Iran and the Freedom of Passover
7 min read
My Christian friends used to tell me, “Judaism is a religion of law. Christianity is a religion of love.” Were they right?
If you were lying on the couch of Freud, says Rabbi David Aaron, he would try to figure out your issues by delving into sexuality. And if you were lying on the couch of Adler, he would try to figure out your issues by delving into social acceptance and relationships.
But if you were lying on the couch of Moses, he would help you understand what your issues are in your relationship with God, because all our problems are rooted in our misconceptions about God.
During this period leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are enjoined to introspect, to review our actions, and to rectify our misdeeds. Rosh Hashanah is called, “Yom HaDin,” the Day of Judgment, and is often compared to a court case where the judge will pass a verdict on us and sentence us according to our actions of the past year and resolve to do better. Who would not be afraid facing such a judgment?
But what if the judge were your loving father? What if instead of punishing you for your misdemeanors, he wanted only to help you? What if he loved you more than you loved yourself?
I grew up in South Jersey, across the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia. On the Philly side of the bridge was a giant billboard: “JESUS LOVES YOU.” I wondered about it. I had never heard our Conservative rabbi say that God loves us. In fact, a couple of my Christian friends used to tell me, “Judaism is a religion of law. Christianity is a religion of love.”
When, as an adult, I started learning Jewish texts, I was surprised at how often the Jewish liturgy mentions God’s love.
When, as an adult, I started learning Jewish texts, I was surprised at how often the Jewish liturgy mentions God’s love. “With an eternal love I have loved you,” asserts the blessing recited every morning before the Shema. And in the Torah itself, Moses tells the Children of Israel that God redeemed them from Egypt because of the love He has for them, despite the fact that they were worshipping idols in Egypt (Deut. 7:8). The more Judaism I learned, the more I realized how much God loves me; the more I acknowledged God’s love, the more God’s love poured into my life.
The sages of the Talmud said that God prays. What is God’s prayer? “May it be My will that My trait of compassion should overcome My anger and My compassion should override all My traits, and I should act toward My children with the trait of compassion beyond what they deserve” (Brachot 7a).
It’s a surprising prayer. We are used to conceiving of prayer as a means of influencing God’s will to cure a sick person, find us a marriage partner, send us livelihood, etc. However, if God wants to deal with us with compassion rather than giving us what we truly deserve, why doesn’t God just do it?
The answer is that God wills to pour love on us, but we clog the pipe by our inability to receive it. Major pipe-cloggers are:
Especially in this generation after the Holocaust, many Jews reject the concept of a loving God. Following the behest of Rabbi Noah Weinberg, the founder of Aish HaTorah, in my writings I would be sure to include the teaching that God loves us. Invariably, at least one reader would shoot back, “Yeah? What about the Holocaust?”
As a response, I spent seven years researching the testimonies of 550 people born after 1945, and writing, I’ve Been Here Before, a book about reincarnated souls from the Holocaust. The point was to show that the Holocaust was a terrible chapter ending, but it was not the end of the story for any soul. Whenever we look at a tragedy, we are reading pages 305-379 of a 500-page book. We don’t know what came before, and we don’t know what will come after.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin showed us this expanded consciousness at the funeral of her murdered son Hersh. For 331 days Hersh suffered as a hostage in Gaza, while his family suffered along with him. Yet, at his funeral, his mother said in her eulogy, “I am so grateful to God, and I want to do hakarat hatov [gratitude] and thank God right now, for giving me this magnificent present of my Hersh…. For 23 years I was privileged to have this most stunning treasure, to be Hersh’s Mama. I’ll take it and say thank you.”
“For 23 years I was privileged to have this most stunning treasure, to be Hersh’s Mama. I’ll take it and say thank you.”
Twenty-three years of God’s blessing, 331 days of torture. God’s compassionate love is always many times greater than His judgment if we only open our eyes to see it.
