כ"ח לחודש השלישי תשע"ג
I saw this article from a year ago. Yet, I still appalled, and could not let it without reply.
Times Of Israel: Jewish Women, Arab Men
Lori Zilberman Brauner, August 27, 2012
he recent near-death beating of an Arab teenager in the heart of Jerusalem is disturbing on so many levels. That a gang of Jewish youths could attack another youth for reasons other than self-defense. That it could happen in a public square, watched by dozens of people who did not apparently intervene on his behalf. That even a policeman reportedly stood by as it was taking place. (cont.)
Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Lori, you need to get out of Teaneck galuth (exile), both physically AND spiritually.
Photoshopped, but true? (Obtained via Treppenwitz) |
Jews are supposed to live by Halakhah (Jewish Law), not according to projections of our hashqafah onto our already distorted misconceptions of it.
Halakhah is also not just about "Shabbos and Kashrus shailos." Rather, if we were to bother to do our homework, we would see that halakhah instructs us how to run an authentically Jewish government, how to run an authentically Jewish military bodies and the wars in which they must engage, and how to relate to the goyim (no-Jews) in all situations.
Halakhoth, in particular those related to goyim, are often manifested outside of Israel, only bedi'avad, because after all, Jews are only living in Teaneck, and in other communities outside of Eretz Yisra'el,...bedi'avah.
For example, several of the pisqei din (rulings) of the gadol Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ztz"l, regarding goyim, in other words, surviving within the goyshe establishment, are just that, about surviving in the goyshe-controlled environment, which is our galuth, and which restricts our choices as to how we may live a fully authentic Jewish life. Of course, living a fully authentic Jewish life is impossible living outside of Eretz Yisra'el. Nonetheless, we are suppose to attempt it.
For example, he ruled that one must be mehallel Shabbath, in order to save the life of a goy.
But, what is the halakhah, leKhathillah?
So, was Rabbi Feinstein wrong to make that ruling? No, of course not! He loved Jews, and did not want us getting harassed, beaten up, or killed while in galuth, which we certainly would have been, if we had allowed goyim to die right in front of us.רמב"ם הל' עבודה זרה י,א
...לפיכך אם ראה גוי עובד עבודה זרה אובד או טובע בנהר, לא יעלנו; ראהו לקוח למות, לא יצילנו....
Ramba"m Hil. Avodah Zarah 10:1
...therefore if one sees a goy, a practitioner of foreign worship, lost or drowning in a river, one does not hoist him out; one sees him being taken to his death, one does not save him.
And, did you notice the absence of "Shabbat" in this halakhah? That's right. This issue is so often misunderstood, because of the complete ignorance of the context of Rabbi Feinstein's pisqei din on this issue. In Eretz Yisra'el, under ideal conditions, Shabbath only comes into play with Jews, for whom we do whatever we need in order to save them. (...and, I believe that we may break Shabbath mid'Rabbanan in order to save a ger toshav. I have to find the exact source to be certain.)
You, on the other hand, appear to be reacting from the perspective of a galuth mentality, operating based only on your Western-constructed "feelings," instead of according to the facts. The police officer you mentioned appears to know more of the facts that you do.
Now, since I have no doubt that you and/or your "rabbi" will be able to wriggle your way out of all of the above, please allow to get even more in your face.
Let's say that your daughter wants to date an Arab. Let's say she secretly dates and Arab, and then wants to marry him.
Let's say she is in Israel, and is over 18, and after her wedding in Cyprus, which is recognized by the Israeli government, she is swiftly takeaway to her "husband's" relatives, deep inside the Shomron (Samaria).
Let's then say, she has children. And, then, let's say, you lose contact with her. Maybe she gets beaten up on a daily basis; maybe she does not.
Let's say, you go looking for her, and quickly find that the Israeli government will not do anything to help you, and informs you directly that it cannot. They won't. After all, Israel is a "democracy." And even though democracy, or in Israel's case, deMOCKracy has almost nothing to do with the authentic Jewish governance of an authentic Jewish
After all, Erev Rav-controlled, Israel government is leading its citizens on its desired path to be just like the goyim, so-called "freedom of religious expression" included.
So, as far as the un-Jewish, Israel government is concerned, you're out a' luck, baby!
What would YOU do? Sit idly by? I think not.
Then when why should the concern and care and protection of any other Jewish daughter be any different.
The Jews protecting their "sisters" on Kikar Tzion (Zion Square) were simply doing some prevention. A the saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"
If the Israeli government continues to moves us backwards, away from an authentically Torah observant life, and even passively encourages intermarriage, then what do you expect? Jews in Israel are fed up, and are not going to take it anymore.
Furthermore, these are Yishma'elim (Arabs) we are talking about! This is their culture; this is what they understand! They are not some sort of square peg to be pounded into a round (Western) hole, by remaining in denial about how dangerous they are.
And, please do not bring the Western, liberal concept of "innocent civilians," otherwise known in the Middle East as "human shields." We are in the midst of a war here. Open your eyes, and you would see it.
