Unraveling Gaza and What it Means to Israel and Beyond

 

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, whether on orders from Iran or their own volition, will continue to escalate the situation making life, potentially existence, near impossible. Israel must not permit paralysis over what the world will think, we already have seen that answer countless times, and protect her people and her land. They will not stop escalating the situation because every Israeli response which permits their continuation is their victory. There is now and always will be only one answer to this conflict, either we get the lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea or they get the lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. There can and will be no other end result, and that is by choice as this is between two people who claim the same land, only one can persist and the other be caused or enticed to depart. The world is fully aware that under legal treaties, with numerous nations, namely the United Nations under Article 80 of their own Charter, signatories to provide for a Jewish State between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The ruling Arabs of the time signed this treaty at the League of Nations which is what is held as still legal through the United Nations. This is why it has never been contested at any of the various World Courts, because Israel would win. Israel must be forced into signing away her claims for the land to belong to any other. That is why the pressure for Israel to recognize Palestine with defined borders. The problem here is the Arabs do not want borders as that would make Israel a real nation. Israel must not have defined borders, so the Palestinians can never make peace.

 

Should the Palestinian conundrum ever be solved, that would only serve to transfer the problem to the north of the country. Should, by some unseen way, the Palestinian problem reached a definitive solution, then Hezballah would claim the Galilee as their ancestral lands stolen by Israel. This, once recognized by the world media and then governments and the General Assembly, without a doubt, it will simply have shifted the focal point for the challenge that Israel must not exist. Nothing Israel can offer, no amount of compromise, nothing is sufficient and thus there is only the shifting of the claims which will follow one another. The Khartoum Conference stated it clearly, “No peace with Israel, No recognition of Israel, No negotiations with Israel.” What part of this declaration is unclear to anyone? There is a huge difference between friends and allies. Allies are nations with a similar view of the world and face the same threats but all is fluid as things change. The one constant is change. The ultimate change is harmony, but things will change. Even harmony cannot last, things will continue to change leading to cacophonic accusations as to who spoiled the harmony when it was merely time and always inevitable. That has played very large in the case of Israel for which much discredit must be thrust at Great Britain and their Judeophobic activities while presumably keeping the Mandate. Since then, the open Arab Judeophobia has been sufficient to force countless altercations for well over the last century.

 

Eventually, the question comes, do you mean that there can be no Arabs in Israel? To that we have to ask if you are blind as well as insulting. There are Arabs throughout Israel. Maybe not in every community, and there are communities where one would not find Jews. Arabs will be serving in the next Knesset, whenever that occurs. There are Arab judges, doctors, nurses, teachers, police and every other occupation one could imagine. The best way to put the entire situation is simply follow the traditional ways. If they wish to reside with us in peace and with mutual respect as defined under the Noahic Code, then we have no problem. If this is too much or something you refuse to permit, then there is a problem. This problem has two solutions, you may leave with your belongings and a fair price for your properties and we will not pursue you or you may choose war, it is your choice. Back to Hamas, they have chosen war and there will be no appeasing them nor any pathway to peaceful existence, they demand war. Perhaps the sane act would be to warn the population that soon there will be a final war between Israel and Hamas and Islamic Jihad, so please leave for your continued safety. But no Israeli leader in modern, or possibly post-modern, day Israel would say that as we are too refined for such a solution no matter the provocation. There is that word, the crucial and critical word, “provocation.” As stated early-on, Hamas and Islamic Jihad will continue to ramp up the violence, havoc and destruction of the lands they claim they love just so the Jews cannot use it.

 

Initially, the Palestinians would shoot, bomb and suicide bomb Israel into submission. Now Israelis likely go through four to seven checkpoints each day and more if they ride the trains. This was the price for safety which we still pay. Then came rockets which led to the Iron Dome which still makes for a financial burden. Often, for each rocket intercepted, they launched two interceptors. Each interceptor costs approximately fifty-thousand-dollars while the Hamas rocket costs mere hundreds or even less. Then came the kites and balloons with incendiary devices setting fire to the countryside and destroying croplands, wildlife preserves, forests, and associated buildings. Meanwhile, the recent rocket launch was complimented by mortars. This is important as mortars are an indirect fire aimed device where a ground target is chosen rather than random fire of the rockets. When mortar rounds which misfired are found in kindergartens, playgrounds and similar targets, there becomes little doubt who their intended target happen to be. The aim is to maximize the terror, but the Jews have the toughest of people who are determined to keep the lands and fulfill a destiny Islam cannot even begin to imagine. They claim they are desert people. We are the original desert people who were tested for forty years in the harshest of deserts, one the Arabs avoid.

