Chapter One:а Ghetto Jews and the New Marranos

 

sraelТs political and intellectual elites often mock the Ghetto Jew, who, of course, was religious.а Hence it may be instructive to recall Max NordauТs assessment of Ghetto Jews versus the УemancipatedФ Jews of the 19th century.а The contrast is all the more pertinent since Dr. Nordau, a commanding figure of Zionism, was not religious, indeed, was skeptical of religion.

ааааааааааа In his address to the First Zionist Congress on August 29, 1897, Nordau, a psychiatrist as well as a letterateur, offers a profound analysis of the Ghetto Jew.а Allow me to quote at length:а

ааааааааааа

ааааааааааа УThe word СGhettoТ is today associated with feelings of shame and humiliation.а But the Ghetto ... was for the Jew of the past not a prison, but a refuge.а It is only the historical truth if we say that only the Ghetto gave Jews the possibility to survive the terrible persecutions of the Middle Ages.

ааааааааааа УIn the Ghetto, the Jew had his own world; it was a sure refuge which had for him the spiritual and moral value of a parental home.а Here were associates by which one wished to be valued, and also could be valued; here was the public opinion to be acknowledged and whichа was the aim of the JewТs ambition.а To be held in low esteem by that public opinion was the punishment of unworthiness.а Here all specific Jewish qualities were esteemed, and through their special development that admiration was to be obtained and which is the sharpest spur to the human mind.Ф

ааааааааааа

ааааааааааа Nordau is of course referring to Orthodox Jews, so many of whom were immersed in the study of the Torah, of Jewish law (Halacha) and Jewish

 

 

 

lore (Aggada), the two pillars of the Talmud.а To these Jews it mattered not if those outside the Ghetto despised that which, within, was praised.а

Nordau elaborates:а УThe opinion of the outside world had no influence, because it was the opinion of ignorant enemies.а One tries to please oneТs coreligionists, and their applause was the worthy contentment of his life.а So did Ghetto Jews live, in a moral respect, a real full life.

ааааааааааа УTheir external situation was insecure, often seriously endangered.а But internally they achieved a complete development of their specific qualities.а They were human beings in harmony, who were not in want of the elements of normal social life.а They also felt, instinctively, the whole importance of the Ghetto for their inner life, and therefore, they had the one sole care:а to make its existence secure through invisible walls which were much thicker and higher than the stone walls that visibly shut them in.Ф

ааааааааааа Nordau might have mentioned the rabbis who preserved the Jewish tradition of learning, which endowed Jews with self-respect on the one hand, and contempt for their ignorant maligners on the other.а The Jews of the Ghetto, says Nordau, Уpursued only one purpose:а to keep up Judaism by separation from other people and to make the individual Jew constantly aware of the fact that he was lost and would perish if he gave up his specific character.Фа

ааааааааааа In the sequel Nordau speaks of the Emancipation and contrasts the psychology of emancipated Jews -- those who mimicked the Germans or the French or the Americans:а УThe emancipated Jew is insecure in his relations with his fellow-beings [and] timid with strangers ... His best powers are exhausted in the suppression, or at least in the difficult concealment, of his own real character.а For he fears that this character might be recognized as Jewish, and he has never the satisfaction of showing himself as he is in all his thoughts and sentiments.а He becomes an inner cripple, externally unreal, and thereby always ridiculous and hateful to all higher feeling men, as is everything that is unreal.Ф

ааааааааааа Dr. Nordau calls the crippled Jew the Уnew Marrano, who is worse than the old.Фа The old Marrano Уhad an idealistic direction -- a secret desire for truth or a heartbreaking distress of conscience, and they often sought for pardon and purification.Фа In contrast, Уthe new Marranos leave Judaism with rage and bitterness, but in their inmost heart, although not acknowledged by themselves, they carry with them their own humiliation, their own dishonesty, and hatred also toward Christianity which has forced them to lie.