As God’s prayer in the Talmud reveals, God yearns to give us better than what we deserve. That does not mean that in these days leading up to the High Holidays we are exempt from examining our deeds and resolving to improve. It does mean that we can have as loving a relationship with God as we will allow. A spouse in a good marriage always strives to improve the relationship, not out of fear, but out of love. A good marriage requires a constant investment of energy, time, and dedication. A good relationship with God requires no less.
Becoming aware of God’s love starts with noticing His beneficence to you in the “little” ways.
Becoming aware of God’s love starts with noticing His beneficence to you in the “little” ways. The Jewish concept of God is that He is the creator, sustainer, and supervisor of everything (except free will in the moral realm). Therefore, everything—your vision, your ability to walk, hear, and think, the chair you’re sitting on, the fruit and cereal you had for breakfast, the car or train that took you to work—is a gift from God.
I start each day by thanking God for five things I never thanked Him for before. I call them “the blessings of the day before.” This morning I thanked God that yesterday:
Judaism hones the skill of noticing God’s beneficence multiple times a day with blessings before and after eating or drinking any food, from a four-course meal to a glass of water. Every apple or protein bar thus becomes an opportunity to acknowledge God’s love.
Judaism even has a prayer that acknowledges God’s care after you use the bathroom. Rachel Goldberg-Polin once told about her Uncle Johnny who, when he was terminally ill, was asked, “If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?” He replied, “I wish I could go to the bathroom again.” If only we would notice God’s constant compassion as much as we notice the challenges in our lives!
One of my favorite sayings, from Rabbi David Aaron, is: “What you believe is what you perceive. And what you perceive is what you receive.” If you believe in a God who loves you and wants to shower blessings on you beyond what you deserve, that’s the reality you will perceive, and that’s what you will receive. Close your umbrella and relish the shower of Divine blessings that awaits you.
It feels better to tell myself over and over that there is a God, a caring and competent one, and that I can’t understand undeserved suffering because I’m not God. Also to pay attention to the trivial things I have some control over.
Lovely, poignant and timely
As usual I love all that she writes.
Salvation means a more obvious connection with G-d
That's not a contradiction...
Can't we have G-d's love, relationship with Him, and still hope and pray for a more ideal reality?
I love it. Great learnings today. Thanks to our Creator 🙂
"Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Le'olam Va'ed"
That's just another name of God
וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
As I find Moses said to the people of Israel to love your God, by this I find Israelites were the first to love God and hope in Him as a nation (hidden in history, a valuable people to God than thought on surface)
As people of God we should prioritise to live peacefully and continue with God to prosperity and life despite some may say and do evil, because a true person of God will not show evil characteristics and God didn't make a mistake choosing a Chosen People who are truly kind and I think you should continue be lovely.
Ranul - this is definite but the question for you. What about God Loving his creation, "US." That is what this article was answering which it did beautifully.
Your answer is also beautiful and God Bless that Hashem has found a place in your heart radiating from your soul.
I find it quite funny that the Christian referred to their religion as one of love. They should be reminded that for the last 2000 years, millions upon millions of people have been persecuted, tortured and murdered in the name of Jesus. Christianity is the bane of humanity.
Right on sister! My mother used to say, "May G-d save us from christianity".
Right, and Islam too
I agree with you
Millions upon millions of people have been persecuted in the name of religion. No religion is any better or any worse than any other in this regard.
Christopher - read G-D's Written Torah - and "research" more history. Jews - have NOT ON THEIR OWN - (WITHOUT G-D's telling them to) - gone to war - with another people. We have - (as is taught in the Torah) - killed others - IN "SELF DEFENSE" - before they kill us. Even today - though we are protecting ourselves from the surrounding Arab Nations. WE - give the Arab innocent peoples - advanced warning. We're not interested in killing - INNOCENT PEOPLE. Only those who leaders who seek to destroy us & take away our land - do we seek out - to destroy.
