AboutDavid Rosenblum Expertise I am an ex-student of yeshiva and I like to be
presented with Torah study problems. If you have
studied the Torah and have questions on the subject
matter, I want to hear about it. I am not a Rabbi and
not qualified to decide halachic issues. I am still
interested in halachic questions for which I can
sometimes offer general guidelines or present
decisions in halachic works such as Mishna Berurah. I
welcome questions from non-Jewish people but I cannot
respond to religious references that are not part of
Judaism. If you are working on a paper or doing
research and want general information on a Jewish
subject, I may or may not satisfy your need, depending
on how comfortable I am with the question. If you
have a personal problem, I am not qualified to help
you but I will do what I can to offer you some
assistance.
I read Israel Shahak's book "Jewish History, Jewish Religion, the Weight of Three Thousand Years"... the book shocked me, but I found many things which Mr. Shahak said in the book to be true from other sources. Yet Shahak has been condemned in Jewish circles as telling outrageous lies, and of being a self hating Jew. I want to believe that this is the case but over the years I have accidentally found other sources to support his statements.
For example I read in a Jewish Encyclopedia that in modern day Israel Jews get around the law forbidding planting during the Sabbath year by performing a fictitious sale of land in Israel to a gentile for that year, allowing them to plant. Then after the year the land is returned. The sale is not even real, just ritualistic. The gentile cannot refuse to sell the land back. Shahak has this in his book.
I read in the Jerusalem Post that in 1998 Israeli Rabbis protested the fact that the IDF left on the Sabbath to help rescue lives in the explosion of the American embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The protest was because Jews were violating the Sabbath to save gentile lives, which Shahak said is forbidden according to the Talmud and Maimonides. In the Jerusalem Post article the Chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Israel defended the actions of the IDF. The only problem is that his excuse for defending it was not because gentile lives were precious, but because if Jews did not help there would be a scandal, which might cause harm to Jews. According to Shahak's book the only time a Jew can save the life of a gentile on the Sabbath is when it might cause a scandal or if he is paid to do so.
I also read in the Jerusalem Post that according to the Talmud Jews are not allowed to praise gentiles in public. This again defends Shahak's accusations.
Shahak has stated that the Talmud condemns and mocks Christianity and Jesus himself. I have read many articles which say that this is not true. These articles say that the Talmud doesn't even mention Jesus. A Jewish friend of mine also said that the Talmud does not mention Jesus. Yet according to a Lubavitch website all the accustions which Shahak states about what the Talmud says about Jesus and Christianity is true. This is the website: http://www.noahide.com/yeshu.htm
For many decades I have heard many Jews say that anti-semitism exists because Christians believe that the Jews killed Jesus. I personally know a Holocaust survivor who says that the Nazis did what they did because of Christianity and he hates Christianity as a religion. But many Christians I know, including myself, like Jews because they are the people of the Old Testament, and because Jesus and all the disciples were Jewish. The accurate Christian belief is that Jesus had to die because of the sins of humanity, and that He laid down His life Himself, no one took it from Him. It is even stated that way in the New Testament. The belief is that only He could lay down His life because He was the Son of God and only He had the power to do this. No one could have killed Him unless He allowed it. He died voluntarily as the perfect sacrifice needed to atone for sin.
I am 40 years old and in my life I have also met many anti-semites and not one of them have given this reason for disliking Jews. Not one has said that it was over religion. Every single one of them has said that the reason they dislike Jews is because Jews are unsavory in their business dealings with gentiles. Religion has never been given as a reason in my experience. In Shahak's book he has stated that according to the Talmud, and historical Jewish scholars like Maimonides, a Jew is required to be honest in his business dealings with other Jews, but the opposite it true when it comes to gentiles. Much of it centers around the statement "Love your fellow", but a gentile is not your fellow according to Jewish law since the Middle Ages.
I have read parts of the Talmud on line which tell the reader to treat one group of people terribly, but I have read that this group is translated as Canaanites and idolators. This might be the fact, but I have also read that for some Jews all gentiles are considered Canaanites, and all Christians are considered idolators because Christians believe in the Trinity, and that Jesus is God. Shahak mentions this in his book. If this is the case, then Shahak's statements in his book concerning the Talmud and Jewish Law/Halacha are true.
I like Jewish people and I have many Jewish friends. Two of my Jewish friends have said that Shahak's book was total fiction and full of lies, but when I presented these questions to them they tred to avoid the issues and gave vague explanations which didn't answer anything. If I probed with more questions they became angry. So I have to wonder what the truth is having read Shahak's book and having come accross many other sources which confirm his statements, such as the Jerusalem Post and even a Lubavitch website. I have to wonder what the real truth is. Can you help me understand.
