- Shalom,
-
- It seems that these rabbis have missed the entire point
of the picture's space(location)- time(era)frame for they have forgotten
to ask these question themselves which is:
-
- 1. When and where was Halakha written?
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- 2. What were the political, social, economic, military
order and conditions prevailing that time beyond the borders and social
environments of the Jewish communities?
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- 3. How were the jews being treated during the time when
halakha was written?
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- 4. What were the conditions prevailing within the Jewish
communities at the time when halakha was written?
-
- And ask them if they have asked this question themselves:
Why were the teachings of Hillel allowed to exists and taught alongside
with the teachings of Sharmmai? Why is it that such two contradicting teachings
were allowed to flourish alongside of one another?
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- The answer lies in the birth, maturation, hardships,
difficulties, adversities, geography, and background status of the Jewish
people involved during the great historical development of Judaism during
the pre-Christian and pre-Islamic era. Before the arrival of these two
great civilizing religions that came after the birth and maturation of
Judaism. And whose teachings are based and derived from Judaism itself
for they have used the Jewish teachings as a foundation for their new ways
of teaching and living. Much like the expounding of the teachings of the
Talmud, Halakha, and the Torah without straying away from their core teachings
and laws and always remaining under their jurisdiction.
-
- 1. When and where halakha was written:
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- Answer:
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- It was written during the time when the surrounding civilizations
still dosn't have the morality and legalities of the the rule of law that
we have now. It is a survival of the fittest situation. It was written
when the Jews were surrounded by non-Christian and non-Islamic communities
in the mediterranean. Before the time of Christianity and Islam.
-
- 2. What were the political, social, economic, military
order and conditions prevailing that time beyond the borders and social
environments of the Jewish communities when it was written?
-
- Answer:
-
- It is a society of political instabilities caused by
monarchial strife from within the ruling class; the social order is rigid
and feudalistic and not flexible; the economic sustenance is agricultural,
cottage industry type, subject to external variables of long-term unpredictability
(invasions, pests, plague diseaseses, etc)
-
- 3. How were the jews being treated during the time when
halakha was written?
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- Answer:
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- In some cases good and in some cases bad. Often times
it is bad only when they let down their guard. But there are times when
amicable relationships exists between their cultures but at under certain
conditions which are often fragile for resentment exists against the jews
because of their beliefs and their upholding of God's Laws. But remenber
that this was a time before the coming of Christianity and Islam.
-
- 4. What are the conditions prevailing within the Jewish
communities at the time when halakha was written? Answer: Wariness, apprehension,
tenseness, anxieties, and not being sure of one's status at a time when
they are the only ones who seemed to be following a very distinctively
monotheistic religion which is self-regenerating and self-reinvigorating
for it was laid down to meet the prevailing of the times of that era. Invites
envy and resentment from the non-Christian and non-Islamic societies of
their times.
-
- Self-regenerating and self-reinvigorating because it
allows itself to be expounded upon without straying away within the path
as laid down in the Talmud, Halakha, and the Torah. For example: A man
should never impose an overpowering fear upon his children and household,"
the Babylonian Talmud teaches. It records the story of a little boy who
broke a bottle on the Sabbath. His father, in great anger, warned him that
he would soon received a beating. The boy committed suicide. The rabbis
then passed a law: No parent should threaten a child with physical punishment.
But the rabbis did it without degrading or affecting one of the basic laws
of the Ten Commandments: Honor thy father and thy mother.
-
- Why were the teachings of Hillel allowed to exists and
taught alongside with the teachings of Sharmmai? Why is it that such two
contradicting teachings were allowed to flourish alongside of one another?
-
- Pre-answer:
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- After many centuries of such environments and conditions,
it has created a kind of combativeness in the attitudes and siege-fortress
mentality in the character of the Jewish people. And any rabbis living
during that time will be affected by it by writing such anti-gentile Halakhic
Laws which are contradictory against the Character of God which is Love,
Compassion, Peace, Kindness. These rabbis had written such laws at a time
when they think they are the only ones who are upholding and enforcing
the Laws of the Torah. They think that the present situation will prevail
indefinitely.
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- It was a time before a global, world wide, rule of law.
A time before the existence of the World Court. Before the U.N. Before
anything that we have today that enforces the rule of law whose foundation
lies basically from governments whose births and existence were based on
and influenced by the laws of Christianity and Islam, which in turn were
basically linked to the foundation Laws of Judaism.
-
- But what they did not see in the future is the coming
of Christianity and Islam, whose civilizing influences are basically based
from their laws whose foundations are linked with the Torah! These rabbis
during that time and era were thinking that they are alone and are the
only ones following and upholding the Laws of God. They have not foreseen
the coming of the Christian and Islamic era whose existence are basically
based upon on, and derived from the Laws of Judaism if one bothers to do
basic research on that.