I'm curious what makes you say that last statement. Doesn't seem to be supported by the facts. Can you cite instances in the last 2000 years of Jews persecuting other nations in the name of religion? Because we all can for Muslims and Christians.
Not trying to sow hate. Just would be wary of leaning so PC that it erodes our ability to see objective truth.
If you had to live under Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Islam or Christianity as a non-adherent of that faith, which would you choose, or definitely not? If Mr. Collins doesn't care, he has not been paying attention.
The Crusades were not kind to Jews and others. I must note that I have many friends, Catholics, and Protestants and others who harbor no ill will towards Jews. Free will is available to people of all faiths.
The Spanish Inquisition of the 16th century saw Jews and Muslims persecuted, many forced to convert. How this could happen when the church is supposedly holy. Evil had entered and controlled the church during this time. We hardly hear the (catholic) church mention this tumultuous period because it is an absolute embarrassment. When religious leaders of any religious organization are of tarnished character, the Devil will come.
Nicely written but my (our) "Elder Brother" put it much more succinctly: "Love Me, love Me, Love Me...and then you will find Me!" Easy to say, very hard to do but that's the whole thing in a divine nutshell.
I'm a Christian and I'm so sorry that many of my brothers and sisters consider Christianity as exclusively a religion of love. Generally speaking, most Christians have not read the Bible, let alone understand more so the "Old Testament" or "Tanakh". But this is changing and more and more Christians accept that we are just the "grafted" branch to the main vine, Israel. Personally, I love the Tanakh and my morning meditations come from it.
Thank you, Marite, for your kind and lovely words! Personally, many of my fellow Jews and I have found our Christian friends to be among the most loyal friends and biggest supporters of Jews and of Israel, especially over this most agonizing of years.
I love it!!! Just what we need to know in our short time left to Rosh Hashanah, yes it´s been a tough year, but we can direct our sight and mind to what we can be grateful for and never take our blessings for granted
Don't tell that to my husband's poor and unenlightened sister who switched over to evangelical christianity. According to her me and her brother are heading straight to hell because we don't believe in you know who.
Author responds: Why not send this article to your sister-in-law?
I wish! We're already not on speaking terms because of that and tons of other stuff--her and hers being right all the time and us deliberately antagonizing them by remaining Jews.
Perhaps you should mail her a letter reminding her that over the last 2000 years, millions upon millions of people have been persecuted, tortured and murdered in the name of Jesus. Christianity has been the bane of humanity.
Your idea would be great but we'd get a lot of grief from sending her such a letter. She's ignorant about history in general and Jewish history in particular. She'd say that we were making it all up for whatever lame reason she could come up with.
Millions upon millions of people have been persecuted in the name of religion. No religion is any better or any worse than any other in this regard.
Not so. The only religions which have consistently persecuted others are Christianity and Islam, since each sees itself as the "final word" of the divine and each requires all others to join the religion as a condition of ultimate salvation. Both were established by people who saw themselves with a "manifest destiny" to conquer the world even before the establishment of each religion: the Romans (Christianity) and the Arabs (Islam). Other religions may proselytize (eg, Buddhism) but don't use force as a tool of persuasion.
It's certainly true that there's been lots of religious persecution from many different religions.
But I'm curious what makes you say that last statement - and whether you can cite instances in the last 2000 years of Jews persecuting other nations in the name of religion.
You don't have to believe in you know who to read what has been written about him and to be conversant in his teachings. Love is a central teaching in their religion and it wouldn't hurt your relationship with your sister-in-law to learn what they teach about it. I am grateful for my Christian friends who have taught me many things. Your use of the word "unenlightened" tells me that you, too, could learn from them.
Utter trash. Christi’s hardly a religion of love. For the last 2000+ years, millions upon millions of people have been persecuted, tortured and murdered in the name of Jesus. That is their idea of love, the world needs less of it. Christianity has been the bane of humanity.
