Day in Court for the Son of Hamas
by Hana Levi Julian
Ruth Anne in Los Angeles writes the following on (06/30/10):
My only complaint about him is---that he converted to Christianity. How can anyone believe this religion?
My response to Ruth Anne follows:
Ruth Anne, which religion should he convert to and which sect? What other religion counters Islam with a strong (but superficial) focus on universal love, mercy and forgiveness? The B'nei Noah don't have the infrastructure, leadership, money, numbers, organization, program or support to proselytize and meet the spiritual needs of the Nations.
I'm not a fan of Christianity or Messianism, but what other choice did Mosab Hassan Yousef have? Judaism doesn't proselytize. The Breslov seem to ooze with brotherly love for all mankind, but here again they'd have just pointed this man toward some floundering B'nei Noah group.
Mosab Hassan Yousef has simply exchanged one religious mask for another. Look beneath Islam and Christianity and you'll find the same level of religious hatred and intolerance. Look beneath Judaism and you'll find a justifiable apathy toward and mistrust of the Nations. Look beneath the B'nei Noah and you'll find a loose confederation of Counter-Missionaries that focus on their disdain of Christianity and Messianism.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
I Am Committed
I Am Committed
My response:
If a lowly Noachide could humbly bring up a story regarding the Baal Shem Tov, I'd like to do so in defense of R' Locks and to perhaps elaborate on his concern, not that he needs defending or that I'm correctly interpreting his concern or that anyone else needs my two cents worth, because I'm just a worm. That said, I don't want any Jew out there who disagrees with R' Locks to think that I'm rebuking them, because both sides in this issue seem to be taking a stance for the sake of Heaven:
The Baal Shem Tov once arrived in the town of Konstantyn in Volhynia with his disciple, Rabbi David Forkes, and they stayed at a certain person's home. The Besht asked the shochet to come and show him his knife, to inspect it before they ate what he slaughtered. The shochet did not come promptly, however, and in the meantime the Baal Shem Tov began to pray Minha with the other men present. While this was happening, the shochet arrived but did not want to wait for the Baal Shem to finish his prayers. He angrily demanded that the householder's wife give him the chickens to slaughter immediately. She gave them to him, he slaughtered them, and left. When the Baal Shem Tov finished praying, he said, "Hasn't the shochet come yet?" "He came, slaughtered the chickens, and left," they said. The chickens were still lying there in the pan being salted. The Besht looked at them and said he would eat them, but Rabbi David Forkes said he would not. The Baal Shem Tov was not strict about this. He later said to Rabbi David, "Don't be too strict and punctilious about the mitzvot or your pious customs, because it's only a trick of the evil inclination to make you anxious and depressed." Unlike some of his contemporaries, the Baal Shem Tov did not lay great stress on stringencies in doing the mitzvot. He remarked to Rabbi Pinhas of Koretz, another of his close disciples, who was also present then, "I try not to be overly stringent in doing the mitzvot. In fact, this thought saved me when I was younger."
Taken from "The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov" by Yitzhak Buxbaum, pp. 193-194; see also, ibid., pp. 92-96, the story of "Two Thrones."
I guess what I'm saying is that one should find a proper balance between "spirituality" and "physicality," in order to avoid being tricked by the Yetzer HaRa. I think this applies to Jews and Non-Jews, but ... I'm just a worm. The more I learn ... the less I know.
My response:
If a lowly Noachide could humbly bring up a story regarding the Baal Shem Tov, I'd like to do so in defense of R' Locks and to perhaps elaborate on his concern, not that he needs defending or that I'm correctly interpreting his concern or that anyone else needs my two cents worth, because I'm just a worm. That said, I don't want any Jew out there who disagrees with R' Locks to think that I'm rebuking them, because both sides in this issue seem to be taking a stance for the sake of Heaven:
The Baal Shem Tov once arrived in the town of Konstantyn in Volhynia with his disciple, Rabbi David Forkes, and they stayed at a certain person's home. The Besht asked the shochet to come and show him his knife, to inspect it before they ate what he slaughtered. The shochet did not come promptly, however, and in the meantime the Baal Shem Tov began to pray Minha with the other men present. While this was happening, the shochet arrived but did not want to wait for the Baal Shem to finish his prayers. He angrily demanded that the householder's wife give him the chickens to slaughter immediately. She gave them to him, he slaughtered them, and left. When the Baal Shem Tov finished praying, he said, "Hasn't the shochet come yet?" "He came, slaughtered the chickens, and left," they said. The chickens were still lying there in the pan being salted. The Besht looked at them and said he would eat them, but Rabbi David Forkes said he would not. The Baal Shem Tov was not strict about this. He later said to Rabbi David, "Don't be too strict and punctilious about the mitzvot or your pious customs, because it's only a trick of the evil inclination to make you anxious and depressed." Unlike some of his contemporaries, the Baal Shem Tov did not lay great stress on stringencies in doing the mitzvot. He remarked to Rabbi Pinhas of Koretz, another of his close disciples, who was also present then, "I try not to be overly stringent in doing the mitzvot. In fact, this thought saved me when I was younger."
Taken from "The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov" by Yitzhak Buxbaum, pp. 193-194; see also, ibid., pp. 92-96, the story of "Two Thrones."
I guess what I'm saying is that one should find a proper balance between "spirituality" and "physicality," in order to avoid being tricked by the Yetzer HaRa. I think this applies to Jews and Non-Jews, but ... I'm just a worm. The more I learn ... the less I know.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
6-story Jesus statue in Ohio struck by lightning
6-story Jesus statue in Ohio struck by lightning
VIDEO
"I am the LORD thy G-d, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy G-d am a jealous G-d...." - Shemot 20:2-4.
VIDEO
"I am the LORD thy G-d, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy G-d am a jealous G-d...." - Shemot 20:2-4.
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