ааааааааааа УI think with horror of the future development of this new race of Marranos, who are normally sustained by no tradition and whose soul is poisoned toward their own and strange blood, and whose self-respect is destroyed through the ever present consciousness of a fundamental lie.Ф

ааааааааааа This penetrating analysis of the new Marranos anticipates and accurately describes many of IsraelТs political and intellectual elites.а They pose and seek approval as УinternationalistsФ and as the most ardent lovers of Уpeace.Фа But surely such Jewish self-effacement must arouse the contempt of any proud and discerning Gentile leader.а

ааааааааааа The hostility of the new Marranos toward religious Jews is born of self-hatred and envy.а Having abandoned the heritage of their people, and finding it impossible to internalize the tradition of another people, the new Marronos succumb to cultural relativism or moral egalitarianism.а Their relativism manifests itself in contempt for Jewish modesty, their permissive attitude toward pornography and homosexuality (which Nordau condemns in his book Degeneration).аа The new Marranos can only corrode the bonds of society.

ааааааааааа Having no past and no future, the new Marranos -- IsraelТs ruling elites -- live only for the present, the Now.а Hence their lack of national pride and purpose and consequent inability to withstand foreign pressure.а It needs to be emphasized, however, that this lack of national pride and purpose is indicative of an egoistic lust for power.а To gain power, IsraelТs new Marranos adopted the policy of Уterritory for peace,Ф for Jewish land means nothing to these alienated Jews.а Power being their primary purpose, they seek the support of, and ally themselves with, IsraelТs enemies at home and abroad.а The Sages of the Torah understood that self-hating Jews are the worst anti-Semites.

ааааааааааа While the new Marranos disparage religious Jews as УbackwardФ or as relics of the Middle Ages, they are oblivious of the fact that their own УprogressiveФ lifestyles are throwbacks to paganism.а Nordau regarded these Troglodytes as Уdegenerates.Фа To try and enlighten them, he said, is futile.а Let us therefore turn to authentic Jews.

 

 

Chapter Two:а УWhat is a Jew?Ф

 

hilosophically speaking, the question of УWhat is a Jew?Ф is far more complicated and significant than the issue of УWho is a Jew?Ф (to be discussed in the next chapter).а What follows are three of the many unique characteristics of the Jew.

ааааааааааа The first is simply this:а The Jew relates every question concerning thought, action, and emotion to the Torah, and regulates every facet of his life in accordance with the laws thereof, i.e., the Halacha.а Only by making his life a work of art permeated by the laws of the Torah can the Jew attain the most rational freedom essential to his own perfection as well as to the perfection of Klal Yisrael, the Jewish People.

ааааааааааа

ааааааааааа Now, when Torah Jews have a problem or controversy, they seek its solution in a book, meaning, the gemara.а In other words, they refer to the Talmud or to the works of its great expositors, such as Maimonides.а If they fail to resolve the problem themselves, they consult a Torah scholar, just as one might consult an eminent lawyer.а (This is why Judaism has been called the religion of law as well as the religion of reason.)

ааааааааааа Strictly speaking, therefore, controversies between Torah Jews are never personal.а Which is why politeness is not the last word in Torah controversy.а Often lost in politeness is truth.а Many polite people respect your feelings more than your intellect.а Politeness may conceal either a casual attitude toward truth, a lack of genuine concern for the other personТs ultimate good, a selfish fear of his disaffection or a lust for power.

ааааааааааа This is not to defend rudeness.а But the aim of Torah controversy is truth, not unruffled emotions.а Truth permeating the totality of life -- this was the paramount concern and goal of the Sages of Israel.а For them Truth and Torah are identical.а Indeed, it is only by virtue of this identity that Jews have been the educators of mankind.а Thus said John Adams, second President of the United States:а УThe Jews have done more to civilize men than any other nations.Фа And Friedrich Nietzsche:а УWherever the Jews have attained to influence, they have taught to analyze more subtly, to argue more acutely, to write more clearly and purely:а it has always been their problem to bring people to Сraison.ТФ

ааааааааааа A second unique characteristic of the Jew is that he ultimately attributes his and his peopleТs sufferings to lapses from the Torah.а This attitude stands in striking contrast to the Christian doctrine of original sin, the Islamic and Greek concept of fate, and the psychological, sociological, and historical determinism propagated by the social sciences of the modern era.а (All the more ironic that the Jew has been the scapegoat of mankind!)а But the JewТs profound sense of personal and national responsibility must be understood in terms of the mission ofа the Chosen People.

