February 3, 2006
The world, waiting with abated breath for the salvation of mankind in the form of a forthcoming Palestinian state, has now to face Hamas' overwhelming victory. The god of democracy has given his verdict, and has helped the Palestinian people make the leaders of Hamas their (future) governing body. This new situation leaves, of course, room for much speculation as to the future of Israel, the Middle East, and even the entire world. Thus scenarios of Biblical proportions may come to mind. But one thing is sure; the Elohim of Israel is not oblivious of these events and will make use of them in a way that will fulfill His plans and purposes, albeit with most of the participants' ignorance as to who is the prime Mover, Cause, and Originator of their circumstances. This latter statement can be equally applied not only to the episode at hand, but also to the many earth changing and world shattering events that have taken place in this part of the world for the past 120 years, or so and to the individuals who have been involved in them. In the Christian and Bible believing world there was and is expectancy that the Jews, during the early Zionist endeavors and later, when the State was being formed, and now, would have had some awareness of fulfilling Biblical prophecy. This supposition, however, calls for an explanation so that those who communicate with members of the household of Judah may be aware of how the Tanach ("Old Testament") is perceived among the Jews, religious and secular respectively, both now and in the earlier and formative years of Zionism, and in the beginning days of the State of Israel.
Up until sometime in the 19th century, Jews by and large, in all of their places of dispersion, had been practicing (orthodox) Judaism. One fact which may be stated about Judaism's attitude toward the Tanach, is that it is only secondary to the "Oral Law", which is a compilation of commentaries on the Tanach with added rulings, laws, parables and stories that, in turn, are interpreted some more and supplemented by further rabbinical writings. Thus, this massive literary body is revered and taught in religious circles more than the Tanach, this being especially so since the explicit instructions contained therein are also useful visa vie daily conduct, as well as religious practices. At the same time, these complex directives can exempt one from having to seek YHVH and His Spirit for guidance, and what's more they also demand expertise that only rabbinical authorities can render. This makes the orthodox person dependent on rabbis and teachers more than on the Holy One Blessed Be He. For many centuries this was basically what the Jewish nation relied on, as do religious Jews all over today. The Tanach gets their attention mostly by way of the weekly reading of the Torah portions ("parasha" singular – "parashot" or "parshiot" - plural), and the short passages from the Prophets ("haftara" – singular, "haftarot" – plural), that are read in the synagogue.
Political Zionism came into being in Europe of the 19th century. At the time, educational "enlightenment" had been sweeping the continent, influencing also its Jewry and the Zionist movement. Thus, many of the early settlers to the Holy Land were secular, and quite a few socialists. Here they developed the ideal of the "new Jew", who had to renounce his Disapora ways by rejecting his religion and traditions. Search for a "model" for this "healthy", "strong", and "emancipated" individual, who had become a farmer attached to his land, turned the spotlight on some Biblical characters and scenes, but was devoid of spirituality and of the Author of that source of inspiration. Thus in the era of the pioneers, the Tanach and some of its characters were romanticized and served the emerging national ethos, much like national mythology. But further into the twentieth century, with materialism fast making its way into Israeli society, disfranchising it from its ideologies, this secular view point of the Tanach faded, and with it interest in what is called here the Book of Books, while in the religious circles the Tanach continued to maintain its secondary position, trailing behind the "Oral Law". The mandatory teaching of Tanach in the Israeli school system doesn't help either. As with all mandatory subjects, especially if not taught with conviction, as soon as the test is over the material sinks into the realms of oblivion. In the Jewish world, outside of Israel, the same attitudes prevail. Hence it should not surprise you that those who approach the Bible differently, believing and applying it literally, are looked upon as religious (sometime pathetic) fanatics, who fall into the category of Protestant Christian Fundamentalists/Evangelicals, whose main center is "religious Bible Belt" United States. And although some in the Zionist-religious circles in Israel are willing now to dialog with "Bible believers" and to receive their support, mainly for the settlement movement, others (the ultra orthodox and secular) view the Bible believers as dangerous because of their evangelistic aspirations and their supposedly conditional love (for the Jews and Israelis) aimed at hurrying up world events with predictions of horrific circumstances for the Jews, so as to pave the way for their own (Christian) Messiah.
And so, ironically, the very faith in the Tanach, which should have bonded you to your brother Judah, is actually what marks you as being so different from him, much more so than if you were practicing pagan customs and ceremonies.
Note: To the several sweeping generalizations made here, there are, of course, notable exceptions.
