This chimes with things I've been thinking recently. Our enemies understand us better than we often do ourselves. They are a mirror in which we can see our strengths and core values reflected. I'll look out for the book!
Hermann Rauschning quote brought to mind Psalms 2: Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles”- yet what happens: God laughs and scoffs at them! The mighty hand of the YHWH is the stronghold of the Jewish people and by virtue of Yeshua and of those following true Christianity, the pure kind, the one that in the words of Paul agrees that your people are beloved by God forever! May YHWH grant you peace and blessed be Jerusalem forever more!
Oh wow! Yes, that Psalm is very revealing for those of us keeping an eye on biblical prophecies. I want to mention that a few years back, I volunteered at the Museum of the Holocaust, which was such a powerful experience. It really helped me to see the dangers that were lurking behind all the racist propaganda that eventually gave shape to this hideous chapter in history. I wish you much success with your book, and I’m sure countless people will benefit from the realization that antisemitism (and any other human projected hatred) is a cancer that has no place in modern society. Hatred is always backwards, beastly, and claws at the very fabric of civility, creating disheveled threads of culture that are totally unfitting for anything good. By the way, I recently wrote a piece here on Substack entitled: Scripture Under Siege: Propaganda and the War on Judeo-Christian Values. I think you will enjoy this read since it touches on this subject. Thanks for sharing your post:)
Wow, interesting! I had no idea you wrote for JNS. I’m an avid reader of JNS because I’m always very interested in what’s happening in Israel. I even thought about writing an article for them once, as I also have past experience writing for newspapers and magazines. I’ll check out the article you provided in the link—thanks for sharing! It feels like a privilege to have met you here on Substack :)
"Jewish teachings promote values that are now widely accepted: classic Western liberalism, rejecting the primitive ideals of “might makes right,” and instead striving for equal and human rights and the dignity and sanctity of life."
Tragically, the current iteration of “might makes right” can be found in modern day jihad, which traces its roots to the Koran and the Hadiths.
Thank you for this excerpt Raphael; I imagine the book itself will be equally good. I want to offer a few responses to specific quotes that I hope to be well-received:
“Many Jews are now wondering what is happening. How do we make sense of this new reality? Is there something bigger behind the hate, or to being Jewish? These questions are on the minds of many, Jews and non-Jews, but cogent answers are hard to find.”
Your writing in this piece makes significant reference to the Tanakh, as I believe it should. Further in the piece, you provide your current answers to the above questions, and I agree they have merit - to a point. In other words, what you’re saying is true, but I suggest it is not ultimately true. You have not here, in my view, touched the ‘root cause’ - but you’re on the right trail. The ultimate answers to the above questions, as well as all others in this excerpt, are to be found in the Tanakh.
A sincere and diligently conducted ‘root cause analysis’, carried out within the Tanakh, will yield the answers for those with hearts that love, honor, and seek wisdom from, the Creator of this world, Who made a Sovereign choice in millennia past to bless it through the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“How do we make sense of this new reality?”
It is a manifestation of a spiritual reality and, until one comes to grips with that fact, and looks for answers in that field of reality, all one’s efforts to understand what is happening, and what will happen, will ultimately be in vain.
“Is there something bigger behind the hate, or to being Jewish?”
Yes, indeed there is, and it is addressed in the Tanakh, in Genesis, Job, Isaiah, and elsewhere. But much more light is shed on the questions via the Brit Hadasha. To cut to the chase, the answer is the fallen angel, Lucifer, aka ‘Satan’ - working to manipulate the minds and hearts of fallen human beings, to bend them to his will. And what is his will; what is he after? Aside from a number of other secondary, thoroughly evil, elements, his ultimate objective is to escape his doom. In other words, above all else, he seeks to preserve his freedom and autonomy.
Satan knows Who G-d is; he knows Him full well. He knows the Bible, as well as fallen human nature, better than any human being. He also knows that the prophecies the foretell his doom, all center on the Chosen People back in the Land as a sovereign nation, in control of Jerusalem and, particularly, the Temple Mount. So, while he hates and desires to destroy all mankind, his principal goal is the eradication of Israel. And, what is happening right now, is prophetic prelude to his stirring up the entire world against Israel.
According to Biblical prophecy, rightly understood, the current hatred will continue to increase, then appear to diminish, but will ultimately flare up in the whole world very literally coming against Israel - seeking to wipe it off the map. It will be ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’; the greatest, and final, persecution of the Chosen People - but, G-d…
BUT (Behold the Underlying Truth), G-d will preserve a remnant (1/3rd) of His people, bring them through the persecution, destroy Israel’s (and His) enemies, establish the promised Millennial Kingdom, and fulfill ALL His promises to His Chosen People.
As a Christian Zionist, you can, or should, know that I believe that the Messiah is Yeshua. I also believe that the Brit Hadasha is indispensable to gaining a clear understanding of what’s happening, and what will happen. That said, whether we are talking about the Tanakh, the Brit Hadasha, or both - and whether we are talking about Judaism or Christianity, there are a bewildering array of interpretations, beliefs, teachings, and practice. It is undoubtedly very difficult for a person to find his or her way through the maze; to discern what is really true, from almost true, or false. But, it can be done, with sincere effort and the guidance of the Spirit of G-d.
Hitler said: “No nation will be able to withdraw or even remain at a distance from this historical conflict.”
Again, a true statement, for sure. No nation, nor any individual, will ultimately be able to ‘sit this one out’. G-d had many things in mind when He chose the Jewish people as His own precious possession; as His ‘wife’ (Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc). But one thing He definitely had in mind, was the testing of men and women’s hearts, as well as their understanding and honoring of His Word.
G-d is revealing what has largely been hidden in plain sight for well over a hundred years now; Satan’s grand evil schemes to take down the established order, and establish a new, globally controlled order. The world hangs precariously in balance on a tipping point, and the pending election in the United States will almost certainly initiate the final sequence of prophetic End Time events. Men and women are recognizing the great evil that is rising powerfully in the world, and are being driven inexorably to choosing, ‘light, or dark’, ‘good, or evil’, ‘holy, or profane’, ‘honor, or shame’, and, ultimately, ‘life, or death’ - ‘Heaven, or Hell’.
There is a time of testing coming upon the world. There will be no avoiding it. Evil will have its day, but G-d will have His way in the End. As we pass through these challenging times, may all those who seek to honor and obey G-d turn to Him, drawing ever closer to Him, and trust Him to guide, protect, and save.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
I suggest you read the upcoming excerpts, and consider buying the book to see that there is much more Tanach and depth there. This is just an excerpt of a 200 page book with 350 footnotes. Thanks!
One misunderstanding here is the nature of "Satan." In Hebrew, it is Shaitan שָׂטָן, the tester, as we read, for one in Job. Christians turned this figure from one who tested human resolve to a demonic figure, evidenced in their iconography where he is the goat god Pan re-imaged as the half goat, half human chief of Demons.
Another problem is the concept of Original Sin. In order to commit a sin, one has to be aware of the forbidden nature of their action. Set a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in front of a two year old, forbid it to eat one, then leave the room. Everyone knows the child will reach for the cookie because its "moral" development, i.e. its sense of the difference between permissible and the forbidden has not yet developed enough for it to exercise self control. In the case of the supposed Fall, knowledge of good and evil existed in the apple, not in Man, thus rendering Adam and Eve incapable of realizing they were doing something wrong in eating it. The first evidence we get that they became aware of the difference between right and wrong was when, in a separation from the instinctual nature of animals, they covered their nakedness. Thus, the actual first Original Sin was committed by Cain when he slew Abel.
I have been musing on the last part of the 11th chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy which ends with something like…..Jehovah (YHWH) of hosts will bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands and Israel My inheritance.
This is a truly interesting article which ends with a surprising definition of antisemitism by concluding with the sentence “The pushback is called antisemitism.”
What if the pushback came from within the culture? Would those people also have to be called antisemites?
Beautiful essay. I applaud your sentiments but I am reminded of a quote by Tommy Lasorda, the former manager of the LA Dodgers. “I stopped complaining when I realized 80% of the people don’t care about my problems and the other 20% are glad I’m having them.” So I would limit your preaching to the choir only.
Ridding the world of Jew hatred is impossible as long as some religious Gentiles and Muslims continue to believe the libels against our ancient ancestors written in their “Holy texts.” Furthermore they believe that contemporary Jews are still on the hook(!!)
Lastly and unfortunately, it is just not practical to think the alleged minds of these true believers can ever be changed.
An nternalisation of the worldview described here leads one inexorably to Christianity. It was Christianity, not Judaism that spread these ideas across the world. Judaism asks non-Jews to become Noahides, a group that has never numbered more than a handful. And why should they? To be a second class citizen in someone else’s creed will never be an attractive proposition. Noahides have no festivals, no sacraments, no great tradition and no grand destiny. Who would choose that?
There is no question that Christianity had a massive impact on bringing Torah values to the world. Rambam writes this. So did Hitler, which is why he intended to wipe out Christianity next. But that does not mean what you said. Hitler said: “The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of
OK I think I will show you the opposite of this: The treatment of The Palestinians. It has been The Nazis goal when they lost World War Two to surround The Jewish People with War at their very borders. This has been MI6's plan post war to destroy Moral Judaism by putting upon The Jewish People the burden of surviving in an Impossible-to-Defend Nation state in The Middle East. Six knew this, and so did the Anti-Semites in the Security Services of America. The Middle East has been at internecine war between the Semitic tribes for the last ten-thousand years, a Forever War. Israel is the latest instalment of this, which even the Fascist Donald Trump will not be able to deny. Go look at the Assyrians in The British Museum, who killed a third of all Jews in the time of Esther.
This chimes with things I've been thinking recently. Our enemies understand us better than we often do ourselves. They are a mirror in which we can see our strengths and core values reflected. I'll look out for the book!
Brilliant commentary! One that's worthy of reading and internalizing for every human on planet Earth.
Just wow. So insightful. The book is now in my queue.
Hermann Rauschning quote brought to mind Psalms 2: Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles”- yet what happens: God laughs and scoffs at them! The mighty hand of the YHWH is the stronghold of the Jewish people and by virtue of Yeshua and of those following true Christianity, the pure kind, the one that in the words of Paul agrees that your people are beloved by God forever! May YHWH grant you peace and blessed be Jerusalem forever more!
Yes, I quote that Psalm in the book!
Oh wow! Yes, that Psalm is very revealing for those of us keeping an eye on biblical prophecies. I want to mention that a few years back, I volunteered at the Museum of the Holocaust, which was such a powerful experience. It really helped me to see the dangers that were lurking behind all the racist propaganda that eventually gave shape to this hideous chapter in history. I wish you much success with your book, and I’m sure countless people will benefit from the realization that antisemitism (and any other human projected hatred) is a cancer that has no place in modern society. Hatred is always backwards, beastly, and claws at the very fabric of civility, creating disheveled threads of culture that are totally unfitting for anything good. By the way, I recently wrote a piece here on Substack entitled: Scripture Under Siege: Propaganda and the War on Judeo-Christian Values. I think you will enjoy this read since it touches on this subject. Thanks for sharing your post:)
Thanks, I will look for your piece, sounds parallel. And on the subject of prophecies, I recently wrote this: https://www.jns.org/the-world-against-israel-prophecies-fulfilled/ - enjoy.
Wow, interesting! I had no idea you wrote for JNS. I’m an avid reader of JNS because I’m always very interested in what’s happening in Israel. I even thought about writing an article for them once, as I also have past experience writing for newspapers and magazines. I’ll check out the article you provided in the link—thanks for sharing! It feels like a privilege to have met you here on Substack :)
In very simple terms, ie at the essence, your observations make a lot of sense.
Thank you for your self-examination that adds heft to your discussion of a very big topic!
"Jewish teachings promote values that are now widely accepted: classic Western liberalism, rejecting the primitive ideals of “might makes right,” and instead striving for equal and human rights and the dignity and sanctity of life."
Tragically, the current iteration of “might makes right” can be found in modern day jihad, which traces its roots to the Koran and the Hadiths.
Thank you for this excerpt Raphael; I imagine the book itself will be equally good. I want to offer a few responses to specific quotes that I hope to be well-received:
“Many Jews are now wondering what is happening. How do we make sense of this new reality? Is there something bigger behind the hate, or to being Jewish? These questions are on the minds of many, Jews and non-Jews, but cogent answers are hard to find.”
Your writing in this piece makes significant reference to the Tanakh, as I believe it should. Further in the piece, you provide your current answers to the above questions, and I agree they have merit - to a point. In other words, what you’re saying is true, but I suggest it is not ultimately true. You have not here, in my view, touched the ‘root cause’ - but you’re on the right trail. The ultimate answers to the above questions, as well as all others in this excerpt, are to be found in the Tanakh.
A sincere and diligently conducted ‘root cause analysis’, carried out within the Tanakh, will yield the answers for those with hearts that love, honor, and seek wisdom from, the Creator of this world, Who made a Sovereign choice in millennia past to bless it through the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“How do we make sense of this new reality?”
It is a manifestation of a spiritual reality and, until one comes to grips with that fact, and looks for answers in that field of reality, all one’s efforts to understand what is happening, and what will happen, will ultimately be in vain.
“Is there something bigger behind the hate, or to being Jewish?”
Yes, indeed there is, and it is addressed in the Tanakh, in Genesis, Job, Isaiah, and elsewhere. But much more light is shed on the questions via the Brit Hadasha. To cut to the chase, the answer is the fallen angel, Lucifer, aka ‘Satan’ - working to manipulate the minds and hearts of fallen human beings, to bend them to his will. And what is his will; what is he after? Aside from a number of other secondary, thoroughly evil, elements, his ultimate objective is to escape his doom. In other words, above all else, he seeks to preserve his freedom and autonomy.
Satan knows Who G-d is; he knows Him full well. He knows the Bible, as well as fallen human nature, better than any human being. He also knows that the prophecies the foretell his doom, all center on the Chosen People back in the Land as a sovereign nation, in control of Jerusalem and, particularly, the Temple Mount. So, while he hates and desires to destroy all mankind, his principal goal is the eradication of Israel. And, what is happening right now, is prophetic prelude to his stirring up the entire world against Israel.
According to Biblical prophecy, rightly understood, the current hatred will continue to increase, then appear to diminish, but will ultimately flare up in the whole world very literally coming against Israel - seeking to wipe it off the map. It will be ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’; the greatest, and final, persecution of the Chosen People - but, G-d…
BUT (Behold the Underlying Truth), G-d will preserve a remnant (1/3rd) of His people, bring them through the persecution, destroy Israel’s (and His) enemies, establish the promised Millennial Kingdom, and fulfill ALL His promises to His Chosen People.
As a Christian Zionist, you can, or should, know that I believe that the Messiah is Yeshua. I also believe that the Brit Hadasha is indispensable to gaining a clear understanding of what’s happening, and what will happen. That said, whether we are talking about the Tanakh, the Brit Hadasha, or both - and whether we are talking about Judaism or Christianity, there are a bewildering array of interpretations, beliefs, teachings, and practice. It is undoubtedly very difficult for a person to find his or her way through the maze; to discern what is really true, from almost true, or false. But, it can be done, with sincere effort and the guidance of the Spirit of G-d.
Hitler said: “No nation will be able to withdraw or even remain at a distance from this historical conflict.”
Again, a true statement, for sure. No nation, nor any individual, will ultimately be able to ‘sit this one out’. G-d had many things in mind when He chose the Jewish people as His own precious possession; as His ‘wife’ (Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc). But one thing He definitely had in mind, was the testing of men and women’s hearts, as well as their understanding and honoring of His Word.
G-d is revealing what has largely been hidden in plain sight for well over a hundred years now; Satan’s grand evil schemes to take down the established order, and establish a new, globally controlled order. The world hangs precariously in balance on a tipping point, and the pending election in the United States will almost certainly initiate the final sequence of prophetic End Time events. Men and women are recognizing the great evil that is rising powerfully in the world, and are being driven inexorably to choosing, ‘light, or dark’, ‘good, or evil’, ‘holy, or profane’, ‘honor, or shame’, and, ultimately, ‘life, or death’ - ‘Heaven, or Hell’.