ааааааааааа This third characteristic of the Jew -- embarrassing to Jewish apologists -- points to the JewТs role as the spiritual educator of mankind, a role implicit in his very name.а For the word УJewФ is derived from УJudahФ (Yehudah) which means Уhe shall exalt.Фа In his very name we are given to see the JewТs world-historical function, which is to exalt God.а УThis People have I created for Me that they may relate My praiseФ (Isaiah 43:21).а To relate GodТs praise is to reveal His infinite wisdom, power, and kindliness in every domain of existence.а Hence the aim of the Torah Jew is to understand the totality of existence and to live in accordance with the laws thereof.аа (Which recalls Plato and Alfred North Whitehead, who defined freedom as action consistent with true knowledge.)

ааааааааааа Viewed in this light, the issue of УWho is a Jew?Ф -- important in itselfа -- is trivial and transient compared to the question of УWhat is a Jew?Фа Little by little, but as inevitable as the rising sun (Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 1.1), knowledge of what is a Jew will gain ascendancy in Israel, and this knowledge will transform mankind.а But now we must examine the issue of УWho is a Jew?Ф

 

 

Chapter Three:а УWho is a Jew?Ф

 

his issue, which surfaces periodically in Israel, drives Reform and Conservative rabbis frantic.а Let us examine the issue rationally.

ааааааааааа In Israel the issue of УWho is a Jew?Ф involves the Law of Return.а This law bestows automatic citizenship on Jews immigrating to Israel.а When the law was passed in 1950, it was understood that a Jew is one born of a Jewish mother -- a perfectly rational requirement if only because the certainty of a new-born childТs paternity is less than 100 percent (DNA notwithstanding).а But what about a convert to Judaism?а Conversion according to Halacha was not made explicit in the Law of Return, and this is the bone of political contention.

ааааааааааа In Israel, the Chief Rabbis are empowered by law to decide matters of personal status, such as marriage and divorce as well as conversion to Judaism.а (This was also the case under the British Mandate.)а Needless to say, the rabbinate recognizes only conversions according to Halacha, and only conversions performed by qualified orthodox rabbis are deemed legal and authentic.

ааааааааааа Conversion is of course a most serious matter, both for the prospective convert and for the Jewish People.а The Gentile must first be discouraged from conversion.а He must be told that he will be acceptable to God by abiding by the Seven Noahide Laws of universal morality.а (Unlike Christianity and Islam, Judaism has no monopoly on heaven.)

ааааааааааа But if the would-be convert insists on becoming a Jew, and without ulterior motives, and if he demonstrates satisfactory knowledge of Torah and solemnly manifests, both in word and deed, that he will keep all the precepts required of observant Jews, including the Sabbath, the dietary laws, and the laws of family purity, then and then only does he merit the honor and privilege of becoming part of the Jewish People.а Only then does he have an unequivocal right to automatic citizenship in the Jewish State of Israel.а Only then is a convert (a ger) immigrating to Israel entitled to financial assistance from the state treasury as well as other benefits from various Jewish agencies.а

ааааааааааа Sincerity of motives, adequacy of knowledge, and reasonable assurance of Torah observance -- these are the basic conditions of authentic conversion to Judaism.а There is nothing arbitrary or unreasonable about this.

ааааааааааа We expect teachers and lawyers and doctors to meet the intellectual and ethical standards of their respective professions, as determined by recognized authorities.а In fact, higher intellectual and moral standards are expected of teachers, lawyers, and doctors than of ordinary citizens because those pursuing these learned and venerable callings can do more harm as well as more good -- and not only to the living but to posterity. Therefore, the importance of preserving the highest standards of the learned professions cannot be exaggerated.

