העורך Editor

Just Say No!

This beautiful article summarizes the refusal of various states to continue as vassals of the evil US empire. And more. Oy, when will Israel, too, learn to say “Lo!” (No) to the US government?!

 

This Is Why Mashiach Is Needed!

Here’s an article from Dov Bear, here, with some comments:

Do you really long for the arrival of the Messiah? Think about this question carefully.

It’s not a question but a choice.

There are many views about what the Messiah will do. Among the Orthodox, the most common expectation is that when the Messiah arrives the whole world, or at least the whole of Jewry, will live under the law of the Torah.

This is less cool than it sounds.

Living according to Torah law means bringing back kings, and permitting slavery. It means permitting child marriage and polygamy and several brutal forms of execution. If the Messiah is a Haredi, his arrival also means the imposition of severe limitations on personal freedom and fewer rights and opportunities for women. A Haredi Messiah, with teachings that are in line with current Haredi ideology, would also mean the elimination of all the non-Torah industries and the widespread unemployment that would follow. All of the lawyers, entertainers, journalists, politicians and the people who depend on them will need new vocations.

Aside from manifold distortions of omission and commission in the above, the “Haredi” approach is just as rejectionist toward true Jewish supremacy as the others.

But will the Messiah actually be Haredi? Unclear. He might be some other flavor of Orthodox Jew. Or perhaps he won’t be Orthodox, at all. In any event, his arrival and anticipated preference for one expression of Judaism to the exclusion of all others will also mean the elimination of Jewish diversity. If you’re like most Jews you sort of unreflectively expect that the messianic era means your sect will dominate, but how can you be sure?

Perhaps the King Messiah will be a reform Jew. Perhaps he’ll insist that all the familiar and cherished rabbinic pieties we’ve accumulated over the last 2000 years are invalid, or no longer needed. Will the Orthodox stand for that? And even if he’s Orthodox, he might not be your kind of Orthodox. What if he’s a Litvak? Will the Hasidic rebbes resign their authority and recognize his? Unlikely. And what if he’s Satmar? Would Lubovitch stick around for a Satmar king? No chance.

The author doesn’t believe Truth is both One and provable, but in a human competition of biased actors.

In short, the whole beautiful idea of one unified Judaism under a universally accepted Jewish king sounds impossible unless quite a few heads are broken first. The King Messiah will need an army of secret police to root out and destroy all the competing flavors of Judaism, even within Orthodoxy. It will be like something out of an Orwellian nightmare, at least at until the opposition is defeated. Perform the wrong ritual, think the wrong thought, worship God in a way not authorized by the King, and you can expect severe punishment. That’s the Torah way, isn’t it? And no out-of-favor-sect will be safe. If the King is a Maimonidean all of you who believe in magic, demons, and specific divine providence will require re-education. Utter any of the well known, beloved prayers which reference the saving powers of angles, and the Maimonidean king will have not just the grounds, but the obligation, to execute you for heresy. And similar examples can easily be found no matter what style of king has the throne. Every Jewish sect does something terribly wrong by the lights of the other sects. Unless these real, entrenched, differences of opinion are made to magically disappear the king will be required to root out the opposition and to bring the rest of Judaism into line by force.

Force is nothing new. By angles, he meant “angels”. And do I need to repeat how silly and shallow his portrayal is?

Are you really desirous of a Messianic era ushered in with vicious infighting and a murderous civil war? Given what you know about human nature, and the history of Judaism do you think it could happen any other way?

The end.

__________

I won’t dignify mockery with a detailed response, though I could for an honest questioner. Why do I reproduce this article here? As evidence of the beliefs of a huge percentage of Jewry regarding their own Torah. Do Jews even accept Judaism?

Many Jews think that the above is an accurate portrait of their own, self-professed religion. This is what Judaism would look like if observed in the real world. They are unsure what exactly the Messiah would do since they disbelieve objective truth incontrovertibly emanating from authoritative texts.

So why are we surprised at Jews’ rejection of their own supposed Judaism? Unless it relates to the order of tying shoelaces… Enough  said. Maybe Hyehudi.org can help.

Religious Human Weakness In Groups

There is a common belief that:

  1. Jews sin only as individuals, not a group.
  2. The Torah greats are in charge of preventing group sin.
  3. The Rabbis are successful at this mission.
  4. Torah observance is not “improving”; we have always been perfect.

How, then, do we explain this fact, from Wikipedia?

המעבדה הראשונה לבדיקת שעטנז הוקמה בארצות הברית בשנת 1941 על ידי הרב יוסף רוזנברגר זצ”ל.

Or the far-later founding date of the first certifiably kosher Klaf (ritual parchment) factories?

Etc.

Understanding the Na Nach Movement

Here’s an excerpt:

Evaluating reform movements is never easy, except for the “true believers” of the reform. For the “Believers” it all seems so clear and obvious. I believe these occasional shocks to the system are vital for the well being of the organism. This does not mean they should be accepted without challenge and critique however. This is vital. ALL reforms to Judaism must be Torah consistent; Nanach is. Other “Punk” reforms must be evaluated on their own merits. My main focus here is Nanach.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, some Nanachs push the envelope too far and enter the realms of lashon hara and rechilut against the leaders of our people. This is usually a tendency of all reform movements since they are seeking to reform what they consider the mismanagement of the rabbinim in some area. One should take great care to avoid this without fearing to act when needed. Sometimes one must speak up because those who fail to do so have a share in the wrong.

The rabbinim are collectively the leaders of our people. Like all humans, they are fallible and make mistakes, sometimes serious ones. Jews who love our shared Traditions and our people do well to seek reforms that enhance our community and lead to our collective development and the betterment of the world. Tikun Olam should always be the kavanah of all Jewish reformers.

See the rest here.