VOLUME 5 EDITION 9 SPRING 2012 ISSN 1756-7335

TERRORISM AND COUNTER-TERRORISM: SPOTLIGHT ON STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES

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2 arches quarterly volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 Fundamentalists vs. Moderates: The War Within

RABBI MARK L. WINER

he world’s most threatening the possibility of “value-free” behavioural “clash of civilisations” pits science. My analysis of the confl ict Tfundamentalists against moderates between fundamentalists and moderates within every . Although political within Judaism should not be considered scientist Samuel Huntington1 coined the non-partisan. I am a congenital and phrase “clash of civilisations” to stimulate unequivocal religious moderate. Indeed, debate about the pernicious divisions I became a rabbi and later a sociologist to among world regions and cultures, my “heal the world” of its interfaith bigotry. experience is that the most destructive Th roughout my life as a Jew, throughout division lies between fundamentalists and my career as a rabbi, I have combated moderates in every religion, and between Jewish fundamentalists and I have always fundamentalists and moderates among rejoiced in my kinship with religious humanity as a whole. Within the half of moderates of all traditions. We have humanity which identifi es with Judaism, studied together, and “exchanged notes”, Christianity and Islam – the Abrahamic in our common cause. religious family – what affl icts one sibling Within every population, roughly often infects the others, just as in a 15-20% display deeply ingrained biological family. fundamentalist, authoritarian attitudes. In accepting the challenge from Arches Behavioural science studies fi nd to write this article, I initially intended fundamentalists exhibiting prejudice and to do a comparative sociological study of articulating stereotypes even for fi ctional and moderate responses groups, like Lilliputians. On the other end to fundamentalism within all three of the of the spectrum, a similar percentage of Abrahamic faiths. As I am a born Jew and every population display moderate, liberal rabbi, I began my research within Judaism. attitudes. Th ose between the poles of I quickly realised that I could not, within fundamentalism and moderation within the reasonable word limitations of this every population, tend to conform to article, accomplish more than provide what they perceive as socially acceptable a review of this confl ict within Judaism positions and mores. Th is tripartite division alone. of every population explains the presence My Muslim and Christian cousins of fundamentalists within each group. within our Abrahamic family will fi nd, It also helps us understand how social I hope, in my analysis of the “clash of change can occur in positive as well as in civilisations” within Judaism instructive negative directions. Moderation triumphs parallels in their own traditions. Th e over fundamentalism, mutual respect over future of humanity may well depend bigotry, when the moderates manage to on the ability of moderates within each persuade the “conformist” middle to give religion to overcome their fundamentalist up their bigoted mores. Examples include co-religionists. Even more, moderates the American South over the last half across the religious boundaries need to join century, the unifi cation of Europe, and in “sacred coalition” against the scourge the transformation of South Africa. So, of fundamentalism which threatens despite widespread fundamentalism and humanity. prejudice, there is reason for hope among As a sociologist, I have never believed in moderates. volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 arches quarterly 3 Fundamentalists possess an ability to spawns interfaith bigotry and sanctions attract media attention disproportionate violence, war and terrorism. Within the to their numbers or percentage of any Twentieth Century, more people died given population. Because they are so in the name of religion than in all of certain of the correctness of their cause, history before. I fear that the Twenty First they both focus clearly and project an Century may even eclipse the grisly record unequivocal vision. By virtue of their for interfaith bigotry and terrorism of the moderation, progressives see nuance and previous century. So much depends upon our understanding of the eternal confl ict When religious between fundamentalism and moderation, and upon the strategies we religious moderates, across moderates devise together to combat our religious boundaries, common scourge. Th ere are four types of Jewish work together in fundamentalism in our day:4 interfaith coalitions 1. Some secular Zionists turn the against fundamentalists state and people into transcendent objects. Th ey rely mostly on the of all faiths, we labour to Hebrew Bible to justify their claims, save humanity. ignoring rabbinic development.5 2. Extreme national chauvinism, most clearly represented by are rarely certain of either their goals or and his followers, include racists of their programmes. Fundamentalists, who have the least precedence precisely because they are so single- in Jewish tradition. Israel has minded, easily “hijack” groups, nations, outlawed them, and blocked their or entire populations. Within the Jewish representation in the Knesset, the world, the West Bank settler movement Israeli parliament. Despite their has never attracted more than a minority. illegal status, the racist extreme But their single-mindedness and focus national chauvinist element is a have enabled them to “hijack” Israeli growing element in Israeli society. society into acquiescing or at least 3. Ultra-Orthodoxy projects itself as tolerating their programme. Although a quietist form of fundamentalism cursory reading of popular media suggests that believes it is necessary to do that fundamentalists comprise a major whatever it can to protect its way of segment among Jews, the fundamentalist life. Despite their outward displays fringe is less than 10% of worldwide of piety, Ultra-Orthodox elements Jewish population.2 Every religious and often exhibit extreme violence. ethnic group has experienced similar kinds 4. Mystical messianism is an activist of “hijacking” by tiny fundamentalist form of Zionism in which it is a minorities. sacred mission to bring the messiah Th e future of each of our faith traditions into the world using utopian- depends upon how the confl ict between political action. fundamentalists and moderates resolves. So when we confront our co-religionist What unifi es these diverse groups is a fundamentalists, we do so to preserve what single truth model of the world in which a we view as the integrity of our own faith. transcendent utopian response to modern When religious moderates, across religious circumstances expresses itself in a certainty boundaries, work together in interfaith that translates into intolerant forms of coalitions against fundamentalists of all political action. Th ough they may be able faiths, we labour to save humanity.3 to trace an unbroken line of transmission Fundamentalism, it would appear, that emphasizes a tradition of exclusivity,