ааааааааааа And so it is with the Jewish profession.а To preserve the intellectual-moral integrity and magnificent heritage of the Jewish profession, conversion according to the standards of Halacha is absolutely essential.а This is an awesome responsibility which the rabbinate owes to the Jewish People as well as to any prospective convert.а Only a truly orthodox rabbi has, or can be trusted to have, the requisite intellectual qualifications and sense of historical responsibility to perform authentic halachic conversions.

ааааааааааа I am alluding to IsraelТs world-historical mission, the fulfillment of which requires the ingathering of Jews, not of pseudo-Jews, to the Land of Israel.а Reform and Conservative rabbis who deny the Divine origin of the Written and Oral Law cannot believe in the concept of the Chosen People, hence cannot but impair IsraelТs raison dТêtre as a light unto the nations.а Because such rabbis alter Judaism to suit their own transient predilections or those of their congregations, they are not qualified to perform conversions.а For them to do so is arbitrary, impudent, and dishonest.

ааааааааааа Gentiles converted by such rabbis are being deluded, and with consequent embarrassment and anguish for those who really want to be Jewish.а There are many cases of Gentiles who, having been converted by non-orthodox rabbis, later learned of the subterfuge and underwent orthodox conversion.а In fact, some of these innocent people, who married after their original Уconversion,Ф had to marry -- and gladly did remarry -- their former spouse.

ааааааааааа To justify non-orthodox conversion, a Reform or Conservative rabbi will adopt a plastic or pluralistic view of Judaism or Jewish law.а This makes the Torah a fabrication dependent on human whim and will.а The non-orthodox rabbi would have Jews believe the Oral Law is merely a Rabbinical product.а He thereby insinuates that men of the caliber of Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Akiba were frauds, that they knowingly deceived the Jewish People about their heritage.а Thus does he slander the Sages and Prophets of Israel and makes fools of the Jewish People with whom he ostensibly identifies.

ааааааааааа For such rabbis, the answer to the question of УWho is a Jew?Ф is purely subjective.а How one Jewish community answers this question is not decisive for any other Jewish community.а Yet these rabbis denounce orthodoxy in the name of УJewish unityФ!а Whatever the shortcomings of orthodox rabbis, they do not succumb to the logical absurdity of calling for УunityФ in one breath and УpluralismФ in another.а Pity they seldom show how, in the two pillars of the Talmud, Aggada (Jewish lore) and Halacha (Jewish law), Judaism allows for great intellectual latitude without succumbing to a meaningless pluralism, a pluralism devoid of rational and even ethical constraints.а The rationality and creativity of the Jewish People, as Nietzsche and other Gentile thinkers have remarked, is unequaled.а But it is Jewish law, elucidated by its great Sages, that has preserved the People of Israel through millennia of dispersion, persecution, and genocide.а Pluralism is merely a contemporary buzz word.

ааааааааааа The great Jewish philosopher, Rabbi Saadiah Gaon, declared that УIsrael is a nation [or a people] only through the Torah,Ф the immutable Book of Truth.а Pluralism is a denial of immutable or trans-historical truths.а This is why pluralistic rabbis lack the incentive and ability to reconcile permanence and change -- a precondition of any society that knows what it stands for.а Without the stabilizing and unifying influence of truth, society can be nothing more than a transient hodgepodge of individuals and groups each pursing its own interests.а Pluralistic rabbis seem oblivious of the fact that a merely pluralistic society proclaims by its very existence that its educators do not consider truth to be of supreme importance.а Contrast the Jewish Sages.а Is it not obvious that their steadfast dedication to the Book of Truth preserved the Jewish People.а Hence, had Reform and Conservative rabbis been the leaders of the Jewish People after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jews would now be as extinct as the dodo.