A goy who dares to touch a Bath Yisra'el, and is also "held accountable" under Jewish Law, yet another politically-incorrect halakhah which has no room in your world. ("Held accountable" here is a euphemism. Ask a rav what I mean.)
If you were living where you were supposed to be living, NOT in Teaneck, New Jersey, you could certainly still keep your head stuck in the ground, but I think that it would be more difficult to keep it there, especially if you are blessed with a daughter.
May The Almighty forbid that your daughters (or sons) ever even come close to being in such a situation!
"...That a gang of Jewish youths could attack another youth for reasons other than self-defense."
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with that statement? I hate to break the bad news to you, but she's right. You're only allow to use violence for self defense. If Rav Kahane tz'l was alive today, I'm sure he would say the same. Why must you go on a rant insulting her and making assumptions about her simply because she says things that you disagree with? Yes, the Torah does make distinctions between Jews and non-Jews, but that does not mean that its your weapon AGAINST non-Jews. Judaism was not created by Thomas Jefferson, but it wasn't created by the Taliban either. I wasn't there, so I don't know what really happened. If someone comes at you with a knife, can you kill him? Yes. But the fact you wish to justify the senseless beating of an Arab in the name of Torah is appaling.
Hi, Aharon,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting. It would be great to see you here more often:
1. Was I bashing her because I disagreed? No. I bashing the Galuth mentality, one based on Western feelings, and not the halakhic process. THAT was my main point, and is often on of the main points I make in my posts whether I am talking about Arabs, Christians, the Erev Rav, Modern Orthodox and Haredi rabbis who insist on keeping Jews out of Israel, and so on.
2. You didn't really read this piece, just like you read that d'var Torah I gave you one Shabbath by Rav Binyamin Kahane hy"d. The conclusion you drew was way out from left field. It appears, that you, too, have some hashqafah house cleaning to do.
3. Whether I agree or disagree, or like or dislike what people think is irrelevant. I am interested in what the halakhah is. And so, I ask you, what are your halakhic sources to support your statements above? You didn't state any.
Speculation on what Rav Kahane would or would not say ,is not a halakhic source.
He, himself, said (mefurash) that when one asks a halakhic question, one is entitled to a halakhic answer.
It is my contention that we are in the midst of a milhemeth misswah, in which case, I suggest you read the following halakhah very carefully (for starters):
Ramba"m, Hil. A"Z 10:1
מי שמבין יבין
And, another thing,... (or two)
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's true that there are different valid approaches to use in order to convince someone of an opposing view "catching more flies with honey, than vinegar," as they say.
Sometimes the denial is SO deep, in requires confrontation.
In that same light, how do you think you would feel if your daughter had been hanging out on Kikar Tzion that night?
The same as you do now?
Yishma'elim are not western, and thus the western galuth values and sensibilities, do not apply when dealing with them.
The Iraqis and Yemenites and Morroccans have been telling us this for eons. But the politically-correct (wanna be like the goyim) Ashkenazi, secular elite refuses to listen.
Anyway, pick up a Tana"kh, and see for yourself...and see for yourself.
פרא אדם
This is what they understand. I sincerely doubt that it will some time before another Arab boy tries anything with a Jewish girl on Kikar Tzion. And that next girl will be the daughter of someone you know. (God forbid!)
Yaakov,
ReplyDeleteI did read the entire post and you did have some good points. First, I do agree that many people see things too much from a western perspective, and the government is often to concerned about what other countries think, and I know you feel very passionately about this. I will look at that Rambam, bli neder. I think I responded that way I did to this and the R' Binyamin Kahhane dvar torah was more based on the tone of the writing than the content. The torah is not based on western values, but not everything about western culture is wrong. Of course I wouldn't want any Arabs (or anyone) harming a Bat Yisrael. Its your blog and you can write as you please. Lets conclude that this should come down two questions:
1. What happened on kikar tzion that night?
2. What does the halacha say?
Have a good shabbat
OK.
ReplyDeleteBut, what does tone have to do with halakhah?
And,...
You did not state your position on what that is, backed by halakhic sources.
But, what does tone have to do with halakhah?
ReplyDeleteNothing, my point was simply that it can affect how people will respond to you. As you stated "Although it's true that there are different valid approaches to use in order to convince someone of an opposing view "catching more flies with honey, than vinegar," as they say". You certainly have a unique way of expressing your point of view. Your an intelligent guy, an I think your perspectives would often be more easily understood if you said it in a different way than you usually do.
You did not state your position on what that is, backed by halakhic sources
We are not allowed to use violence, unless it is for self-defense. First, I will ask the question, are there any poskim who hold that one is allow to beat up any random Arab on the street?
Also, I read the Rambam you referenced. First, some commentators state that it applies to the seven nations who inhabited Eretz Yisrael. Also, I understand that the Rambam held that the Muslims are not idol worshipers
Even if it does apply to them, you left out a crucial part of it in your post which states:
אבל לאבדו בידו, או לדוחפו לבור, וכיוצא בזה--אסור
You forgot the last part...
ReplyDeleteמפני שאינו עושה עימנו מלחמה
Anyway, I'll fill in the holes when I next see you.