Have you read the New Testament? Where does it advocate persecution, torture and murder? Which of the authors of the New Testament (who were Jewish, BTW) engaged in such things? Unfortunately, most Christians haven't read their bible, either.
PS. The reason you need to know what is in the Christian bible is so that you can speak to them on THEIR terms, pointing out what THEIR teaching says about relationships with others.
Then why do christians act so nasty?
If even I find your question offensive, it isn't hard to imagine how a Christian might react to it. What would you say to someone who asked "why do jews act so nasty?"
First I would ask them to define "nasty". Then I would know how to answer.
Agree - that question was offensive and in very poor taste. Certainly doesn't echo most Orthodox Jews' sentiments
.
That said, looking at world history, there have been numerous periods where Jews lived in fear of the bloodthirsty martyrs and/or murderers faithful to Islam or the church.
I don't think the same can be said about gentile fears regarding the Jews around them. We don't persecute, torture, rape, stab, burn at the stake, Crusade, or pogrom. We just don't.
ADS - apparently - you've not learned - or are IGNORING the history of the CHR-STIAN Inquisition - NOR - the Crusades - where the Chr-stian religion - set traps for catching HIDDEN JEWS - PERSECUTED - BURNED at the STAKE JEWS - who wouldn't convert to their religion. Do some acknowledge the validity of the Written Torah - but don't relinquish their belief in a son of a deity? YES. Though they use the Written Torah - they ignore that - G-D said in Deu: Ch. 4-1/2 Ch.13-1- Prov. 30 G-D said: Do not add to - or subtract from - what "I" said in this Torah. Only in recent times - has there been an effort to connect to the JEWS - WITH A HIDDEN AGENDA - to STILL CONVERT THEM - to their belief. In the Tanach - there is NOT ONE LEGITIMATE CLAIM THAT THERE IS A son of a deity!
Evil people have used religious excuses to justify the persecution of others. That isn't necessarily the fault of the religion. Now, there are Israelis who are using religious excuses to justify the persecution of their non-Jewish neighbors. Aren't you turning a blind eye to what is going on in the occupied territories? Is this the fault of a sect of misguided Jews or of Judaism itself?
The Tanach has stories with God appearing in many different and inconsistent ways. I don't understand why you would object to a story about Him appearing in human form. Jews often describe God as a "fatherly" figure and it is natural to describe an incarnation of God as a "son". It merely reflects our difficulty in using our limited languages to describe something that is infinite.
ADS - Your right - historically - "EVIL PEOPLE" have used their religious beliefs/teachings - to HARM - a lot of people. Historically - that's NOT BEEN - THE JEWS. We - follow what "G-D SAID" - in His Written Torah on how we are to conduct war. Again - "YOU" need to read G-D's Written Torah about the WHOLE of the LAND OF ISRAEL - WHICH INCLUDES - what you call TERRITORIES - that our "G-D" gave to us. Plus - who our "G-D said" - can live with us in the Land of Israel. BTW - that's CONVERTS to JUDAISM. G-D Said - He is not a man - & THERE IS NO OTHER G-D - BUT HIM - IN SEVERAL PLACES IN TORAH & THE REST OF TANACH. Read G-D's WRITTEN TORAH & LEARN - & stop all the FODDER of useless info.
What you are describing is persecution based on what you say your religion says and to which religion your neighbor adheres. It is wrong when they do it to us and it is wrong when we do it to them - and I'm SHOCKED - that so many here turn a blind eye to it.
What you say "our" God said and what you say "our" God gave us is of no relevance to others, especially those who say that "their" God said something in contradiction to what you say "our" God said.
Unlike you, I'm a monotheist, believing in ONE God who created ALL of us and ALL creatures and ALL of the land for ALL living creatures, without favor.