ааааааааааа The reader may now see why I first raised the question of УWhat is a Jew?Фа The Reform or Conservative rabbi cannot really answer this question.а For he (or she) looks upon the Jew as a protean being, a creature subject, like all other people, to the flux of history.а In fact, one may deduce from the pluralism of Reform and Conservative rabbis that Jews do not even constitute a people or a nation.а It thus appears that Reform rabbis, and many Conservative rabbis, have more in common with liberal Protestantism than with Judaism!

ааааааааааа Since such rabbis cannot apodictically or univocally answer the question of УWhat is a Jew?Ф they can hardly be qualified, in principle, to convert any Gentile to Judaism.а Obviously this conclusion runs contrary to pluralism, one of the shibboleths of democracy.а Which raises the question:а УIs democracy consistent with Judaism?Фа

 

 

Chapter Four:а Is Judaism Democratic?

а

t seems that many Jews can earn no honor or respect unless they are able to show that Judaism is perfectly consistent with democracy.а Such people do a great disservice to Judaism.а They have reduced Judaism to a jugglerТs bag out of which anything can be produced on demand.а Meanwhile they obscure some of the moral and intellectual shortcomings of democracy.

ааааааааааа As everyone knows, УdemocracyФ literally means the Уrule of the peopleФ or popular sovereignty.а Popular sovereignty reduces to the rule of the majority.а Suppose, however, IsraelТs Muslim citizens eventually composed a majority of the countryТs population. They could then dominate the Knesset and establish an Islamic state.а WouldnТt this be consistent with democracy?

ааааааааааа Obviously majority rule does not exhaust the principles of democracy.а There is also the principle of freedom.а Democratic freedom yields pluralism.а Pluralism requires a broad-based agreement that democracy is not a body of substantive ends but a УprocessФ -- theФ rules of the gameФ -- by which individuals pursue their private interests and Уlifestyles.Фа Hence democracy does not entail any particular ethnic or religious character.а This is why there are no ethnic or even ethical qualifications for voting or holding office in any democratic regime.

ааааааааааа In contrast, Judaism is a nationality, a нprescribedн way of life.а In addition to endogamous marriage laws and ethical precepts, Judaism has its own holy days, its own system of education, its own literature.а And because Judaism is a nationality, only Jews can hold public office in an authentic Jewish polity.а All this is quite foreign to democracy.

ааааааааааа Furthermore, democracies separate church and state or religion and public law (which means that popular sovereignty is compatible with atheism).а Democracies not only regard religion a УprivateФ matter, but they insist Уit is not the function ofа government to legislate morality.Фа The paramount function of public law in a democracy is to maximize comfort and security.а And the law is as mutable as the wants and wishes of the people.

ааааааааааа Now, at this point some people will say that authentic Judaism is theocratic.а The issue here is more semantic than substantive.а If УtheocracyФ signifies a regime ruled by a church or by priests, Judaism is not theocratic.а There is no church in Judaism, neither theologically, since there is no mediation between God and the individual Jew, nor intellectually, since there is no papacy or ecclesiastical hierarchy.

ааааааааааа But if УtheocracyФ is construed literally as Уthe rule of God,Ф then Judaism can be deemed theocratic, for God is the ultimate source of law and authority.а But what does this mean operationally?а In Judaism no priesthood but only publicly tested scholarship can lay claim to any validity regarding the laws of the Torah.а This means the Torah belongs to every Jew, whether he is a Kohane, Levite, or Israelite.а It means that Judaism has no ruling class.а Who rules is based on intellectual and moral qualifications:а those who are most learned in the Torah and the sciences receive the highest honors.а Moreover, unlike the practice of any so-called aristocracy, in a Torah polity education is open to, and even required of, all members of the community.

ааааааааааа The truth is that such terms as Уdemocracy,Ф Уaristocracy,Ф and УtheocracyФ -- and even the term УreligionФ -- are foreign to the Torah.а Let us bear in mind that orthodox Jewish scholars and scientists have long maintained that the Torah embodies, in codified form, the totality of knowledge.а But the point I wish to emphasize here is that the language of political discourse can only trivialize and narrow our understanding of the Torah, which is infinitely richer and more comprehensive than any theory of democracy.