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- Answer:
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- We were given free will in this matter which is the reason
why the teachings of Hillel co-exists with the teachings of Shammai. Free
will to do good or evil. Free will to follow the instincts of evil or the
instincts of God.
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- The teachings of Shammai shows the effects of the environment
and conditions of his time and before that, and if they are not
careful not to allow themselves to be affected by it and loose control
of their basic instincts, which has shaped their way of thinking toward
the non-Jews and Gentiles. An example is the reaction Shammai, whose mind
was affected by his environments and was not careful not to be affected
by it which resulted in his reaction in turning away the non-Jew/Gentile
away when he asked Shammai that he be taught the Torah on one foot. Shammai
thought this question impertinent. There are two tablets and they are both
equally valid. Shammai didn't want to choose between them. So he
thought he was being insulted and drove the man away with the yard-stick
which he was holding. This is the way of discord and strife.
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- The teachings of Hiller shows the effects of deep wisdom
in understanding the underlying foundations of the Torah, Halakha, and
the Talmud. By keeping in touch with wisdom and constantly developing it
while learning God's Laws and his true intentions with his Laws for this
world, one can develop the real character (kindness, patience, compassion,
love, tolerance) and knowledge on why we were born into this world and
that of our purpose. That purpose is to be the light of the world. And
with that, redemption comes. Hillel said :God is more interested in people
being good to each other than in worshipping Him. God can always manage,
but his greatest concern is for people, so He is ready to set aside His
own honor for the greater good of the world. Hillel mentioned the word
people and people means everybody and everyone, both Jew and non-Jew, and
with that.
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- Hillel did not specifically mention Jew or non-Jew, he
just mentioned people which means everybody and everyone on this world,
for he knew that we are to be the light of this world, not it's oppressors
and not allowing it's oppressors to turn ourselves into oppressors while
we fight oppression.
-
- Hillel advised the man who asked him to teach him the
Torah on one foot to go and study more. It turned out that he became impressed
by everything else he learned that he eventually converted. This is the
way of peace and harmony.
-
- Makes one wonder if the same question was asked by a
non-practicing Jew who wishes to learn now what he should have learned,
would Shammai have reacted and answered with kindness and patience just
like what Hillel did toward that non-Jew/Gentile?
-
- The lesson here is very bright and clear for everyone
to see. If one did not allow one's own adverse environment to affect oneself
because of deep faith and wisdom, then one will react with patience, kindness,
compassion, tolerance, love just like Hillel. This resulted in Judaism
in gaining a friend and eventually a convert. For Hillel teaches us not
to allow our adversities and the darkness of this world to get the best
of ourselves and not to become like our enemies when we are fighting against
them, for if we are not careful then we would have won our battles but
at the expense of losing the war.
-
- Shammai, on the otherhand, allowed himself to be affected
by the adversity of his environment and social conditions of his day beyond
the borders of his Jewish community and nation. It is because of that he
has allowed his guard down and lost his composure, allowing prejudice and
hatred and bitterness and indifference to get to his heart, resulting in
his treating the non-Jew/Gentile harshly, in a way that drove him away
from the very person who is the leader of his community and should have
been a representative of God's Laws and His ways by being the light of
this world. The reaction and feelings of the non-Jew/Gentile would have
been dismay, resentment, suspicion, ill will, and hate leading to further
misunderstandings if it weren't for Hillel's presence to wipe it off the
non-Jew/ Gentile's situation.
-
- It is only because that Hillel was also present during
that time that he was able to neutralize this discord because he was able
to maintain his oneness with God and gain wisdom in the process by maintaining
his faith against all adversities and darkness without them getting the
best of himself or turning into one of them while fighting evil and sin
in this world. And because Hillel was able to do that he responded rightfully
and appropriately with kindness and patience, tolerance and understanding,
forgiveness and love, compassion and just justice toward the non-Jew/Gentile
that gained Judaism a friend, an ally, and an eventual convert. Today,
in this modern world. Civilization based upon the basic precepts of Judaism,
albeit mostly indirect, exists throughout the globe. Rule of law exists
on a global scale though enforcement is not always perfect. The international
system of laws that are congruent with Judaism and Judeo-Christianity and
Islam, and institutions like the U.N and World Court exists. Christianity
and Islam, whose very foundations lies also within Judaism, is widespread
throughout the world.
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- But we still think and act as if we are alone and are
the only ones that God has chosen us to preserve and carry on his Laws.
It is as if we still assume that we are surrounded by highly destructive
and amoral and unethical societies just like in the ancient eras even though
we are already in the modern age. We still think and assume that we are
at war with the world even when the world has changed already.