I - like you - am a monotheist - who believes in a Monotheistic G-D - like you. BTW - 3500 years ago - that concept - of G-D creating all things - comes from The Written Torah of G-D - & historically has been accepted as authentic by many cultures throughout the ages & has subsequently spawned the offshoots & the moral underpinnings & understanding of what "THEY THINK - G-D said on how to live" - of many other beliefs. UNLESS - your an Alien Theorist or - from a culture - who believes that - ALIENS from another dimension/place - came to this planet - invented mankind - or had relations with women (not men) - & since have managed how mankind lives with each other. They also - MISUNDERSTAND & MISUSE G-D's Written Torah to justify - like you - their beliefs.
You must think me a fool if you thought that I wouldn't notice how you pivoted away from the problem of religious bigotry that infects the orthodox Jewish community.
What do aliens have to do with it? Aren't you someone who believes that there is an alien force from another dimension/place that came to this planet, invented mankind and since managed how mankind lives with each other?
I think you're the one who is pivoting - as any response you have to anyone on here - you pivot to another nebulous rationale often making rationalizations - that IGNORE FACTS. It's time to pivot to those who sincerely - address the issues. No need to respond.
It is stated in the Torah that the Creator has no form and we are forbidden to make images for worship. That is objection enough.
You seem like a very reasonable person and while I don't agree with you, I'm appreciating your comments.
But the line equating Crusaders or Jihadists with an army's soldiers, fighting the people who massacred a thousand civilians, in order to save innocents who are being held hostage... sorry. You lost me there.
Even those who say that the war has gotten out of hand, or who disapprove of what the IDF has done in Gaza, do not compare targeted military operations to eliminate terrorists, with civilians storming homes armed with knives and meat cleavers. Tragedy comes in many forms, and you may fiercely disagree with Israel's actions right now, but they are not equally evil.
No, I wasn't referring to Gaza. That's a war that was started by the Gazans and we have to accept that war is brutal. Maybe there were ways that the brutality could have been mitigated. Who am I to say?
I was referred to this site by a Muslim who was trying to make a point about "Zionists". His view of them was very different from mine and I objected in a very personal way to the way he was characterizing them. However, after reading some articles and comments on this site, I had to concede that amongst the "Zionists" there are some religious fanatics who believe that the Jews have a biblical right to the Land of Israel and who do, in fact, advocate some of those crimes that you mentioned in a different comment.
... continued
Even one such voice can today be amplified and drown out more reasonable voices. When the voice is that of an Israeli cabinet minister, the harm is immense.
It would be hypocritical to condemn another religion's fanatics without first calling out our own.
Both Christianity and Islam comes from the mother religion of Judaism, and now borh religions that are a offshot of Judaism want you convert to their religions that is mostly a corruption of Judaism these two religions have a lot of chutzpah, and mostly Jews want to stick to the original religion, hopefully Jews should check out Judaism before going to other backyards so to speak
Both of those religions describe themselves as "corrections" to Judaism. In order to judge them, you need to understand what these people think needs correcting. In some cases, they may have a point; in others, they may be totally wrong.
I have argued with Muslims over the existence of the Hereafter. The Qur'an records that Allah told Moses about the Hereafter, yet the Torah makes no such mention. How is that possible? How could the Jews neglect to record such an important revelation?
Obviously, on this point, the Qur'an is a corruption. There is no Hereafter, otherwise, God would have warned the Israelites at that time. Yet, many Jews observe a corrupted Judaism by assimilating Christian and Muslim beliefs with a "Jewish version of h--l".
The Hereafter, as you call it, is mentioned in the Oral Torah. If you are learned in Judaism, you know that it is believed that the Oral Torah was given along with the written version at Sinai (though it has been expanded since as society and technology progressed). For Jews who follow Halacha, the Oral Torah has equal weight with the written text.
No, I am not learned in Judaism.
When is the Hereafter in the Oral Torah first documented in Judaism?
The Hereafter is what Muslims call it. Use a different expression, if you prefer. It's all the same to me.