ааааааа

 

Chapter Five:а Democracy Reconsidered

 

he present writer never fails to be amused by Jewish politicians, judges, and even some orthodox rabbis who contend that Judaism is democratic.а Evidently they are unaware of the fact that Spinoza, who hated Judaism, is the father of liberal democracy.а Strange that such a philosopher, famous for his logical acumen, should have seen contradictions between Judaism and democracy where no such contradictions exist -- according to Jewish apologists.а I have elsewhere refuted Spinoza on the subject of Judaism.а Here I will further elucidate the contradictions between Judaism and liberal democracy, but contrary to Spinoza, I shall also show how another kind of democracy may be assimilated to the Torah.

ааааааааааа Some years ago Aharon Barak, currently President ofа IsraelТs Supreme Court, delivered a speech at Haifa University where he declared:а УIt may already be said that the term СJewish and democraticТ is not a contradiction, but rather a completion.Фа If so, Justice BarakТs judicialа decisions should be consistent with Judaism as well as with democracy, especially with democracyТs two organizing principles, freedom and equality.

ааааааааааа Freedom, especially freedom of expression, is the heart of liberal democracy. аIn his judicial decisions, Justice Barak has more or less adopted the libertarian predilections of the American Supreme Court.а Of course the U.S. is a secular state.а There freedom of expression enjoys a Уpreferred positionФ over considerations of public morality, in consequence of which obscenity and pornography are rampant in the entertainment media.а This was not the case prior to the mid-1950s when American jurisprudence was not ultra-permissive.а In any event, democratic permissiveness is hardly consistent with Judaism.

ааааааааааа As for equality, Justice BarakТs decisions more or less conform to the American Supreme CourtТs egalitarian propensities.а Suffice to mention his positive attitude toward gay rights and gender equality in rabbinical courts.а This attitude is hardly consistent with anything distinctively Jewish.а Fortunately, there are alternative conceptions of democracy.

ааааааааааа If Justice Barak were referring to classical democracy, which was rooted in the Seven Noahide

Laws of morality, he could then say that Judaism provides a moral foundation for freedom and equality which otherwise would be normless.а It is quite obvious, however, that Barak has in mind not classical democracy, which inspired 18th century American statesmen, but contemporary democracy, which is permeated by moral relativism.

ааааааааааа Perhaps Justice Barak is unaware of the fact that classical and contemporary democracy have different sources and conceptions of freedom.а Classical democracy derived freedom from manТs creation in the image of God.а Freedom thus had moral constraints (such as those of the Ten Commandments).а In contemporary democracy, freedom is based on human will and is very much devoid of moral constraints.

ааааааааааа Because classical American democracy was still close to the aristocratic and religious tradition, it recognized standards of human excellence and thereby fostered an elevating equality.а This is not the case of contemporary democracy which tends to level the moral and intellectual distinctions among men.

ааааааааааа Contrast the Torah.а Although the Torah embodies many egalitarian laws, it also contains many non-egalitarian laws.а For example, in procuring their release from captivity, УA Kohane takes precedence over a Levite, a Levite over an Israelite, and an Israelite over a bastard... This applies when they are all [otherwise equal]; but if the bastard is learned in the Torah and the Kohane is ignorant of the Torah, the learned bastard takes precedence over the ignorant Kohane (Mishnah, Horayot, 3:8).

ааааааааааа Similarly, under Jewish law, Уa scholar takes precedence over a king of IsraelФ (Babylonian Talmud, Horayot 23a).а Again:а УIf a man and his father and his teacher were in captivity [for ransom], he takes precedence over his teacher, and his teacher takes precedence over his father, while his mother takes precedence over them allФ (ibid.)

ааааааааааа Clearly, learning determines the order of precedence, unless a womanТs honor is at stake.а This is also true in less precarious cases.а Thus, when a court has many cases on its docket, then, as Maimonides points out, the case of a widow is tried before that of a scholar, a scholar before an illiterateТs, and the suit of a woman before that of a man, because the humiliation is greater in the case of a woman.