 

The anti has been upped by the recent advent of using drones. They even attempted to strike an Israeli tank (see video below). Actually, their targeting a military vehicle is far more in-line with the rules of modern warfare. When fighting a supposed occupier, you target their military. But that is where reasoning has gone astray, as this is not about occupation, it is about existence. Sure, the claim is that Hamas rewrote their charter, but they never gave up that charter and it is what drives them today, the complete eradication of the Jews worldwide. Were Hamas and Islamic Jihad ever get control of the land of Israel, they would systematically murder every Jewish man, woman and child. They would emulate the treatment dealt to the Banu Qurayza Tribe as described in the Quran. This would be the best that could be expected, and this is why Israel can never lose as that is the end, one loss and it is all over. The remainder of Judaism would evaporate except for a few small close-knit communities. Israel is also fighting for the continued existence of the Jewish people, religion and everything which goes with Judaism.

 

 

Read the Torah and it perfectly describes the lands which we were to inhabit, we ask no more and desire no less. One can trace our doing what every nation which desired to continue did four-thousand years ago, we conquered our homelands. This is where people again go wrong claiming that we must have taken the land from the Arab Palestinians. The Arab tribes of the time were warring with one another in the Arabian Peninsula with the tribe of Moab between them and the Israelites. The Arabs know this but are counting on the rest of the world not knowing or caring and simply doing what has been done for centuries, believing every accusation leveled at the Jews. The Arabs did not even reach the Levant (the region surrounding Israel and Lebanon) until the Seventh Century, and arrived then as conquerors. This is why the Arab world claims lands from the Iranian border to the Atlantic Sea in Morocco. These lands were fought over between the European Christians and the Arabian Muslims for centuries with Jerusalem changing hands more than once. Each time it changed hands, the Jews were accused of being spies for the other side, and that was because there were Jews residing in Jerusalem continuously since David made it the eternal capital city of Israel. Jerusalem has never been the capital city of any other peoples since David declared it for the Jewish People.

 

 

We are simply coming home after a prolonged vacation from sanity. The land has bloomed and far more since the onset of our returning back in the mid to late eighteen-hundreds. Swamps drained and cleared and boulders removed with water provided for crops and the lands tilled soon to be followed by more modern industrial base all the way into the digital age. Israel should be the model for the Arab nations to emulate, not destroy. In many ways, Israel is the golden goose who lays gold eggs. This ends once you kill the goose as the eggs stop being laid. Israel is the little marvel which was viewed as impossible for almost two-thousand years and she has been reborn more wonderous than ever. One can only wonder what things could come out of Israel in the future. Well, for such to ever come to fruition, first Israel needs to exist. The Arabs stated, when they first realized that the Jews really intended to return, that they would take their (the Jews) land and everything they ever build and destroy everything. They predicted a slaughter which would bring the memory of the Crusades and the Mongols, the two main adversaries the Arabs have faced, with the eradication of the Jews back in 1948 on the eve of the first Arab attempt to erase the Jewish state, often mistakenly called the Israeli War of Independence. They made two more such attempts in 1967 and 1973 and then resorted to using terror and propaganda employing the tool they had hatched in 1964 working closely with the KGB, the PLO where the idea of an Arab Palestinian nationalism using terrorism could liberate the lands from the Jews. Hamas was a later group which split from the PLO as they were not sufficiently Islamic. Islamic Jihad is the IRGC contingent in Gaza. Well, of course they chose a new name as Iran is not stupid enough to station IRGC in GAZA and call then IRGC, they simply adopted a name that trended well in some poll. That brings us to what the world faces now.

