-Those Who Do Good And Those Who Do Bad
-Those Who Curse Are Cursed, Those Who Bless Are Blessed
-What Abraham Required Of The Hebrews
-Rabbi Mizrachi's Question
Ever since Abraham opened the sides of his tent 3,000 years ago, inviting strangers in for water, food, and rest, the Jews have been trying to make the world “Heaven on Earth.” Others, not so much.
So one people do good to fulfill this goal and other people try to kill them because of it. One exalts life, the other cares little of living another day. One finds death, the loss of being alive to create another day of good, painful and something to be avoided. The other realizes that when they are dead, they won’t care about killing people anyway.
One sign of Heaven on Earth is cleanliness. A people who pick up litter, keep well organized homes, and save for charity brings a bit of Heaven down to Earth. Others who don’t make the same effort block Heaven from descending down to Earth.
So for over 3,000 years Jews have only striven to do good. Why would others not encourage this goal? Why would others try to stifle and muffle this effort? I can only say that those who do so must be sick in some way, brains untrained in morals, ethics, and values. What rationale blocks any attainment of Heaven from showing itself? Great anger morphs into destructive forces.
It says in the Torah that those who curse the Jews will be cursed and those who bless the Jews will be blessed. History has proven this adage over and over again. So when a group of people gain prominence by cursing the Jews you have to wonder if they know any history. The short answer is “no,” they don’t. They are not educated enough to realize how much they embarrass themselves. And if they are not educated in history they are probably not educated anywhere else. Lack of education feeds Anger even more.
Antisemitism is exactly this. It’s an expression of extreme ignorance flaring up into great Anger. People who support those who want to kill Jews have all kinds of made up reasons, none of which are to eliminate those who want to do good, to bring Heaven down to Earth. “Yes I want to take this gold bar (those doing good) and drop it in the deepest part of the ocean.” Does that make good sense or twisted sense? Is that kind of thinking healthy or ill?
So, what’s a Jew to do? How does a Jew deal with antisemitism when it’s right in their face? Well, do you try to pet a poisonous snake? Do you feed a cockroach? NO! You run like Hell from it. Antisemites are God’s creatures too but that doesn’t mean you have to coexist. Let them have their own little corner of the universe feeling brave and tough. Basically, don’t give them the time of day! Continue in your own sweet spot of doing good. Do not engage!
You WANT to engage, I know. You WANT to show them the value of your ideas and pit them against theirs because you know that you can convince them to see other viewpoints. That assumes that you are dealing with sane, rational people. But you'll never succeed. NEVER. They will be delivering their reasons in a volume much bigger than yours. They will shout you down and will hear nothing.
They know that the LOUDEST argument ALWAYS wins, just like a bully knows the size of his threat always wins. Anger takes the day of course. Sane people might think that those getting so worked up and emotionally involved MUST HAVE valid arguments. But all they really have is loud phrases that make no sense.
Jews, through Judaism, have been taught for 3,000 years to control anger. Antisemites know intuitively that anger is their strongest weapon. So what's the point of engaging with them if you know that common sense arguments will not only not be heard but also shouted over. And the angrier they get the more self-righteous they get. So, I repeat, do not engage. It's senseless, impotent, and dangerous.
In my opinion antisemites look slovenly, leave behind a mess, and don't even consider the charity of forgiveness. The place they occupy is far from Heaven on Earth.
If you’re at a university that tolerates this kind of behavior, transfer. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia don’t carry the same panache as they used to, actually it’s now a negative to say that’s where you were educated. Employers are now seeking skill levels not nameplates.
Now, if antisemites come to your doorstep that’s a different issue. Instead of reveling in the attention they seek they are at your door for a fight. Protect yourself and community with every fiber of your being and don’t forget to say a prayer to Hashem.
So religious Jews, which I'm imploring you to join, today are doing what they have been doing for 3,000 years. They don’t even push their stated goal of doing good on anyone else. You won't find them in airports handing out flyers. They just want to be left alone to bring Heaven down into the little slice of land they occupy. You don’t want to do good, fine. Just let us do it.
History also reveals that Jews have been impressive fighters when they choose to do so. And the Torah does say, “Do Not Murder.” But it also says that “killing” in self-defense is perfectly acceptable and moral. You'd better be careful if you threaten their existence. They live to bring Heaven down to Earth, God’s work, so they won’t be stopped in this endeavor no matter what you say or do. You want to do bad, do bad. Just don’t try to stop us from doing good.
I was shocked to read today that 20% of college students in the United States and Israel are reading at the 4th grade level. Cell phones and laptops were the reason given for this failure. The shocking part for me was that this failure rate was in Israel. We naturally think that Israelis are terrifically educated as they stand out in every discipline from Science to Business, to Agriculture, and more. But there are many, many secular Jews in Israel. These are the ones failing in schools.
It's easy to surmise that the religious community in Israel is not part of this failure rate because their offspring are constantly reading the Torah and books about the Torah. So this statistic must be mirroring the secular, non-religious communities. These are people who are constantly seeking some form of physical gratification not spiritual gratification. They are looking to get money, not earn money. Earning money is a Torah instruction.
And they are very good at getting money. Many get involved in various scams, drug dealing, or ponzi schemes. Or they go from beach to beach on their trust fund stipend. They never consider why Hashem put them on Earth!
The more educationally inept you are the more you HAVE to go in these directions because you have few skills that employers would hire you for. So if you are a secular, non-religious Jew in America today, that's the Israeli group you share kinship with. But that's also the type of person discribed above who easily goes to no good and desires harm to others.
And women in this category spend time in the gym or salon in order to beautify themselves as a trophy wife because, you know, “money solves all problems,” not a Torah teaching. But rich, educated, successful men are looking for accomplished, erudite women, not Greek gods of physical perfection. Better to spend the time reading and educating yourself so you can keep meaningful conversations alive.
The funny thing is that if you are really seeking worldly education, the Torah is the book to read. The solution to all problems is in there. Suggesting this kind of educational resource to a non-religious, secular Jew, in the USA or Israel, will bring a defensive smile. They are thinking, “Ain't gonna happen.” Their loss, your loss.
The secular, non-religious Jew in both the United States and Israel take the moral ground that states, “I may not do good all the time but I don't do bad.” So you are taking a middle gound and saying “leave me alone.” The problem here is that if you're not reading the Torah you don't really know exactly what is good and what is bad. So you are admitting that you're not part of the good side but you might be part of the bad side without knowing it.
So I'm describing on the one hand a religious population that is educated, learns something new every day, and does good. And on the other hand there is the non-religious population that just “lives free” without any responsibilities to anyone else. Who would you rather get married to? Someone from the first group or someone from the second group? Who would you rather spend more time with?
That's why Rabbis call the secular world “the pit.” It's the place where all manner of human being exists. There are some nice people there and some really, really bad people in “the pit.”
I hate to tell you this but, YOU ARE A JEW. You know it. I know it. Your family and friends know it. You're hearing this podcast because you are a Jew. Stop being defensive about it. Relish it. You can't change it. You're not religious but Hitler would still kill you. Being Jewish is not a bad thing. It's a gift. You won the lottery!
Don't leave the winning ticket in your pocket by not taking any Jewish action. Cash it in! And just like the proceeds of a winning lottery ticket would change your life, so will the proceeds of reading the Torah and acting like a Jew change your life: get up in the morning and do good.
Abraham required of the Hebrews that followed him only two simple things: 1) Learn something new every day and, 2) do good. How simple can you get? And Jews have been doing this for 3,000 years. By listening to this podcast you are learning new things. Will those things enhance your life or do nothing for you?
Now, do something good. At the checkout counter make small talk with the cashier. Do you know how many people pass by her and never say a word. You'll brighten her day. You did a good thing. When a clerk answers your question not only say “Thank You” but also “You were very helpful.”
Then catch the smile on their face as they appreciate your comment because that smile will make YOU feel good.
Imagine that! Two people on planet Earth feeling good for a moment in time. Doesn't Heaven include good feelings? Now, little ol' YOU are sucking it down from above. That's being a Jew. Really, it's not that hard.
Yes, if you want more education Judaism can be daunting. If you don't want to put in the time then don't. But you probably will, because the more time you put in the more good feelings will penetrate your world and everyone elses. Stress will fade. Problem solutions will appear.
One Torah instruction I learned several years ago is that whenever a problem occurs look inward for the solution. I knew a man who was estranged from every one of his family members. Every time I would meet up with him he'd describe how his children stole from him, his wife cheated on him, this one did this, that one did that. He denied that he ever did anything wrong.
This attitude left him blaming everybody for every thing. Most of his accusations were not true in reality but he kept harping and harping. Why would any of his family members want to be around him? They didn't so he was totally alone. If he had looked inward for a solution it was right there in front of his nose.
Let bygones be bygones, stop harping, and start fresh with new ways of interacting with his family. Stay away from past issues and enjoy your family. If he had done that they were more than willing to relate to him on a consistent basis. But he didn't, so they didn't. He held on to the rationalization that all his problems came from others and that's the hill he chose to die on.
I can recall two friends who would constantly race to the negative. “You did this and it hurt me.” “You did that and I was disappointed.” Had they looked inward they would have realized that how they reacted to my actions was the problem. My actions were not the problem. Had they raced to the positive instead it would have created a conversation about actions and reactions. I did nothing to hurt or disappoint them and so they spent time creating a black cloud that needn't exist. When you create a black cloud you're likely to get rained upon.
Try it sometime. Problem with your mate? What can YOU do to make THEM happier? Problem with finances? What can YOU do to rebalance things. Unappreciated at work? Tell co-workers what a good job they are doing. If you're still unappreciated, YOU can find another job.
Do you know how it changes the world to look inward for problem solutions instead of blaming everyone and anyone else? Apply this to our Congressional lawmakers! Blaming others creates division and bad feelings. Heaven is unity, the opposite of division.
So all answers come from reading and studying the Torah. That's why Jews have been reading it for 3,000 years. A gifted Rabbi in our generation,
Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi, asks the question, “You believe in God and don't read His book?” The time is now.
Shalom!
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