Hello my dear fellow classmates,
This week we got started on our topic about what it means to be a Goy Kadosh and as we all know we had to write a dandy essay about what we think must be done in order to establish a Goy Kadosh. Personally, I wrote some of the things that we learned from our awesome Chumash class last year. Moshe told the people in his farewell speech that the people will go into the land and will, unfortunately, be surrounded by other nations who do not follow the word of God, but instead do Avodah Zarah. Moshe told the people that in order not to stray from the path that Hashem has set up for them they must follow some rules. Firstly, he obviously told them not to get influence by the other nations and do Avodah Zarah. Secondly, Moshe commanded them to follow the laws of Kashrut; the reason for this is because food is often associated with socializing and Hashem wanted to prevent Bnei Israel from socializing with the Jews by making it impossible for them to eat together. The people also had to cultivate their relationship with God and therefore they had to set up a national center in which they can do so. Lastly, Moshe wanted the people to set up a society based on justice and fairness. In order to accomplish that, the people were ordered to take care of the indigent people in their midst. The reason for this is because if the downtrodden are not aided, they will feel abandoned by Hashem and will stray off the derech for eternity.
Now I would just like to point out something that I noticed. Don’t you guys find it absolutely striking that in our history that we learned the people had to be careful not to be influenced by other people when they were in the land of Israel? Isn’t it ironic that when Bnei Israel were outside the land of Israel they had to be less careful for possible influences since they were all alone in Israel?
In addition, think about in our day and age (yes I’m an old lady who says that. Don’t hate Zahava rubbed off on me…) although we are surrounded by Arabs in Israel it is much more difficult to be influenced by them since we are surrounded by so many Jews. Isn’t it interesting that now Europe and America(and all the other places where Jews reside) are the main source of threat for us to leave the derech of Hashem?
1. Carmit, I appreciate your usage of sophisticated language. In this day and age we find youngsters on the internet so much that intelligent language and correct spelling has been neglected.
ReplyDelete2. Don't we also have to be careful outside of the land? Not more or less, but just as careful?
3. I hope people in Israel aren't influenced by the Arabs! It's to bad that we havent influenced them to be more peaceful. It's a real shame.
4. Europe and America are a real threat because when Jews mix with non-Jews, we begin to view the world differently than we would if we only had our Jewish influence. So then we begin to get turned off by Jewish ideas and automatically start resenting them and establishing that they cannot be true. We become so stubborn that we refuse to really listen when someone answers our questions, brushing it off as, "just not right." We also tend to not look for the answers. I think the danger is in that as well. People say they want to live life the way they want to, but Judaism is kind of like being selfless, because you're willing to do certain things and give up things you wouldn't want to, because it's all for G-d.
I think America and Europe are also a threat because when people learn science, most of which is proven fact, they decide it disproves the torah. but sometimes they go hand in hand if you're just willing to think about it.
Very interesting and thought provoking carmit!
Is it really true that they had to be more careful inside Israel than outside Israel? (Not that I don't believe you, but I, too, find that to be a very striking idea.) I feel like inside Israel we are our own nation and around our own people more so are in less danger of being influenced, while outside of Israel there are so many bad influences. My only guess could be that we should always try harder to be holier and to put ourselves to a higher standard when we are in Eretz Yisroel. Since the land is Kadosh (right? Just like we're supposed to be Kadosh...) and that's where the shchina is closer, its very important for us to remember to be extra careful.
ReplyDeleteWait- but weren't they just traveling in the desert before? When they were moving along in the desert, they were probably in less danger of being influenced by other nations just because they weren't around other nations for long enough periods of time that would allow them to be influenced. But in that situation, when they were going into the land of Israel, Moshe is telling them that they are going to encounter groups of people who are settled there and have their non-Jewish religions and he is telling Bnai Yisroel not to be influenced. More so than when they were in the desert, they are going to see functioning groups and it might be appealing for them to want to be influenced by their culture. That's just another idea.
Upon reading Racheli's comment I had a thought- the Jews were in the desert yet had to be warned about being influenced by other nations. [For future purposes and now purpose] This is sad. They witnessed firsthand or heard from their parents about the revelation at sinai, and have witnessed miracles G-d has been performing, right? So there is no question that there is a G-d and G-d is G-d so worship G-d or else, right? Well, if I witnessed something that told me without a doubt that there is G-d, and this G-d wants me to do something, no outside influence is going to sway me. Why would a rock shaped like a lumpy lizard/human appeal to me when I know of a real G-d, not some god of the crops and goddess of singing.
ReplyDeleteBut clearly it did appeal, or there would be no warning. going back to something learned from last years navi class, this shows that yes, they believed in Hashem, but also in the possibility of other gods, and then from this conclusion they will reach others until they stop keeping the commandments and are no longer a goy kadosh and mamlechet kohanim. (process called cognitive dissonance)