We call it Olam Haba, or "The World to Come"
It is ALL OVER Jewish sources. It's one of the 13 principles of faith of the Rambam, corroborated by every traditional commentator since Sinai.
The first explicit mention of the World to Come appears in the Talmud , which records a number of teachings on the subject, the most famous probably being this one, from the Mishnah in Sanhedrin 10:1: (myjewishlearning.com)
Why it isn't explicitly mentioned in the Torah is a larger conversation...
Thank you for your reply.
In other comments, I have challenged the claim that Christian eschatology is derived from Jewish eschatology. My position is that following the destruction of the Second Temple, there was a theological crisis. Out of this crisis, there were offshoots to Judaism, the two most important being Jews who incorporated Jesus into their theology, developing into Christianity; and those who rejected Jesus and developed the Talmud.
I do not believe that it is possible for Jews prior to this time to have had a concept of the World to Come without it appearing in any of their texts.
Millions upon millions of people have been persecuted in the name of religion. No religion is any better or any worse than any other in this regard.
It is a mistake to think that all religions are equally bad. Some religious movements are far worse than others and we need to prioritize combatting those. Each religious ideology needs to be scrutinized in the same objective way that we scrutinize other political ideologies. In some cases, it is the political ideology that is built around the religion that is the larger problem and not the religion itself. There can be substantial differences in the politics of different denominations of the same religion.
Places that boast of "freedom of religion" have to respect the freedom to criticize religious movements and their effect on both adherents and non-adherents.
Well said. Christopher, isn't it foolish to think that all religions are equally bad? Is there some divine level ensuring that no one develops an ideology that is less evil or more evil?
If you had to live under Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism or Christianity as a non-adherent of that faith, which would you choose, or definitely not? If you care, you have not been paying attention.
Christianity is a religion of love in the same sense that Islam is a religion of peace. Both promise their adherents these things if they profess the religion but don't emphasize the work required to obtain them. Thus some Christians and some Muslims will achieve the promised attributes if they follow the correct precepts (and for Islam, ignore the contradicting ones). However, neither extend these attributes to people who do not profess the religion, thus feel free to be as brutal as they like to "unbelievers".
On several occasions, I have advocated that people go to the sources and read the New Testament (written for the most part by Jews) and the Qur'an (written by a Jew-hater). They are very, very different. Their origin stories are also very, very different. You need to understand where these books came from and what they say.
Unfortunately, most Christians haven't read the NT while most Muslims have read the Qur'an.
Brutality has no place in Christianity, as attested to in the NT. There are several denominations where this principle is central to their teaching.
If you respond: "What about the Spanish Inquisition?", I have no answer. It shows just how perverse we can be.
The inquisition is just example. There have been hundreds of occasions where persecution, murder and burnings have been the Christian answer to Jews who refuse to accept Jesus. Plus, of course this murderous Christian love reached its apogee in Europe between 1939 - 1945. Sadly the essence of the relationship by Christianity towards Judaism has been one of enslavement and murder.
Yes, but can you tie any of that to anything that their scriptures say?
Christians themselves have a broad diversity of views of what Christianity is and MOST Christians would describe what you are talking about as a perversion of Christianity.
Without a doubt, reading their scriptures, you would find that love is the central principle of Christianity and anyone behaving as you are describing is antithetical to what their scriptures teaches.
You may have a point here (whereas much of what you say elsewhere is remarkably erroneous), but in that case it looks like Christianity attracts very perverse people indeed since so many have, throughout the ages, acted in extreme contradiction to the tenets of their professed religion, most especially in relation to Jews.
Jesus added nothing new that Hillel wasn't already teaching, except for the impossible, unlivable idea of "turn the other cheek." No need to learn about Jesus, he took his good ideas from Hillel.
