ed note–again, ladies and Gentile-men, the microscoping of the virus of all viruses threatening all life on God’s green earth, and why the misunderstanding of this virus on the part of the world’s Gentiles has now brought everything to the edge of the abyss where all life and human civilization has been reduced to a mere question mark.
Please pay close attention to 2 specific items contained within the essay of our deranged Hebraic author–
1. The manner in which he TWISTS, TURNS, AND CONTORTS the truth into pretzel knots in trying to ‘explain’ how/why it is that when a Jew engages in the practice of usury against Gentiles that it is not an act of discrimination, hostility or aggression, a ‘fact’ which he ‘proves’ when he intimates that Jews and Gentiles are on the same level in terms of each’s respective human worth, using the Torah-based injunction that–
‘Beloved is man, for he was created in the image of God…’
–While leaving out of the discussion the fact that for 3,000+ years, these same ‘sages’ have taught that Gentiles are beasts of burden, animals in human form, and–as stated in the plainest of language by Israel’s Chief Sephardic Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef before he died and went to hell–‘donkeys’ made to appear and to function as humans so that their toil could be used in ‘serving the Jews’.
A classic case of ‘how they do it’, and unfortunately, gullible Gentiles fall for it–EVERY TIME.
And–
2. The fact that this entire discussion of Jews lending money on interest to Gentiles and not amongst each other is rooted ENTIRELY in the teachings/laws/codifications found within the Torah (Old Testament) and NOT the Talmud, the same book which an entire horde of ‘experts’ claim is the sole source of all historical Judaic misanthropy against Gentiles.
We are forced to point this fact out due to what is the (seemingly) incurable fever of stupidity that unfortunately afflicts virtually the entirety of Christendom that prides itself on being ‘Jew Wise’ and who hyperfocus on the evils of the Talmud but who otherwise dismiss/disregard the fact that it is the Torah (Old Testament) upon which all of this Talmudic anti-Gentile misanthropy is based.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz for Jerusalem Post
In parshat Ki Tetze, we read a portion of Moses’ lengthy speech that fills much of the Book of Deuteronomy, and in this section of the speech, Moses details many commandments that pertain to all aspects of life, both private and public.
One of these commandments is the prohibition against lending money with interest. This prohibition also has relevance in our own time, as our economy largely operates on credit. However, there are halachic solutions that allow an observant Jew to engage in modern economics. But first, let us read the prohibition and highlight one particular aspect that stands out–
‘You shall not give interest to your brother, whether it be interest on money, interest on food, or interest on any other item for which interest is normally taken. You may however, give interest to a gentile, but to your brother, you shall not give interest!’ (Deuteronomy 23, 20-21).
The prohibition against lending with interest is accompanied by a law that expresses differentiation between a Jew and a non-Jew. To ‘your brother’ – to a fellow Jew – it is forbidden to lend with interest; while to ‘a gentile’ who is not of the Jewish people, lending with interest is permissible.
This law has been used for many years as a basis for antisemitic claims and negative attitudes toward Jews.
How can such differentiation be explained? There is no other way to explain this, many have argued, except that Judaism instills a negative and prejudiced attitude toward anyone who is not Jewish. From here, it is a short step to labeling Jews as an unwanted negative element, as ‘the other’ whom they despise, mock, and ostracize.
Combine this with the historical fact that in various places Jews were forbidden from owning land and joining professional guilds and thus were forced to engage in usury, alongside the prohibition imposed by the Church on Christians against lending with interest, and we find ourselves facing the antisemitic stereotype of the Jew who sucks the blood of citizens, exploits them, and confiscates their property. This stereotype even penetrated cultural creations, such as the portrayal of the Jew in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice.
Why does the Torah say Jews can charge non-Jews interest?
BUT HOW can we explain the differentiation that the Torah teaches us – ‘give interest to a gentile, but to your brother you shall not give interest’?
When we examine the prohibition against lending with interest, it is difficult to understand its rationale.
Money is a commodity like any other, and just as there is no moral wrong in selling an item in exchange for profit, there is likewise no moral wrong in lending in exchange for interest. The lender provides the borrower with the means to use money, and in return the borrower pays interest. Where is the problem in this action?
The answer is that indeed there is no moral wrong in it; therefore, it is permissible to lend with interest to anyone who is not Jewish.
On the other hand however, concerning a fellow Jew, the Torah demands of us brotherhood, and brotherhood entails treating him more leniently, and because of the special relationship that we are required to have toward him, we refrain from lending to him with interest.
There is no discrimination here against those who are not Jewish, but rather, there exists a positive and preferred attitude toward every Jew.
Judaism does not infringe upon the rights of those who are not Jewish, but rather demands that as Jews we treat our fellow Jews better. Every Jew is a spiritual brother of every other Jew. Just as we would give preferential treatment to a biological sibling over a stranger, so every Jew should be more considerate to other Jews. The antisemitic stereotype is, therefore, wrong.
Jews do not hate people who are not Jewish, for our sages have already taught us, ‘Beloved is man, for he was created in the image of God.’
However, towards a fellow Jew, we are required to behave as siblings, and a sibling indeed receives special treatment, and rightfully so.
The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites.