Interesting essay. I, too, have always thought the root cause of anti-Semitism was that Jews go against the natural bloodlust and barbarism which too many humans are unwilling to give up. The author links it with the ancient worship of blood-thirsty deities. But it amounts to the same thing. Today, the worst anti-Semites are those who try to hide their bloodlust behind phony concern about victims supposedly created by Israel. They do this to destroy the morality that Judaism is famous for. Their leaders want to drag us back into the caves with them. To confuse us. To break our spirit and our faith. But regardless of what they do or say - and what the world thinks - we must not let their lies get to us. We must not compromise what is right - our survival - because of some neurotic sense of "Jewish guilt". Glen Beck, a well-known pro-Israel commentator remarked, in a video, that at a time when many people haven't a clue about who they are, the Jewish people do. Jews know who we are. We have thousands of years of laws, traditions and faith in G-d to support us. A covenant with G-d. A promised land. All of this binds us to G-d and to each other, giving us the confidence that others don't have. As we celebrate Pesach this year, let us bolster this confidence in ourselves and in G-d. For we, unlike most of humanity, are no longer slaves.
Fascinating and an "eye-opener". Particularly when you speak of Jews wanting to live a peaceful life and not antagonize their "neighbours". And yet, for thousands of years, your neighbours have hated you and sought your annihilation. The ancient hate has always and will always be hiding in the shadows. I do not see it going away any time soon. I am sure that you know about this curse from Balaam: "Behold, they are a nation that shall dwell alone..." [Num. 23:9].
THANKS Sam. The concept of monotheism wiping out idolitary and human sacrifice caught my attention. Judaism's one G_d makes the horde of "old gods" angry. I will get your book ASAP - I am sure that it will "fill in gaps,"
I've been collecting ideas regarding the origin of anti-semitism for the past few months. This essay made me stop everything and whisper, "wow". Gotta read Hilt's book, as well as Johnson's and Rivkin's. I hear you regarding how do we go on? I suppose Israelis have the answer. They exemplify the new Jew, created post-Holocaust in the land of Zion. We retain a sense of the dignity of humanity, while fighting like the devil those who don't share that view. We are tolerant, except of intolerance.
Passover is to celebrate the passing over of the death angel during the plagues in Egypt. By painting the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their home the death angel would pass over their home and they would escape God's killing of the first born of each family and all livestock. I guess in that way it is "sort of" related to the escape from Egypt, but the whole point is being missed. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb and it is by identifying with His shedding of his own blood that we are "saved" from our slavery to sin. I hope this increases your understanding of the commemoration of Passover.
No, actually it is the Jewish version where the Angel of Death passes over the Israelites' homes that were marked with blood, sparing the first born from the fate of their Egyptian counterparts (one of the plagues). Apparently, Christianity has taken the story and revamped it to mean that the blood of Christ (rather than the blood of the paschal lamb) liberates all of humanity from sin. He wasn't even a gleam in anybody's eye when this story occurred. But, if they must they must. No Jew I know cares about how Christians re-think the story. It's completely irrelevant as far as I'm concerned.
Interesting essay. I, too, have always thought the root cause of anti-Semitism was that Jews go against the natural bloodlust and barbarism which too many humans are unwilling to give up. The author links it with the ancient worship of blood-thirsty deities. But it amounts to the same thing. Today, the worst anti-Semites are those who try to hide their bloodlust behind phony concern about victims supposedly created by Israel. They do this to destroy the morality that Judaism is famous for. Their leaders want to drag us back into the caves with them. To confuse us. To break our spirit and our faith. But regardless of what they do or say - and what the world thinks - we must not let their lies get to us. We must not compromise what is right - our survival - because of some neurotic sense of "Jewish guilt". Glen Beck, a well-known pro-Israel commentator remarked, in a video, that at a time when many people haven't a clue about who they are, the Jewish people do. Jews know who we are. We have thousands of years of laws, traditions and faith in G-d to support us. A covenant with G-d. A promised land. All of this binds us to G-d and to each other, giving us the confidence that others don't have. As we celebrate Pesach this year, let us bolster this confidence in ourselves and in G-d. For we, unlike most of humanity, are no longer slaves.
@Sam Hilt:
Fascinating and an "eye-opener". Particularly when you speak of Jews wanting to live a peaceful life and not antagonize their "neighbours". And yet, for thousands of years, your neighbours have hated you and sought your annihilation. The ancient hate has always and will always be hiding in the shadows. I do not see it going away any time soon. I am sure that you know about this curse from Balaam: "Behold, they are a nation that shall dwell alone..." [Num. 23:9].
When you once again feel inclined to be peace-loving and let your guard down, remember Moshe Dayan’s eulogy for Ro'i Rothberg in 1956, in particularly that he: "...was blinded by the light in his heart and he did not see the flash of the sword. The yearning for peace deafened his ears and he did not hear the voice of murder waiting in ambush." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan%27s_eulogy_for_Ro%27i_Rothberg#:~:text=Beyond%20the%20furrow%20of%20the,us%20from%20his%20torn%20body.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Excellent and profound analysis of the roots of the ancestral antisemitism and its present symptoms.
THANKS Sam. The concept of monotheism wiping out idolitary and human sacrifice caught my attention. Judaism's one G_d makes the horde of "old gods" angry. I will get your book ASAP - I am sure that it will "fill in gaps,"
I've been collecting ideas regarding the origin of anti-semitism for the past few months. This essay made me stop everything and whisper, "wow". Gotta read Hilt's book, as well as Johnson's and Rivkin's. I hear you regarding how do we go on? I suppose Israelis have the answer. They exemplify the new Jew, created post-Holocaust in the land of Zion. We retain a sense of the dignity of humanity, while fighting like the devil those who don't share that view. We are tolerant, except of intolerance.
The last line of the essay especially made my blood run cold, as that is the Islamic cry. They are, then, a return to the pagan cults.
Passover is to celebrate the passing over of the death angel during the plagues in Egypt. By painting the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their home the death angel would pass over their home and they would escape God's killing of the first born of each family and all livestock. I guess in that way it is "sort of" related to the escape from Egypt, but the whole point is being missed. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb and it is by identifying with His shedding of his own blood that we are "saved" from our slavery to sin. I hope this increases your understanding of the commemoration of Passover.
No, actually it is the Jewish version where the Angel of Death passes over the Israelites' homes that were marked with blood, sparing the first born from the fate of their Egyptian counterparts (one of the plagues). Apparently, Christianity has taken the story and revamped it to mean that the blood of Christ (rather than the blood of the paschal lamb) liberates all of humanity from sin. He wasn't even a gleam in anybody's eye when this story occurred. But, if they must they must. No Jew I know cares about how Christians re-think the story. It's completely irrelevant as far as I'm concerned.
Sam I agree wholeheartedly.