Rimona
The world, waiting with abated breath for the salvation of mankind in the form of a forthcoming Palestinian state, has now to face Hamas' overwhelming victory. The god of democracy has given his verdict, and has helped the Palestinian people make the leaders of Hamas their (future) governing body. This new situation leaves, of course, room for much speculation as to the future of Israel, the Middle East, and even the entire world. Thus scenarios of Biblical proportions may come to mind. But one thing is sure; the Elohim of Israel is not oblivious of these events and will make use of them in a way that will fulfill His plans and purposes, albeit with most of the participants' ignorance as to who is the prime Mover, Cause, and Originator of their circumstances. This latter statement can be equally applied not only to the episode at hand, but also to the many earth changing and world shattering events that have taken place in this part of the world for the past 120 years, or so and to the individuals who have been involved in them. In the Christian and Bible believing world there was and is expectancy that the Jews, during the early Zionist endeavors and later, when the State was being formed, and now, would have had some awareness of fulfilling Biblical prophecy. This supposition, however, calls for an explanation so that those who communicate with members of the household of Judah may be aware of how the Tanach ("Old Testament") is perceived among the Jews, religious and secular respectively, both now and in the earlier and formative years of Zionism, and in the beginning days of the State of Israel.
Up until sometime in the 19th century, Jews by and large, in all of their places of dispersion, had been practicing (orthodox) Judaism. One fact which may be stated about Judaism's attitude toward the Tanach, is that it is only secondary to the "Oral Law", which is a compilation of commentaries on the Tanach with added rulings, laws, parables and stories that, in turn, are interpreted some more and supplemented by further rabbinical writings. Thus, this massive literary body is revered and taught in religious circles more than the Tanach, this being especially so since the explicit instructions contained therein are also useful visa vie daily conduct, as well as religious practices. At the same time, these complex directives can exempt one from having to seek YHVH and His Spirit for guidance, and what's more they also demand expertise that only rabbinical authorities can render. This makes the orthodox person dependent on rabbis and teachers more than on the Holy One Blessed Be He. For many centuries this was basically what the Jewish nation relied on, as do religious Jews all over today. The Tanach gets their attention mostly by way of the weekly reading of the Torah portions ("parasha" singular – "parashot" or "parshiot" - plural), and the short passages from the Prophets ("haftara" – singular, "haftarot" – plural), that are read in the synagogue.
Political Zionism came into being in Europe of the 19th century. At the time, educational "enlightenment" had been sweeping the continent, influencing also its Jewry and the Zionist movement. Thus, many of the early settlers to the Holy Land were secular, and quite a few socialists. Here they developed the ideal of the "new Jew", who had to renounce his Disapora ways by rejecting his religion and traditions. Search for a "model" for this "healthy", "strong", and "emancipated" individual, who had become a farmer attached to his land, turned the spotlight on some Biblical characters and scenes, but was devoid of spirituality and of the Author of that source of inspiration. Thus in the era of the pioneers, the Tanach and some of its characters were romanticized and served the emerging national ethos, much like national mythology. But further into the twentieth century, with materialism fast making its way into Israeli society, disfranchising it from its ideologies, this secular view point of the Tanach faded, and with it interest in what is called here the Book of Books, while in the religious circles the Tanach continued to maintain its secondary position, trailing behind the "Oral Law". The mandatory teaching of Tanach in the Israeli school system doesn't help either. As with all mandatory subjects, especially if not taught with conviction, as soon as the test is over the material sinks into the realms of oblivion. In the Jewish world, outside of Israel, the same attitudes prevail. Hence it should not surprise you that those who approach the Bible differently, believing and applying it literally, are looked upon as religious (sometime pathetic) fanatics, who fall into the category of Protestant Christian Fundamentalists/Evangelicals, whose main center is "religious Bible Belt" United States. And although some in the Zionist-religious circles in Israel are willing now to dialog with "Bible believers" and to receive their support, mainly for the settlement movement, others (the ultra orthodox and secular) view the Bible believers as dangerous because of their evangelistic aspirations and their supposedly conditional love (for the Jews and Israelis) aimed at hurrying up world events with predictions of horrific circumstances for the Jews, so as to pave the way for their own (Christian) Messiah.
And so, ironically, the very faith in the Tanach, which should have bonded you to your brother Judah, is actually what marks you as being so different from him, much more so than if you were practicing pagan customs and ceremonies.
Note: To the several sweeping generalizations made here, there are, of course, notable exceptions.
Rimona
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