 

There is one thing that the world should realize and awaken to. The powers of Islam are not going to be satisfied with just Israel and they are not going to wait for the defeat of Israel before they begin to infiltrate other lands. Europe has been amongst the latest as are the United States, Canada, Australia and the rest of the western world. As time continues and more and more “refugees” from the Arab and Muslim world, there will be an increase in terrorist attacks, first against Jewish targets and then Christian targets and then taking over the government and forcing Shariah replacing their democratic form of governance. That will be the death cry in the western world if their leaders do not awaken to the threat they have imported with their foolishness. Nations are not to be used as social experimentation if you cherish the society you currently possess. In any repair business, there is a maxim which goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The western society was not broken and it had systems in place to sustain it and the people believed they found a better way. This better way was not just under the standards of Judeo-Christianity, this brave new world was not even under the standards of the Noahic Code. These social experimenters are going to wake up one morning, hopefully before it is too late but that is in question currently, and realize that everything which they took for granted has become forbidden or severely restricted. There is a new religion coming to town and it does not play well with others, especially with those who have forsaken Hashem. The best hope which Israel wishes is for the world to realize that we need to live with understanding, sympathy and respect for all such that all may have respect for us. But respect does not mean surrender or allow one’s entire civilization be pulled crashing down around them. That is what is at risk and Israel was simply the initial front line and the diversion which will be used to distract as the western world is slowly digested and conquered. For another view on this discussion, please do read this article by Giulio Meotti as it is well written and quite interesting.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

What are the Jews to Expect from the World?

 

We are told that we are not supposed to expect much from the world. We are further told that the world is not likely to understand or be particularly favorable towards us. We are not to expect the world to understand Jews or Judaism as they are unlikely to have read the Torah or the Bible, in this case the Old Testament. We are told that this does not matter as it is the Jews responsibility to learn Torah and practice all of its Laws and Commandments, all six-hundred-thirteen Commandments. We are to obey the Oral Law which will be our duty and through learning and practicing to live as Hashem desires of the Jews, we can affect the world. Through our actions we can affect the world both for goodness and for evil. The main expectation we have is that should we ever master living lives worthy of Hashem, then the world will take care of itself and peace will rule over the world. But then again, if all Jews were to meet this expectation for a decent length of time, such would usher in the Messiach which would perfect the world. We should not see our actions as repairing the world, we are to repair that in ourselves and should we actually perfect our own lives, then the world will take care of itself and the Messiach would arrive to set the world on its course of perfection. This is, of course, a near impossibility, for every Jew to obey the Laws and Commandments from Torah and as instructed by those knowledgeable of these laws and are charged with teaching us. We also are told to read the Torah and engross ourselves in its words and its ways such that we are to be holy before our Creator. The entire being a Jew sounds easy, except it is not nor is it intended to be easy. Following all that Hashem expects from us is supposed to be a struggle which only a few ever succeed in each generation. These select few may not be the Torah scholars but rather these righteous individuals can be anybody and it is their actions which save our world. The Jews can make the challenge put before these righteous individuals much easier simply by taking care of our own actions.

 

This brings us to what we are to expect of the world. Basically, not all that much is to be expected of the world until we have perfected ourselves. This is the actual instruction given for us to perform to perfect the world, to practice that which we call Tikkun Olam. Largely, Jews are expected to live a Torah observant life and to be holy before Hashem. Would the Jews master this calling and all stand before Hashem and be found worthy of the Messiach, then Hashem will allow for the Messiach to come and rule over the Jews and the rest of the world would see how wonderful our lives have become that they will, in turn, desire to become holy before Hashem, or at least do so as best as they are able. As Jews, we are not to attempt to take on the world and all its problems, threats and challenges as until we have perfected ourselves, who are we to perfect the world. Our example of living a holy life and reaping the rewards which come with such observance will take care of making the world become more perfect. When those who are not Jewish come and ask for guidance towards living a holy life, we are to instruct them on performing the Noahic Code (listed below). These are the seven Commandments provided Noah which were to lead to a perfected world, a perfected world simply by humankind following seven simple rules. These rules are listed in the Torah as a barometer on how the people of the world are behaving. Part of the reason for the Torah and its six-hundred-thirteen Laws was for setting one peoples before the world as an example for how to live a moral life. These laws, when followed, allow for the world to be perfected and thus all will see the Jews living as Hashem expects of them and the rewards they receive in the form of crops and other endeavors taken up by the Jews yielding great rewards, the example provided by the Jews will bring people who will ask, demand even, for the Jews to share with them the ways of Hashem so they too can have the goodness of the land.

