More than
3,300 years ago, the G-d of Israel gave the world an instruction Book. Through
this Book, the world learns what is right. It learns what is wrong.
From this
Book, we learn how to choose what is right. We learn how to avoid what is
wrong. We learn, in other words, how to be moral.
We learn how
to tell the difference between right and wrong. We learn how to apply such knowledge
to the real world: we learn what to do when a wrong has been done. We learn how
make ‘right’ what has been done ‘wrong’.
In other
words, we learn about justice.
G-d chose
the Jewish people to bring this Book to the world. He chose Judaism to define
what is moral and just.
This Book has
never changed. It remains G-d’s word. His definitions and instructions remain eternal,
not temporary. The concepts of morality and justice found here remain
universal.
This Book is
the Torah, which many call the Five Books of Moses. Its message
and lessons have remained compelling through the Ages. It is the single
best-selling Book of all time.
The reason
for that is simple. Western law, morality and justice are all based upon this
Book. Our daily lives are guided by this Book. It ‘speaks’ to us.
The West
would be wise to listen to its voice—for the voice of this Book is more than the
voice of morality and justice. It is more than the voice of Man. It is the
Voice of G-d.
But the West
falters. It no longer follows this Book. We know that because the West scorns
the people of this Book.
The West
forgets. It chooses to forget. This Book is a Gift received by the Jewish
people directly from G-d.
The Grantor,
the Gift and the recipient of the Gift are linked. Reject one—and, ultimately, you
will reject all three.
It’s a
simple proposition. It works.
Look how the
West operates. It says it is moral. It says it seeks justice and peace. Then it
rejects the people of the Book. It demonizes the people of the Book. It
delegitimizes the people of the Book.
But when the
West rejects and demonizes the people who received the Gift, it rejects and
demonizes the Grantor of the Gift.
When it rejects
the Grantor of the Gift, the West rejects the truth of contents of the Gift—its
morality and its justice.
Then, when
the West rejects the truth of the Gift, it perverts morality. It undermines
justice.
For example,
the West says it is moral. But it demonizes Jews. It speaks harshly to Israel
but refrains from rebuking Arabs ("Kerry warns of third intifada, Israel's
isolation, if peace talks break down", Jerusalem Post, September 7,
2013).
That isn’t
justice. It’s playing favourites. It is a perversion of justice specifically
forbidden by the Torah (see Sh’mot, 23:6, and commentary from The
Chumash, the Stone Edition of the ArtScroll Series, Mesorah Press, New
York, sixth ed., 1996, p.434).
Just today,
(February 4, 2014), news reports surface that, while the UN blasts Israel for talking
about deporting trapped illegal immigrants (“UN Insists Israel Admit Black
Africans Trapped On Border, As Illegal Immigration Crisis Deepens”, International
Business Times, February 4, 2014), it has remained silent while other
nations already actively deport 70 per cent of their own illegals (“EU Deports
70% of its Illegal Immigrants”, Israel National News, February 4, 2014).
That’s not
justice, either. It’s a double standard—a perversion of justice because it
subverts the Torah requirement to treat everyone fairly [who is being
judged]’ (see D’Varim 16:19 and commentary in The Chumash, ibid,
p. 1025).
The West
judges Israel harshly and gives everyone else a pass. That is the opposite of Torah
justice.
Torah justice is eternal. It does not show
favourites. It does not accept double standards.
The survival
of morality is linked to the survival of the people of the Book. When you protect the
Jew, you protect morality. As you attempt to
destroy the Jew, you will pervert the definition of morality.
Once you begin to pervert morality, you’re on the road to Nazism, Stalinism—or worse.
It’s that
simple.
It's happened before. It’s beginning to happen again today.
It’s like a
mirror. Your attitudes about Jews, Judaism and Israel will almost always reveal
whether you uphold or subvert morality.
Look at how the world treats Israel. Think about how the world defines (or, redefines) morality and justice.
When the West demonizes Israel, it perverts what is moral and just. That's not a good thing because perversion never leads to a happy ending.
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