There is a time of testing coming upon the world. There will be no avoiding it. Evil will have its day, but G-d will have His way in the End. As we pass through these challenging times, may all those who seek to honor and obey G-d turn to Him, drawing ever closer to Him, and trust Him to guide, protect, and save.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Am Israel Chai!
I suggest you read the upcoming excerpts, and consider buying the book to see that there is much more Tanach and depth there. This is just an excerpt of a 200 page book with 350 footnotes. Thanks!
One misunderstanding here is the nature of "Satan." In Hebrew, it is Shaitan שָׂטָן, the tester, as we read, for one in Job. Christians turned this figure from one who tested human resolve to a demonic figure, evidenced in their iconography where he is the goat god Pan re-imaged as the half goat, half human chief of Demons.
Another problem is the concept of Original Sin. In order to commit a sin, one has to be aware of the forbidden nature of their action. Set a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in front of a two year old, forbid it to eat one, then leave the room. Everyone knows the child will reach for the cookie because its "moral" development, i.e. its sense of the difference between permissible and the forbidden has not yet developed enough for it to exercise self control. In the case of the supposed Fall, knowledge of good and evil existed in the apple, not in Man, thus rendering Adam and Eve incapable of realizing they were doing something wrong in eating it. The first evidence we get that they became aware of the difference between right and wrong was when, in a separation from the instinctual nature of animals, they covered their nakedness. Thus, the actual first Original Sin was committed by Cain when he slew Abel.
I have been musing on the last part of the 11th chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy which ends with something like…..Jehovah (YHWH) of hosts will bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands and Israel My inheritance.
I believe this is coming. May it be soon.
This is a truly interesting article which ends with a surprising definition of antisemitism by concluding with the sentence “The pushback is called antisemitism.”
What if the pushback came from within the culture? Would those people also have to be called antisemites?
Yes, Jews can hate Jews and Judaism, eg George Soros.
Beautiful essay. I applaud your sentiments but I am reminded of a quote by Tommy Lasorda, the former manager of the LA Dodgers. “I stopped complaining when I realized 80% of the people don’t care about my problems and the other 20% are glad I’m having them.” So I would limit your preaching to the choir only.
Ridding the world of Jew hatred is impossible as long as some religious Gentiles and Muslims continue to believe the libels against our ancient ancestors written in their “Holy texts.” Furthermore they believe that contemporary Jews are still on the hook(!!)
Lastly and unfortunately, it is just not practical to think the alleged minds of these true believers can ever be changed.
An nternalisation of the worldview described here leads one inexorably to Christianity. It was Christianity, not Judaism that spread these ideas across the world. Judaism asks non-Jews to become Noahides, a group that has never numbered more than a handful. And why should they? To be a second class citizen in someone else’s creed will never be an attractive proposition. Noahides have no festivals, no sacraments, no great tradition and no grand destiny. Who would choose that?
Christianity leads to Judaism.
That hasn’t been the trend historically or today
There is no question that Christianity had a massive impact on bringing Torah values to the world. Rambam writes this. So did Hitler, which is why he intended to wipe out Christianity next. But that does not mean what you said. Hitler said: “The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of
Christianity." (from my book)
This is amazing. I don’t know how I didn’t see this till now.
OK I think I will show you the opposite of this: The treatment of The Palestinians. It has been The Nazis goal when they lost World War Two to surround The Jewish People with War at their very borders. This has been MI6's plan post war to destroy Moral Judaism by putting upon The Jewish People the burden of surviving in an Impossible-to-Defend Nation state in The Middle East. Six knew this, and so did the Anti-Semites in the Security Services of America. The Middle East has been at internecine war between the Semitic tribes for the last ten-thousand years, a Forever War. Israel is the latest instalment of this, which even the Fascist Donald Trump will not be able to deny. Go look at the Assyrians in The British Museum, who killed a third of all Jews in the time of Esther.