 

This brings us to what the Jews are supposed to provide as answers to their questions of how they are to follow Hashem. The expectations the world is to follow has radically fewer Commandments as there exist in Judaism. This Divine Code of laws were initially provided before Noah which is why they are also known as the Noahic Code. This group of laws is significantly less in numbers from the six-hundred-thirteen Commandments expected of a Jew, the Divine Noahic Code consists of a mere seven laws (see graphic below). These, we are told, are the minimal number of laws required in order to have a functioning, good and civilized society. Through having humankind obey the Noahic Code will the world be set on the path towards redemption. This sounds easy, but remember that first the world will be required to meet expectations, something that the world finds difficult to do as they stray from the path which Hashem laid out before them. This was partly the cause of the Great Flood. Hashem promised Noah that never again would Hashem destroy the world in the same manner. We are to remember this promise as a challenge for us to all follow the Noahic Code. When non-Jews inquire of Jews to be instructed in the proper way to live, we are not supposed to inundate them with the Mitzvoth of Torah and all that is entailed in the Laws; instead we are to give them the Seven Noahic Code of Laws, the Divine Code. Should they respond with the query as to ask, is this all that we need, the Jew is supposed to tell then it will suffice and is not as easy as one may believe and they should first attempt to live by the Seven Laws and wish them well.

 

The Divine Code of Seven Universal Commandments

 

The Jews need follow the entirety of Torah and Oral Law which requires that we rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Inside Judaism there is the controversy as to whether we mortals are to rebuild the Sanctuary and the Temple or should we wait for the Messiach before rebuilding. Then there are those who are of the belief that Hashem will provide the last Temple and it will either drop out of the sky or simply appear out of nothing, but we hold the belief that we are required to build the Temple, but not until we have gathered the ingathering and are following the laws of the Written and Oral Codes ourselves. There are those who claim that this is a task which we will never reach completion as it demands too much from us. Where six-hundred-thirteen Laws does initiate quite a challenge, we need remember that approximately one-third of the Laws deal with the daily services and rituals performed by the Cohanim and Levites and the correct distribution of the eaten parts of the sacrifice. These Laws are all concerning the rituals and instruct the order for the daily sacrifices. It was Maimonides wrote in, “The Guide for the Perplexed,” stating, “that God deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices towards prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship,” and this has been taken as a sign that the sacrifices will instead be prayers with the expectations that all Jews will be expected to pray and assist in carrying out this burden. This is another of those items which time will tell and provide us with signs and answers if only we are sufficiently intelligent to interpret them.

 

Initially, we were taught back in the times of the two Temples, mankind was brutish and uncivilized with the majority not even aware of the Divine Code nor aware of Hashem as they worshiped idols and their idolatry included often human and child sacrifice. Judaism spends an inordinate amount of effort refuting any possible reason which might claim that idolatry was a good thing. Many of the idolaters also practiced human sacrifice even to include child sacrifice, something the Jews were forbidden from doing. In Judaism, all human life is precious. As to what the Jews were to expect from the world during the Biblical and Temple period was very little. The outside world was perceived more as a threat than an opportunity. We were warned that should we follow in the path of Hashem, then we would receive the necessary rain for our crops and would not be defeated by those others who basically surrounded us. Should we fail to follow the Commandments from Hashem, then initially the rain would stop and famine would come as a warning to repent. Should the Jews not repent, then they would be conquered which is exactly what occurred bringing the First and Second Temple Periods to an end. Jewish sages placed the main reason for the destruction of the First Temple to the people turning to idolatry and the Second Temple’s destruction was due to Jews disrespecting one another. These horrific disasters which struck the Jews could have been used as a moment of learning, but as is usual, no lessons were taken to heart by the world. One good sign that the Jews may have learned something from the destruction of the First Temple came from archaeological excavations of Jerusalem, Hevron and other ancient cities before the destruction of the First Temple, it was common to find what would have been household idols and personal idols and in excavations of post First Temple Period almost completely devoid of idols.

 

In current times and with the return of Israel, our ancient homelands, Jews will once again have their own nation. This will bring up the question as to what the Jews expect from the world. We need to be brutally honest with ourselves and with the peoples of the world. We do not expect that suddenly the Jews will have become the darlings of the world with everyone loving them. What we expect is rejection of our return by at the least half of the world if not more and indifference from the majority of the remainder. The United Nations has proven that even that might have been overly optimistic. We do not expect acceptance by many who practiced replacement theology as they took a path in which the Jews are the accursed. Jews have no chance for redemption unless they renounce Judaism and convert to whichever Christian or Islamic sect or denomination holding to this theory. Islam believes that they not only replaced the Jews but also the Christians and that they are the final reformation which was inspired by heaven. Any following of replacement theology views the Jews as accursed and having been cast away by Hashem never to be restored to their ancestral position or to their ancestral homelands. This is partly why the Catholic Church, almost all of Islam and numerous Christian sects which denounce the Jews returning to Israel and demanding that the Jews and Israel be destroyed. This comes down to a basic and central concept within replacement theology in that the Jews cannot return to their ancestral lands and rebuild the temple as such would be proof that Hashem never did condemn the Jews and forsake the Jews but rather still holds to the covenant between Hashem and the Jews. The Jews cannot expect anything other than continued rejection from these peoples.