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- It is like France still having an anti-German feeling
even when the war has long passed away, gone into oblivion, while the present
generation has no memories of such a war except as normal citizens interacting
with one another with the German side. But still allowing that anti-German
feeling to continue simmering even when the object of hate no longer exists.
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- We still think and act that this is still the time of
the ancient eras of millenium past.
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- And we still treat the non-Jews as if they were still
the same people that existed before the coming of Christianity's christians
and Islam's muslims. This is what these rabbis have not foreseen, and often
times they use this lack of wisdom to justify what they are espousing even
though they knew they are wrong. Sometimes they refuse to admit that they
have missed this point of wisdom, and sometimes it is deliberately ignored
inorder to pursue some selfish agenda.
-
- In the Knessett, some rabbis even said, alright then
"we will be the bad guys for now but future generations will thank
us for doing it" even in full knowledge of the fact that it is against
the very character of God (compassion, patience, kindness, generosity,
love, tolerance....) and his Laws based on just justice.
-
- But these rabbis either have deliberately overlooked
or have accidentally overlooked something which is too obvious to all Jews.
That is the co-existence of the writings and teachings of Hillel and Shammai.
And why they are allowed to stand side by side, even though their teachings
contradicts the other. The reason for their co-existence is God's way for
teaching us that we have free will. Free will to choose either the instinct
of man (Shammai) or the instinct of God (Hillel).
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- The teachings of Shammai has caused much discord and
disharmony with the world at large. And is still causing so much suffering
throughout the world for Shammai's followers has followed the instinct
of man.
-
- The teachings of Hillel has caused Judaism to gain friends,
allies, and converts. And warned us of the consequences if we do not follow
the instinct of God by allowing our suffering to turn ourselves into becoming
like our enemies when fighting them. It is this teaching that has gained
a friend, an ally, and an eventual convert for Judaism.
-
- This is the main reason why such two opposite and contradicting
teachings co-exists side-by-side in the Talmud. It is to allow us to use
our own free will to choose good or evil, to choose the instinct of man
or the instinct of God.
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- This is the greatest error of these rabbis, it is their
lack of a sense of the geographical (location) and chronological (era)
order of the historical background of Halakha, and of the prevailing parameter
conditions that had surrounded the writers of these eras who were writing
Halakha during their time and how it affected them while they were writing
the teachings and laws of Halakha.
-
- But I am very sad to say this. Historically Hillel was
proven right again and again. The destruction of our Temple, the dispersion
of our people, the pogroms, our six million casualties, the six day war,
the Lebanon campaign, expulsion from Russia, our daily casualties from
Gaza and Jerusalem........not to mention the fact that we also have a hand
in some events that costs us a great deal, as sadly written by Rabbi Daniel
Lapin in his book "America's Real War" and by many others. Like
the Zionists involvement with the Nazis and how they were also involved
in the downfall of Russia into communism. And we dare to complain of indiscrimination
and prejudice once we have been found out?
-
- Out if fairness, I also would like to point out that
even with the coming and rise of Christianity and Islam (whose foundations
literally came from the teachings of the Torah) there has been periods
of amicable and not so amicable relationships with them but it does not
mean our rights have a higher priority over their rights, nor it means
they are all anti-semitic. Some are good and some are not so good with
us but on the average our relationships with them has been quite amicable
in general except for some occasional outbursts of intolerance from either
side. Extremism is not only confined to one group.
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- It is these teachings of Shammai's excesses that has
caused Jews to rebel against Israel. Just look at the news of Israeli military
personnel refusing to follow orders that are tantamount of outright prejudicial
wars. Even Jews indiscriminate against Jews and not just against the non-Jews,
just look at the treatment that the Oriental Jews by the European Jews
that has caused some to riot in the 70s.
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- The greatest error of these rabbis is their lack of understanding
of the total picture of Halakha's geographical-chronological parameter
background, conditions, circumstances, and situations. And how all of these
has affected the attitudes, mentalities, and character of the writers writing
the Halakha during their time. And how they have forgotten that the Halakha,
"The Law", is also an archieval system that the Talmud can even
expound upon without straying away from it's core teachings and in accordance
with the geographical-chronological circumstances and situations of their
time. For example is this law: No parent should threaten a child with physical
punishment. This law was made during an ancient era within the middle
east before the coming of Christianity and Islam. It is these little things
that does matter but are still being ignored up to this day and at our
own expense for it creates even more problems because we failed to understand
how this will affect our thinking and in the judgement of others.
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- My greatest fear and sadness is the start of a second
Jewish civil-religious war, a second "War of the Sadducees and the
Pharisees". And I fear that it is just heating up, just look at the
increasingly publicized friction between our fellow Jews. But it will not
be physical but spiritual and intellectual in most conflicts with some
events marked with real physical conflicts.
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- "Anger and Hate can destroy a man either in war
or in peace"
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-
- Shalom!
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