This christian misinterpretation was also what I was taught while growing up. Until it became clear to me that G’ds Law is all about Love; G’ds Love for His people to live it happy, righteous, healthy and to the full and for the good of His entire creation. G’ds Law is also about Love in our (my) response of dedication to live according to His guidelines for Life,
-making the simple wise. (psalms 19 and 119)
G’ds Grace and Mercy are abundantly present already from the very beginning in Bereshit, continuing through all generations. 🕎
There a famous story about a person wanting to convert to Judaism while standing on one foot first he went first to Rabbi S, and this Rabbi kicked him out " are you making fun of Judaism" then he went to Rabbi Hillel with the same request Rabbi Hillel said "what is hurtful to you don't do to others the rest is commentry", that shows that Judaism is a religion of love
Thanks so much ma, you help me in the past, I love you and appreciate your help
Maybe someone here can explain to me how they see Genesis 8:21 in this context?
"... and the Lord said to Himself ... the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" having previous said "... Let us make man in our image".
I don't disagree for one moment that we should appreciate the wonders of the world we live in, but let's be realistic about how this Creation actually works and what the true nature of man actually is. After we finish being thankful for the blessings in our life, then we need to think about what we can do about the curses that have also been sent our way. It's all part of the same Creation.
I reject the premise in this article of an anthropomorphic God with human emotions like "love". Objectifying God in order to show gratitude is unnecessary.
While you are correct that God's emotions are not human in the anthropomorphic sense, human emotions like love are actually reflections of divine attributes. In Kabbalistic thought, human love is a limited, finite reflection of God's infinite love, which is perfect and boundless. Rather than seeing emotions like love as "human," it’s more accurate to say that they originate from God and are mirrored in us, though in a dim and constrained way. God's love is the true source, and human emotions are but a glimpse of His divine qualities.
Thank you for your response, Uri. However, my main point is that we can't ignore the reality of Creation and its opposing forces. If human love is seen as a reflection of God's love, then human hate would also have to be seen as a reflection of God's hate. I would have trouble getting up in the morning thinking about God's infinite hate.
We need to get over the idea that God loves some things and hates other things, and imagining that God has a special love for some parts of His Creation but not other parts.
Human emotions are part of our survival instincts; mostly they help us but sometimes they harm us. God has no need of such feelings.
With all due respect, I think I would have more 'trouble getting up in the morning' thinking that God had the exact same opinion of the Hamas terrorist who tortured a baby to death on October 7th and the murdered innocent baby.
Right, you get up in the morning thinking that today might be another day that God shows his "love" by sending terrorists to murder babies. You can see how meaningless the notion of God loving man is.
You can't show evidence that God has an opinion on any matter. And, I'm sure you know, there is a group of badly misguided monotheists who believe that God has a very high opinion of terrorists who have sacrificed their lives in His service.
Such is the nonsense that flows from imagining that God has human-like emotions, opinions, and desires. If God is perfect and boundless, why would you analogize these human imperfections and limitations onto Him?
I guess we'll both find out when we leave this world. Until then, I wish you boundless blessings.
I believe when we leave the world most of us, have the Jewish version of reincarnation(called the wheels of souls) according to kabblah/zohar it is part of Judiasm but the Jewish version is more complicated than other religions that believe in reincarnation, I believe it ia one of 13 principals of faith by maimonides(the Rambam)
Did anyone here read the books by Dr. Raymond Moody, 1. Life after Life 2. Reflections of Life after Life 3. The Light Beyond about people having a near death experience and what they experienced at the time, it proves there is something like the world to come, and the Jewish version of h__,l, also you saw your life what you did to others good or bad, and after this experinence people changed for the better, and that people aftetwards wanted to acquire knowledge and learn, and found out what was really important in your life I think now they came out of a Jewish version of this concept, I read 2 of these books on the plane going to Israel when I was a teenager, I am a child of a Holocaust Survivor(obm) and my mom(obm) lost her(obm) family when she(obm) was a teenager, very insightful
Right. In order to make this make sense, we'd need to understand human suffering as operating within the framework of a loving and merciful G-d - hate not coming from an opposing force of "G-d's hate", rather that even human hate is G-d's will, out of His infinite love for us. Not always easy to assimilate. This is discussed in Jewish thought a lot. I'd recommend Making Sense of Suffering by Rabbi Yitzchak Kirzner.