 

From the world at large, the Jews pretty much expect little to nothing. The Jews require a more inward inspection where they need to reach some conclusions to some very deep questions. The biggest of these is whether or not to rebuild the Temple and, if so, where. Such an effort will have those holding to replacement theology doing everything in their power to prevent this from being completed. We hope that with time Israel will become more religious and we will live better lives following the Commandments. As we improve our totality and come closer to Torah, we will then expect that we can affect the world in a positive manner and expect the remainder of the world to at the very least attempt to follow the Noahic Code. We will, as the nation of the Jews, continue to provide disaster relief around the globe whenever disaster places people in need. We will continue to make advances in every field and share these with the world at large. We expect nothing more from the rest of the world beyond please just leave us alone within our tiny lands west of the Jordan and stop attempting to destroy what little we have remaining from the British Mandate, a whole twenty-two-percent with the Arab Palestinians already having been given the seventy-eight-percent of the region. We desire peace and an end to terrorism. Not just in Israel, but over the entirety of humankind wherever we reside and on whatever planet we may find on which to start a colony in the future. We would like to lay claim to Planet Israel pictured below should such ever be found. Otherwise, we simply desire to live amongst everyone in peace and mutual respect.

 

Planet Israel

 

In the end, the Jews merely desire to be considered as one of those civilized peoples and we simply hope that such a reference continues to apply to more peoples each year. We wish to grant respect to all and hope they will return the same. We hope to treat others with respect, caring, love and peace and hope to receive the same. As Jews we will try and set an example of living a good life where all are granted the respect due them as creatures beloved of Hashem. This, we hope, will spread to the entirety of the world and we can all work together for the mutual benefit in all things. We will respect life. We would like to be able to expect such in return. We wish to grant the world the Noahic Code and in time share the wisdom and ways of the Torah with those who feel the desire to become closer to the teachings in the Torah. We are not seeking to convert any unless they come and ask us. Our mainstay for attracting others is by living the life as defined in Torah. We will not proselytize and only answer those who inquire. Even those seeking to convert will find that it is not easy to do. This is intentional as we only wish those who will represent Judaism with the warmth, love and respect for human life and Hashem with all the Commandments held in their heart. We hope to be mindful of others and pray to receive the same. We do not desire more land or to rule over the world or even rule others, taking care of ourselves is sufficient challenge. We do not seek wealth but are not afraid of it either. We do seek acceptance and know to receive such one must first grant acceptance which we will to all with a special place for those following the Divine Code and an even closer place in our heart for those of the Covenant, keepers of the Commandments. It really is that simple.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

World Anti-Semitism Will Never Die

 

There is an underlying distaste of the Biblical definition of the Israelites as the Chosen People. This has been taken by the non-Jewish world to mean that the Jews find themselves to be better than everyone else. It never occurs to them that what being the Chosen People was that the Israelites were, or at least Abraham, Isaack and Jacob were the first people who followed Hashem and were to live by the laws Hashem would impart to Moses at Mount Sinai during the Exodus. The Jews are not to believe they are any better than anyone else, they are to hold themselves to a higher standard through the six-hundred-thirteen commandments in Torah and the other laws and admonitions which would be imparted through the Oral Law. Jews were expected to try harder to be the best society they could possibly accomplish. The truth be told, the Jews were actually set up for continued failure as the standard set for them was to become beyond their societal ability to reach and maintain. Sustaining the egalitarian love of all and acceptance of equality of humankind all while living a structured life which kept to the strict thin line guided by Torah and the Oral Law was difficult. The rules Hashem had given at Mount Sinai were an addition to the former code which Hashem gave Noah as the basis for civilized society known as the Noahic Code which contained seven rules (see image below). These were the initial laws which predated the Ten Commandments which were in addition to the Noahic Code and even restated some of the Noahic Code. The Ten Commandments were just the initial installment at Mount Sinai and were followed by Torah which is a combination of history book and code for life and the means for governance when the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The one thing which becomes obvious to one reading Torah is that the Israelites, the modern Jews, were expected to live exemplary lives which would allow them to be granted the grace of Hashem which would also lead to their not suffering from want. The successes they would receive for following the laws set forth in the Torah and explained and fleshed out by the Oral Law would make others desire to live similar lives and also be thusly rewarded. The success was not supposed to make the Jews appear better than anyone else, they were supposed to be an example which others would desire to live a similar life and also be rewarded. Unfortunately, this was not how things were interpreted by much of the outside world.