Thank you: A.J.
Answer I think you once submitted a question to me regarding this Shahak fellow which I felt uncomfortable answering because of my lack of knowledge, if you read my bio, I research Torah study problems, specific text. Although I am confident that someone really learned could easily refute all his arguments, I am not up to the task. However I am convinced Shahak's (as you quote him) motives are malicious and he deliberately misrepresents our Torah (he does so with skill admittedly) so I cannot rest without attempting to reduce some of the sting.
1) the sale of land: there is one opinion of recent days which allows such a sale, all other prominent Torah authorities do not allow a sale for the Sabbath year, it is a novel leniency introduced by this one authority. I don't know the details of the sale. The people in the Charedi (stringent Torah observers) communities do not rely on such a sale, only the Rabbanut does (the governing Rabbinical body). Do not fault the Torah for the questionable choices made by some. In defense of the sale, a temporary sale can still be considered a valid transaction even if it implies the requirement to return the object after the term expires.
2) I don't know the actual law regarding saving a gentile's life in case when no one else is around and the person will die. I can assume this circumstance would call for some leniency. In the case of Kenya there were presumably other people who could save lives, would anyone's life have been lost without the IDF being present?
3) I don't know the Talmudic reference regarding praising a gentile in public; if it is a true reference, it has to be carefully analyzed for the exact reason, is it only for an idol-worshipping person? Such a person living amongst Jews is a felon, why should he be praised? When gentiles who live amongst Jews abide by the law of the land and do not serve idols, it is easy to assume they keep the seven Noahide laws which makes them a "benevolent gentile" aka "righteous gentile" and they deserve praise for that. They even get a share in the "future world" which is an incredibly great privilege.
4) The Talmudic references are about a person called Yeshu. He was a sinner, there is no reason to doubt the Talmud. I once heard that there is no proof this Yeshu and the Nazarene are the same. I quickly scanned the Lubavitch website and I saw no quote from the Talmud about Christianity, did I miss it? I also don't remember any references to Christinanity in the Talmud. In the time of the Talmud there were movements that rebelled against the Torah and attempted to lead the people away from the Torah. Such people should be mocked and condemned. In as much as the Christians of the time participated in such activities they deserve to be condemned. I know of Christians doing this today and they deserve to be condemned as well. I have Christian co-workers and I have no reason to condemn them at all, I actually admire some of them because of their exceptional personal qualities and intelligence. Our great talmudic Sages had Greek and Roman friends (Rabbi Shimon and Alexander the Great, that is when the name Alexander became a Jewish name, Rabbi Yehudah the Great and Anthony, some say this was Mark Anthony). True Torah observant Jews value good qualities in people, regardless of their religion or race.
5) I agree that anti-semitism is probably not caused by differences in religion. It is more likely a question of race. The anti-semite just hates Jews, plain and simple as a race. I equally don't think it has anything to do with alleged "unsavory" business dealings. In every population there are honest people and dishonest ones. I know Jews who would not consider slipping through a small two year old on a flight as an infant and will insist on purchasing the ticket in order to comply with airline and FAA regulations (I recently did this and my friend also told me he would not do otherwise). When I get too much change I return it. It is very easy to single out some less moral Jews and paint the entire population with the same brush. That happens when one first hates Jews and then chooses this as an excuse. How come Shahak did not quote the Talmud where it says that two (gentile) Roman officers studied the entire Torah and found no fault with it except one issue about damages to a cow under a specific circumstance? Even that law is subsequently defended. I would also remind you about the tolerance Jews had historically for all nations that did not threaten us which stands in stark contrast to how the Church and Islam views the Jews and dealt with them over the years.
6) I have not heard a definite conclusion on whether Christianity is idol-worship for the reasons you mention. Christians believe in G-d (the jewish G-d) and if it could be proven to them that G-d considers their belief a mistake, they would accept it. Idol-worshippers know full well that G-d has said the idols are no gods and it makes no difference to them what G-d says because they don't believe in Him. So perhaps Christianity is "unintentional" idol-worship which puts it in an entirely different category. There may be other distinctions.
I cannot stress enough how unqualified I am in answering this question. Please don't take anything I said as conclusive. It serves only as "something to think about". It pains me to see how people spend time and effort in dissecting everything Jewish in order to find fault. The UN's General Assembly singles out Israel for resolutions and items on its agenda. Anti-semites and self-hating Jews study the Talmud in order to disgrace our Torah. Jews have been nothing but a great asset to world peace and prosperity. Anyone looking at history objectively can easily see that. Yet we are the most criticized race in the world. This paradox is mind-boggling.
