I have often wondered why Jews are singled out for such universal and unending hatred. We aren?t enslavers or torturers, we don?t force our beliefs upon others. We are one of the least aggressive religions in terms war ? we only fight when attacked. So why is this happening?
After many years of pondering, I may have the answer, and within that answer is the solution. I am not a very observant Jew, but I am a student of life. From years of observations, I have noticed several interesting facts.
1) Despite our small numbers and lack of any army (and until the formation of Israel), we cannot be exterminated. Not that people haven't tried for over 2000 years.
All the powerful and massive empires have been conquered, yet no one has been able to wipe out the small and lowly Jew ? and not for lack of trying. First, it was the Arabs, then the Romans, then the Catholics, then the Nazis, then the Arabs again. Yet, we prevailed and even regained our homeland. Meanwhile, the Egyptian empire fell, the Roman empire fell, the Ottoman empire fell, the Catholic religion retreated to being just a religion and not a conqueror, and the Nazis were destroyed.
2) Despite being chased from country to country, Jews have thrived intellectually, contributing more to the world of art and science (per person) than any other group.
3) When Jews and Israel have been attacked in modern history, they always win, and win big, despite overwhelming odds. In some cases it could be described as miraculous.
I don't need a bible to hit me on the head to figure out what is going on. HaShem initially gave us his blessings, wisdom and grace for free and some of us spurned it. That was on Mount Sinai. Ever since, we have had nothing but tsuris.
Maybe we on Earth are the first humans HaShem ever created. We?ve been given a volatile combination of attributes. Our bodies are certainly mortal, yet our souls are eternal. We aren?t slaves to our physicality like the denizens of the animal kingdom. Unlike angels we were given free will with the promise of no interference in the courses we choose. We were given the intelligence to discover and invent ways to control matter, space, and time. We were given the ability to progress to the point where we can create life and the raw materials to do so. We are a combination of the divine and the base.
As any good psychologist will tell you, people don't appreciate things they have not earned. Unfortunately, we proved this on Mt. Sinai. Maybe this unending hatred is part of a learning process that HaShem has set forth for us after the disaster on Mt. Sinai. Having watched our reactions on Mt. Sinai, HaShem realized that creatures with such awesome powers as we humans have been given, need to earn them to appreciate them. And beyond that, the Jews, given special blessings, need to doubly earn them in order to appreciate them and not misuse them or throw them away.
Until we are willing to fight for our rights as humans and as Jews, until we are no longer willing to compromise and negotiate our G-d-given rights away, until we are willing to put our lives on the line, or those of our children (as Abraham did) for what is rightfully ours and for the respect we deserve, we will always be hated, always be targeted. This is the lesson we must learn. And every time we fail to learn it, maybe HaShem, like a caring parent, weeps a little for us and how we are making ourselves suffer needlessly.
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Beth Goodtree is a humor and occasional political writer, a comedienne and a professional shlep.
************
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.
After many years of pondering, I may have the answer, and within that answer is the solution. I am not a very observant Jew, but I am a student of life. From years of observations, I have noticed several interesting facts.
1) Despite our small numbers and lack of any army (and until the formation of Israel), we cannot be exterminated. Not that people haven't tried for over 2000 years.
All the powerful and massive empires have been conquered, yet no one has been able to wipe out the small and lowly Jew ? and not for lack of trying. First, it was the Arabs, then the Romans, then the Catholics, then the Nazis, then the Arabs again. Yet, we prevailed and even regained our homeland. Meanwhile, the Egyptian empire fell, the Roman empire fell, the Ottoman empire fell, the Catholic religion retreated to being just a religion and not a conqueror, and the Nazis were destroyed.
2) Despite being chased from country to country, Jews have thrived intellectually, contributing more to the world of art and science (per person) than any other group.
3) When Jews and Israel have been attacked in modern history, they always win, and win big, despite overwhelming odds. In some cases it could be described as miraculous.
I don't need a bible to hit me on the head to figure out what is going on. HaShem initially gave us his blessings, wisdom and grace for free and some of us spurned it. That was on Mount Sinai. Ever since, we have had nothing but tsuris.
Maybe we on Earth are the first humans HaShem ever created. We?ve been given a volatile combination of attributes. Our bodies are certainly mortal, yet our souls are eternal. We aren?t slaves to our physicality like the denizens of the animal kingdom. Unlike angels we were given free will with the promise of no interference in the courses we choose. We were given the intelligence to discover and invent ways to control matter, space, and time. We were given the ability to progress to the point where we can create life and the raw materials to do so. We are a combination of the divine and the base.
As any good psychologist will tell you, people don't appreciate things they have not earned. Unfortunately, we proved this on Mt. Sinai. Maybe this unending hatred is part of a learning process that HaShem has set forth for us after the disaster on Mt. Sinai. Having watched our reactions on Mt. Sinai, HaShem realized that creatures with such awesome powers as we humans have been given, need to earn them to appreciate them. And beyond that, the Jews, given special blessings, need to doubly earn them in order to appreciate them and not misuse them or throw them away.
Until we are willing to fight for our rights as humans and as Jews, until we are no longer willing to compromise and negotiate our G-d-given rights away, until we are willing to put our lives on the line, or those of our children (as Abraham did) for what is rightfully ours and for the respect we deserve, we will always be hated, always be targeted. This is the lesson we must learn. And every time we fail to learn it, maybe HaShem, like a caring parent, weeps a little for us and how we are making ourselves suffer needlessly.
--------------------------------------------------------
Beth Goodtree is a humor and occasional political writer, a comedienne and a professional shlep.
************
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.