 

Noahic Codes

 

What occurred instead was that some decided that they would simply conquer the Israelite lands and take their wealth. Most of the civilizations who attempted this met with destruction while the Israelites were observant of the Commandments given them by Hashem. But eventually the Israelites turned from the narrow path and this led to their being conquered by foreign powers. The first time this happened was when the Babylonians under Nebakanezzer conquered the Israelites. This still left two tribes from the Twelve Tribes unconquered, the Tribes of Judah and the far smaller tribe of Benjamin. These former Israelites were referred to as Judeans and they would also fall to the Babylonians some years later. The first ten tribes of the Israelites had assimilated by the time the Judeans fell and were considered lost and dispersed becoming the Ten Lost Tribes. When Judah finally fell, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the First Temple. The Judeans went into captivity and this was referred to as the first exile which was described to Abraham by Hashem. The Prophet Ezekiel prophesized the Jews were to be punished for 430 years because they had turned away from Hashem. The Persians under Cyrus the Great defeated the Babylonians and freed their Jewish captives about 70 years after Judah lost independence to Babylon. This left 360 years which the Jews would require a second exile to fulfill as one must pay Hashem when one strays. We will have more about this when it becomes pertinent. Meanwhile, the Jews, some of them, not all as Hashem had commanded, returned and began rebuilding the Temple. Cyrus the Great was aware of the history of the Israelites and did not desire enslaving them as doing so could bring the wrath of Hashem onto the Persians, something which did eventually happen when the Persians attempted to kill the Jews within their kingdom many years later (the story of Queen Esther and the story around Purim in the Megillah of Esther). The real problem was that the Jews who remained residing in the Persian Empire rather than returning to the Promised Land and live as Hashem commands became assimilated and began worshiping the Persian idols and gods. This and the eventual straying by the Jews eventually spread also to the Judeans who had returned to the Promised Land who were again conquered this time by the Hellenist Greeks. This was followed by the Romans, which was when the name Judean proved too burdensome for the lazy Romans who simplified it shortening the name simply to Jew.

 

Do you remember the 360 years which the Jews still would be required to serve in exile we talked of earlier? Well, now we will explain their importance along with some very unbelievable truths from history. In Leviticus 26:18, Leviticus 26:21, Leviticus 26:24 and Leviticus 26:28 the Torah spells things out quite clearly, should the Jews not fully repent their sins they would be punished increased by a factor of seven. As we have already established, the Israelites, by then having become Judeans and who would soon become Jews, strayed leading to their being conquered and sent again into exile. Their required time left to serve was 360 years but was prophesized in Leviticus to be increased seven fold, meant that their exile would last 2,520 years. Yes, this was going to be a very long and unprecedented exile and if the Judean, Jews, were to actually survive and ever return to the Promised Land, it would be an undeniable miracle. On the original lunar Jewish calendar, this actually translates to 2,484 years. The exile, according to historical records, began in 536 BCE. If one takes 536 BCE and moves forward 2,484 years it required taking the 2,484 years of exile and subtract the 536 years before the start of the modern calendar and you get a result of 1948 AD, the exact year of the founding of the modern Jewish State of Israel. Another prophesy comes from Isaiah 66:7-8 where it states, “Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” Israel did come into being in a single day declared a nation holding her Biblical borders from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, some parts of which were lost in her initial war against six invading Arab armies on the day she was founded on May 15, 1948, yet she has survived every attempt to dislodge the Jewish People to this day. The modern state of Israel has been a miracle in every sense of the word and the founding exactly as numerous prophecies had predicted to her survival despite all the efforts to destroy her. The continued survival of the Jews through all the challenges of history is another source of anti-Semitism. There are those who believe that the Jews were an ancient people whose existence today has to be an aberration against nature and as such, they believe the Jews are an affront before all they worship and believe.

