"Light Unto The Nations"

Playing With Fire

For many years, Israeli politicians have been trying verbal acrobatics and contortions, teasing the world with promises to work for a Pseudistinian State, claiming that:

"No problem. The Arabs will never agree to our conditions."

"Remember when Ehud Barak was Prime Minister, he offered the Arabs over 90%, and they said no."

"Don't worry."

"Trust us."

Sorry, but I disagree. I consider it playing with fire.

It reminds of me of the old joke, variously attributed to George Bernard Shaw or Winston Churchill and Lady Astor.

“My Dear,” said the gentleman to the lady, “would you go to bed with me for a million dollars?”

“Well, yes, I suppose I would,” she replied.

“Here’s $100. Let’s go then.”

“How dare you! What kind of person do you think I am?”

“My Dear, we have already established that. Now we are merely haggling over the price!”

And another dangerous game Israel is playing is having a Deputy Foreign Minister, Daniel "Danny" Ayalon, who is married to  an Evangelical Christian.  I wish I was kidding.  Read all about it!

The âø, Gair, Convert or Foreigner/Stranger?

This has been cross-posted on Shiloh Musings, where there are a number of comments. If you'd like, you can comment on both blogs. And just to remind you, I post much more frequently there.

This week's Parshat Shavua, Torah Portion of the Week, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim (Leviticus 16-20) is chock full of G-d given Mitzvot, Commandments. It's interesting that while many of them concern relations between human beings, the phrase "àÂðÄé, éÀäåÈä," "I am the LORD," is repeated very frequently. IMHO, this is to illustrate that we aren't to look for logical, sociological, biological, health or botanical reasons for these Mitzvot. It's forbidden to search for rationales and excuses to ignore them. In Israel and in the Jewish world, unfortunately, there are periodic reports of Torah, Orthodox converts discovering that other Jews will not recognize or even have "cancelled" their conversions.
The word of the Beit Din, to consider a person Jewish is a contract, and once it's signed, it's forbidden to change the conditions
Sometimes Jews who converted with totally sincere intentions and under the supervision of fully Torah observant rabbis, relax their observance post-conversion, just like born Jews whose observance fluctuates throughout life. In this week's Parsha, Torah Portion, there's a sentence which could be considered defense the convert:

ìâ åÀëÄé-éÈâåÌø àÄúÌÀêÈ âÌÅø, áÌÀàÇøÀöÀëÆí--ìÉà úåÉðåÌ, àÉúåÉ. 33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not do him wrong.

I like to think of it that way, but I'm troubled by the line which follows:

ìã ëÌÀàÆæÀøÈç îÄëÌÆí éÄäÀéÆä ìÈëÆí äÇâÌÅø äÇâÌÈø àÄúÌÀëÆí, åÀàÈäÇáÀúÌÈ ìåÉ ëÌÈîåÉêÈ--ëÌÄé-âÅøÄéí äÁéÄéúÆí, áÌÀàÆøÆõ îÄöÀøÈéÄí: àÂðÄé, éÀäåÈä àÁìÉäÅéëÆí. 34 The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Ironically, when I mentally planned writing about this, I had no doubt that I would use verse 33 to 100% defend the convert. But the qualification in verse 34 makes me wonder. We, the Jewish People, didn't live in Egypt to become Egyptians, nor did the Egyptians treat us well after the initial enthusiastic welcome. Maybe we should delve more deeply in this, as in the "contract" between Pharaoh and Joseph, like the "contract" between a convert and the Beit Din, Rabbinic Court which approves/certifies the conversion. The Egyptians broke the contract when they made us slaves. That aspect makes sense, when you read the next two verses:

ìä ìÉà-úÇòÂùÒåÌ òÈåÆì, áÌÇîÌÄùÑÀôÌÈè, áÌÇîÌÄãÌÈä, áÌÇîÌÄùÑÀ÷Èì åÌáÇîÌÀùÒåÌøÈä. 35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. ìå îÉàæÀðÅé öÆãÆ÷ àÇáÀðÅé-öÆãÆ÷, àÅéôÇú öÆãÆ÷ åÀäÄéï öÆãÆ÷--éÄäÀéÆä ìÈëÆí: àÂðÄé éÀäåÈä àÁìÉäÅéëÆí, àÂùÑÆø-äåÉöÅàúÄé àÆúÀëÆí îÅàÆøÆõ îÄöÀøÈéÄí. 36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Yes, that must be it. The word of the Beit Din, to consider a person Jewish is a contract, and once it's signed, it's forbidden to change the conditions.