our role as Jews is to be a ‘light unto the nations‘ (Isaiah 49:6). We have the obligation to convey God and spirituality to the world through our observance of 613 commandments. We are the ‘am segulah,’ the ‘treasured people’ (Deuteronomy 26:18), because of our responsibility to teach the world about God through our actions and way of life. Jews have an ongoing responsibility to be upstanding, value-centered people who through our actions and character inspire non-Jews to be better people who connect to God and live spiritual lives.
The Bible makes it clear that God and Jews must be concerned about the welfare of non-Jews. The entire Book of Jonah revolves around God wanting a Jewish prophet to go and inspire the entire non-Jewish population of Nineveh to be better people. In Genesis (chapter 18) we see how concerned Abraham was about God’s plan to destroy Sodom – a pagan city filled with wicked people. Our High Holy Day prayers repeatedly mention our desire for a universal connection to God, including both Jew and Gentile.
God’s concern for non-Jews has ramifications in Jewish ritual law. The special Hallel prayer, filled with praises for God, is recited on holidays. On Passover, however, we recite the complete prayer on just the first day of the holiday. During the remaining six days we recite a ‘half-Hallel.’
WHY? BECAUSE the seventh day of Passover celebrates the splitting of the Red Sea, and as much as we rejoice over the salvation of the Jewish people, Egyptian soldiers drowned in the sea. As the Talmud teaches (Tractate Megillah 10b), God declared: ‘The work of My hands are drowning in the sea, and you want to sing praises?’
These were Egyptian soldiers who killed and persecuted the Jews. Yet God cares about them, and we as Jews must care as well, and thus cannot fully rejoice over the miracle of the sea splitting. This is also the basis for our spilling some wine from our cup while reciting the 10 plagues during the Passover Seder. Our cups cannot be full while fellow human beings suffered – even if they were the ones persecuting us. In the words of King Solomon in Proverbs (24:17), ‘When your enemy falls let your heart not rejoice. And when he stumbles, let your heart not be joyous.’
The message is clear. Judaism views all of mankind as created ‘in the image of God’ (Genesis 1:27), and cares about the physical and spiritual well-being of all humans. The Torah does have very strict commands regarding how to deal with idolatry and idolaters in Israel, but once we are dealing with non-pagans, the approach is clearly very different.
As we debate the pros and cons of the Nation-State Law and analyze whether changes should be made to it, we should take these traditional Jewish values to heart. We should ask ourselves the value of declaring ourselves a Jewish state if in the process we lead to non-Jews like my good friend, Saleem, an upstanding hard-working, tax-paying Druze citizen and IDF veteran who leans Right politically, to write that this law has ‘trampled on the honor of my people’ and ‘deepened the chasm between non-Jews and Jews in Israel.’
We should hear the echoes of God’s declaration that ‘The work of My hands are drowning in the sea and you want to sing praises?’ when we hear Lucy Aharish, an Israeli-Arab who stood on the podium to light a torch at the National Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem a few years ago and courageously declared that she was doing so ‘for the glory of the State of Israel,’ declare now that she is ‘outraged with the State of Israel.’
I believe it is critical for there to be a Jewish Nation-State Law as a constitutional law in Israel. I hope that our leaders will recognize that ‘Jewish nation-state’ is not simply terminology but should reflect core Jewish values – values which must include care, concern, and responsibility for the peaceful non-Jews who live in our midst.
The writer is an ordained rabbi and served as a member of the 19th Knesset.
Everything you were NOT taught in Sunday school.
“I believe it is critical for there to be a Jewish Nation-State Law as a constitutional law in Israel. I hope that our leaders will recognize that “Jewish nation-state” is not simply terminology but should reflect core Jewish values – values which must include care, concern, and responsibility for the peaceful non-Jews who live in our midst.”
What Dov Lipman means when he writes, “the peaceful non-Jews who live in our midst”, are those people who put up no resistance to their agenda for world domination. After all, isn’t resistance “futile” for those in the Judahive?
Lets reverse the tables on Dov Lipman. How about if someone were to write the following:
I believe it is critical for there to be a Catholic Nation-State Law as a constitutional law in every European country and a Christian Nation-State Law as a constitutional law in the United States. I hope that our leaders will recognize that “Catholic nation-state” is not simply terminology but should reflect core Catholic Traditional values – values which must include care, concern, and responsibility for the peaceful non-Catholics who live in our midst.
stlonginus, well said. of course this almost sounds silly, however, as you & i both know this could and will never be.
in the mean time, i keep doing what i do – trying my hardest to awaken other gentiles to the reality of our collective situation, and pray that i live long enough to see consequences for those to whom are responsible, whether directly or indirectly, and if no longer with us, then those who took the reigns held accountable in their places.