ааааааааааа These examples indicate that Judaism does not involve the leveling of distinctions characteristic off contemporary democracy.а This is not all.

ааааааааааа Judaism cultivates respect for parents as well as modesty in speech and conduct.а All this is diametrically opposed to contemporary democracy, as television makes abundantly clear.а Notice the pandering to youth by making parents look ridiculous.а Notice the intellectually stultifying obscenity and the mindless emphasis on sex and violence.а Is Justice Barak unaware of this moral decay?а If not, surely his denial of any contradiction between Judaism and democracy obscures the grandeur of the former and hinders the rejuvenation of the latter.

ааааааааааа What Prophet or Sage of Israel ever advocated the morally unrestrained freedom of expression exalted by Justice Barak?а The Jewish Sages engaged in intense controversy over countless issues.а Their goal, however, was not the venting of their impulses or emotions but the discovery of truth.а Today freedom of expression has little to do with truth.а It has little to do with Judaism.а It has little to do even with preserving Israel as a Уdemocracy.Фа Indeed, the dogma freedom of expression has long allowed the Arab Palestinian news and academic media to incite hatred of Jews and insurrection against the Jewish State.

ааааааааааа Turningа again to equality, contrary to Justice Barak, what Prophet or Sage of Israel ever advocated Уone adult/one voteФ -- a principle that allows openly disloyal Arab citizens to vote and hold office in this supposed-to-be Jewish State?

ааааааааааа Justice BarakТs view of democracy appears devoid of moral law.а Whatever his view of Jewishness, it is far removed from traditional Judaism.а His Judaism, therefore, is not representative of the Judaism of most Jews in Israel.а Indeed, his Judaism strikes the candid observer as rather personal and arbitrary.а If so, much the same may be expected of his judicial decisions.а Paradoxically, such decisions can hardly be Уdemocratic.Ф

 

 

Chapter Six:а IsraelТs Galut Jews

 

here are three types of Galut Jews in Israel -- and if we are humble and understanding, we will be grateful to all three.а The first type is secular.а It matters not whether this type of Jew is a leftist or rightist:а His mentality is not rooted in the Torah, of which he is basically ignorant.а For him the Torah (including the Oral Law) is neither the touchstone of his personal life nor of his outlook on public affairs, domestic or foreign.а For the secular Jew the Torah is irrelevant in the domain of Statecraft.

ааааааааааа Yet it was secular Jews who founded the modern State of Israel.а It was secular Jews who facilitated the ingathering of some two million of their oppressed brothers and sisters.а It was secular Jews who hastened IsraelТs scientific-technological infrastructure, which has enabled Jews, including religious Jews, to flourish in the land of their forefathers.а

Notice, however, that the founders of modern Israel were Marxists as well as Zionists, which means they harbored contradictory doctrines.а For whereas Marxism is a form of anti-Jewish internationalism, Zionism means Jewish nationalism!а The founders of the State of Israel thus had a split mentality, which they could never overcome.а To the contrary:а Their Zionism has metamorphosed into anti-Zionism with unJewish overtones.а Witness the pronouncements (and policies) of politicians like Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin.а While Peres denies the concept of Eretz Yisrael, Beilin baldly admits he has no objection to his children marrying non-Jews.а (These are two examples Max NordauТs Уnew Marranos.)а

ааааааааааа The second type of Galut Jews is religious, of which two varieties may be distinguished. Whereas one may be called Уpolitically correct,Ф the other may be termed Уpolitically incorrect.Фаа Both are deserving of gratitude.