Why can't we understand that God loves truth and good and hates falsehood and evil? God is as nuanced as it gets. He's certainly capable of "loving some things and hating other things," or "having a special love for some parts of His creation but not other parts"
I think you are forgetting the creation of "free will". Humans chose to do good or evil, not the Creator. But the for the choice to have meaning evil must be as real as good.
That is similar to the reason that Muslims give for the existence of non-Muslims.... so that the fight for Allah (Jihad) is a choice.
I don't think you meant to do it but you've encapsulated the problem with Islam as a religion (and Christianity too, at least when its adherents were zealously "religious") quite well: they need to force themselves on non-believers, particularly members of the original form of monotheism!
Something like that.
I'm curious about your use of the word "zealously". Wasn't zealotry originally a Jewish virtue and weren't the Zealots violent, religious fanatics?
I used "zealously" in the sense of "fervently" — in this case to mean very devoted in their religious belief.
But yes, I suppose zealotry was at first applicable exclusively to Jews since Judaism was at one point the only established monotheistic religion.
However, I don't think the current negative connotation of zealotry that you point out is quite fair because only Hashem can decide who is a sincere zealot acting l'shem Shamayim (for the sake of Heaven), like Pinchas, for example.
According to your definition, the Crusaders, ym"s, can be called zealots! Or, for a more recent example, consider brutal jihadists.
These are instances of how the other monotheistic religions corrupted the precepts of Judaism.
That's exactly my point... any religion where the adherents believe that they have knowledge of what "pleases" God can be perverted into violence, even zealous Jews.
The theological error made by many adherents of monotheistic religions is that we have knowledge of what pleases God when, in fact, we shouldn't even presume that God feels human emotions like pleasure.
That doesn't disqualify it, it strengthens it. It's a cogent concept.
(unless they extend the premise to the fight for Allah being about murdering non-Muslims. The Jewish concept of free will and choice is about overcoming your own inclinations. Not terrorizing others.)
I've also struggled with premise behind the "gratitude exercise" - "Hashem gave me lunch today! Hashem gave me the computer I'm typing on!" - and He also gave much pain and suffering that we can list if we'd choose to...
I think the point is that the kindnesses exceed the pain, and that is because Hashem loves us (you're right that talking about G-d loving is very abstract and not the same as the human emotion of love)
The suffering is there for a reason, but at the root of it all is G-d's love for us and desire to bestow good upon us.
WONDERFUL!
From the time we are conceived at conception - in the womb - we do not get a choice - what we are “TAUGHT" - by ALL those - who have the “responsibility" - or - “accessibility" to “teach" us - or -“indoctrinate" us - as to what - or how we should believe - is the TRUTH - and what we should DESIRE - and do - to attain it. To get the relationship with G-D. We can pray & ask G-D - Our Father Creator. Where can I go - to find the TRUTH - for myself spiritually - mentally - emotionally - physically - financially - especially - in my relationship with you? How will I know - when in all these - that I’ve truly found myself & can receive the blessing(s) You - have for me?
The idea that God’s love for humanity is deep and boundless is central to Jewish thought. As Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740–1809) beautifully expressed, “God loves the greatest sinner more than any human can love the greatest tzaddik (righteous person).” This powerful teaching highlights that no matter how far we feel from God, there’s always room for growth and change. God’s love, in this sense, isn’t conditional—it’s always there, offering us the chance to reconnect.
I have followed your advice and every Day as I wake up I thank for 5 things from the Day before. My life has improved in so many ways...
Inspiring, touching and educational.
Yasher Koach Ms. Rigler