 

Some anti-Semitism has religious basis in that they believe that the Jews and Judaism have been replaced by their faith. This is the basis of replacement theology which was prevalent throughout Catholicism, all of Christianity and throughout Islam. There have been some attempts at moderating the resultant hatreds spawned by replacement theology and the belief that because these religions which have presumed to have replaced the Jews as the chosen of Hashem, the Jews became under the control of the devil and now worship and do the bidding of the devil. The Jews have thus been relegated to hell and because of their being an aberration of Hashem and damned by Hashem are thus less than human and as such to be spurned. Further, as they have become damned, they are the first to be suspected of being responsible for any calamity which befalls a community. This has led to many historic pogroms where the Jews were blamed for crop failures, diseases, financial failings and untold other calamities and even simple restlessness leading to violence such as resulting from uncommon heatwaves or prolonged frigid times or any uncommon or distressed natural event. These are easily explained events just as when during the Crusades when the leaders of the forces would know that waiting until battle in the Middle East to have their men take life for the first time would lead to many hesitating resulting in their death at the hands of their enemies. Instead, often the commanders would find a Jewish town and have their men turn on the Jews killing many in the town until the rest fled into the surrounding forests becoming too dispersed and thus would take too long to hunt down. Some commanders would repeat these drills in successive Jewish towns which eventually led to the Jews in the path of Crusaders to flee their villages until they had long passed. These types of anti-Semitism have mostly ended in modern life but anti-Semitism continues leading some to ask why and seek explanations.

 

Modern anti-Semitism has a number of reasons, some remaining from ancient periods such as the remaining remnants existing from replacement theology. Some anti-Semitism comes from preexisting anti-Semitism where parents share their feelings so frequently within the home and between friends who share their bigotries among which include anti-Semitism. But there exists one heinous source for modern anti-Semitism which is all but impossible to stamp out because the sources itself are some Jews. There are those who watch the Jews in their lives closely seeking to find them failing to act honorably and being irreligious. They revel in finding Jews who fall short morally and that leads them to believe that all Jews are failed people. This eventually leads to suspicions that Jews are operating nefariously while using false religious observance to hide behind. They begin to claim that all Jews fake their faith and are really using their faith as a cover allowing them to gain wealth or power or success at the cost of others. Those who hold these feelings will blame their failures on these cheating Jews and this drives their anti-Semitism. They then spread their belief that the Jews are cheating everybody in order to gain their wealth, power and take over the society, steal and bankrupt their nations or other acts of bad faith spread to cover all Jews. They find one bad apple and damn the entire barrel. This form of anti-Semitism has proven to be very contagious, easily spreading throughout a civilization like a wildfire. The reality is that all it takes is one bad actor who was born a Jew to start the suspicions. Soon such suspicion begins to become the object to blame any Jew who has more success, more fame, more anything and the claim will fall back to that Jew they know gained through illicit acts and his guilt is passed on to every Jew who has success which a jealous person cannot explain. They will ignore the Jew working longer hours or having a better education or whatever might be a more accurate explanation and instead simply go to the more comforting idea that their gains were ill gotten. It is easier to explain away one’s lack of success and another’s faster rise to their cheating rather than their hard work. Thus, any Jew who succeeds gives cause for feelings of anti-Semitism. All because one Jew fell short in honesty or righteousness or whatever shortcoming they were caught committing. This should be sufficient for every Jew to exercise greater care in their actions and the way they live their lives.

 

The sources of anti-Semitism are numerous, some ancient, some contemporary. Many are impossible for the Jews to prevent. Some are religious in their origins. Some are pure jealousy. The reasons are impossible to quantify and all too many have so many various origins that they defy definition. The main means of fighting anti-Semitism would be for all Jews to live a Torah observant life and be an exemplary individual in their community and in all areas where they meet others. Jews need be above reproach in all acts and treat every person fairly and with great love of all humanity. But even if every Jew were to live up to the expectations of Torah, follow even all of the Oral Law and treat everyone as they desire to be treated, there would still be those who would find some reason to blame the Jews with cheating everyone to get ahead. Anti-Semitism will never be stamped out until the coming of the Messiah and the Messianic Age. Until then the Jews will be singled out for special hatreds and suffer for unmet expectations. So, we await the Messiah and must assist every Jew to live a more proper Torah observant life and incorporating the teachings of the Oral Law within their lives treating all people with respect and fairness. It will not end anti-Semitism, but it might lessen the number of people suffering this societal disgrace.

 

Beyond the Cusp