Politically correct religious Jews have shown that Jews can be observant and yet "modern."аа They established yeshivot and even universities.а Hence they have contributed to the preservation of Judaism.а And yet the uncritical attitude of these Jews toward contemporary democracy -- the religion of our times -- hardly differs from that of secular Jews.а They ignore the obvious contradictions between the indiscriminate egalitarianism and libertarianism of contemporary democracy on the one hand, and the moral and intellectual standards of the Torah or Jewish law on the other.а

Hence the mentality of these religious Jews is also split:а Their religiosity is compartmentalized -- operative on the personal level but without significantly affecting their politics or political ideology.а Lacking is the unity of thought and action distinctive of Torah Judaism.а They too have failed to develop Torah Statesmanship.

ааааааааааа As for our politically incorrect religious Jews:а to them we owe perhaps the deepest gratitude.а They do not mislead Jews by exalting contemporary democracy; and more than other religionists, they have uncompromisingly preserved the Oral Law.а The trouble is they represent the Уdried fruitФ of the Oral Law (without which, of course, the Jews would have become as extinct as the Mesopotamians).а In other words, their religiosity is rooted in the Galut, in the Уdesert of the nations.Фа They simply transplanted the Уdried fruitФ of the Oral Law to the Land of Israel without unsealing the Oral LawТs original freshness, its emotional richness, its profound wisdom.а (We can understand this withdrawal from the mundane world; but the time has come for the Oral Law to burst forth and bloom as in the time of King David.

ааааааааааа The illustrious Rabbi Abraham I. Kook has written:а УAll of our sacred treasures, the concepts and insights of the entire Torah must be couched in modern style so as to attract our contemporaries ... the colossal wealth of sacred art they harbor must be drawn upon daily and propagated in the current literary idiom.Фа The Halachic Уprinciple of actionФ and the Agaddic Уprinciple of heart and mindФ must impregnate each other.

ааааааааааа Required are openness to veridical secular knowledge and a positive and creative attitude toward Jewish national affairs.а This is perfectly consistent with the Oral Law.а After all, the Sages of the Talmud were men of the world.а They studied gentile knowledge; they debated with Roman emperors; they were statesmen!а Theirs was a living Torah, a Torah that confronted the knowledge and challenged the pretensions of the secular world.а Their religiosity was not disembodied.

The Torah is more than a religion.а It is the infinite wellspring of the highest civilization -- Hebraic civilization.аа Hebraic civilization transcends all the dichotomies of mankind:а individual versus society, freedom versus authority, morality versus law, reason versus revelation, science versus religion, theory versus practice.а Think of King David:а poet, philosopher, prophet, and, above all, Jewish statesman.а Rashi clinches our point:а Jacob sent Judah (and not Yisachar) to Goshen to establish centers for Torah learning.а Why?а Because Judah symbolizes Kingship!

ааааааааааа Plato dreamed of the philosopher-king, who unites wisdom and power.а Israel alone has had many philosopher-kings.а Indeed, Theophrastus, AristotleТs successor at the Lyceum, regarded Israel as Уa nation of philosophers.Фа

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ааааааааааа The era of the Galut Jew is now drawing to a close.а Jewish philosophy, rooted in the Torah, is reappearing in Israel.а To be authentic, Jewish philosophy must not only be consistent with the Oral Law, it must reveal the beauty and wisdom of the entire Torah.а In Jewish law will be found the most comprehensive understanding of human nature, hence the profoundest psychology, now waiting to be articulated.а That psychology will reveal Judaic Man as the pinnacle of mankind.ааа

ааааааааааа It seems, however, that those most likely to facilitate a renaissance of Jewish philosophy will be secular Jews who have returned to the Torah, but who have knowledge of the rigorous sciences.а An increasing number of such Jews live in Israel.а Some are revealing, by means of computer science, hidden codes in the Torah which signify the TorahТs divine origin.

ааааааааааа While we must be grateful to Galut Jews who, regardless of their restricted views, have contributed to the preservation of Judaism -- God works in mysterious ways -- still, Israel needs the fresh fruit of the undivided Torah, the Torah of Hebraic civilization.а Indeed, Israel urgently needs a Torah statesman, one who can translate the Torah into a national strategy of world-historical significance.а Perhaps the new Jewish Leadership Movement in Israel will discover that statesman.