4 arches quarterly volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 FUNDAMENTALISTS VS. MODERATES: THE WAR WITHIN JUDAISM they ignore a counter-tradition that refutes community.10 Hence a tradition of intra- exclusivity and a single truth model of the religious intolerance has developed. world. Within the community, prohibitions In this article, some of the socio- against independent thinking were historical reasons and the textual common in post-talmudic times.11 justifi cations for Jewish fundamentalism Maimonides (1135-1204), one of the will be presented. Th en counter texts and greatest scholars of Judaism, writing in traditions will be considered. However, it Hebrew, provided a clear foundation for should be noted that fundamentalist anti- these prohibitions in his Mishneh Torah.12 rationalism makes it impossible to alter the Writing in Arabic for a more acculturated thinking of these individuals. Th erefore audience, Maimonides in his Guide to the other strategies need to be developed to Perplexed, teaches a much more pluralistic address the problem of fundamentalism. and rationalist philosophy.13 Fundamentalism is defi ned as a response However, the exclusivist trend can be to modern secular society even though it seen as early as the Mishnah (circa 200 may have roots in the past.6 In Judaism, CE), a central text of Judaism used to there are two recent historical events that generate law. Th e classic example appears serve to shape Jewish fundamentalism: in Mishnah Bava Qamma 4:3, in which one is the Holocaust; the second one is the one can see a double standard applied to existence of the State of Israel. the Jew and the non-Jew.14 Th ough the With respect to the Holocaust that led to specifi c example is narrow, the application the death of six million Jews, a substantial is broader. proportion came from the more orthodox Th is exclusivist trend is even more communities, because the rabbis of many pronounced in certain forms of mystical of these communities encouraged their Judaism. In contrast to the Talmud where congregants to stay in Europe until it was the “righteous of all nations have a share in too late to escape.7 As a result of such the world to come,”15 Kabbalah, the texts choices, “going by the book” replaced for mystical Judaism, suggest that only “living on the street.”8 Th at is, customs Jews will merit salvation.16 and traditional practices that had existed As problematic as these exclusivist trends before the Holocaust either ceased, or were are for the quietist form of fundamentalism, no longer trusted. Th e traditional texts of they are even more problematic for activist Hebrew Bible, Talmud, and the literature forms of Jewish fundamentalism.17 Activist of the code books became a more certain fundamentalism focuses on the size of the foundation for tradition, particularly in a State of Israel and how to act towards dramatically changing world. the non-Jews who live on the land.18 Th e Naturally those people who were best defi nition of what land is Jewish can be as positioned to interpret these texts gained in expansive as Deuteronomy 11:24 which power. In Orthodoxy, these individuals are indicates that Israel goes from the Euphrates the rabbis. Th eir increased power had its to the Western Sea (Mediterranean). own historical roots in rabbinic authority, Some activist fundamentalists use the which could be either open-minded or Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible to intolerant.9 Th e intolerant forms based justify their desire to conquer the land. themselves on exclusivist texts, which As a result, fundamentalists use biblical exist in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, texts about the seven Canaanite nations and the law codes. Th is is as true for all to govern their responses to the non-Jews forms of fundamentalism today as it was who live in the land.19 Other biblical in the past. Furthermore, there is historical justifi cations for taking action against evidence to suggest that the more isolated non-Jews who live in the land are based on and autonomous a Jewish community their classifi cation as Midianites (Numbers was in the past, the more likely violence 25:1-18) and Amalek or his descendants would be used against members of its own (Deuteronomy 25:17 and 19).20 volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 arches quarterly 5 However, nationalist fundamentalists are equally dangerous to Jews who do Within Judaism, there is not agree with them. Two talmudic laws just as long a tradition are used as a justifi cation for violence of universality and against fellow Jews. Th e fi rst is the law of the pursuer (din rodef ) which permits inclusiveness as there is one to kill or harm a Jew if that Jew is of exclusivity. going to kill another Jew. Th e second is the law of the informer (din mosar), For this reason knowledge of counter- which permits one to kill or harm a Jew texts and ideas becomes critically who provides information to non-Jews important. In fact, within Judaism, there about Jewish aff airs. In this case, granting is just as long a tradition of universality Palestinian authority over any territory of and inclusiveness as there is of exclusivity. Israel is considered informing. Th e Israeli In discussing the complexity of this issue fundamentalist Yigal Amir assassinated in early rabbinic history, Steven Fraade has Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin specifi cally developed three categories that intersect justifying himself by that fundamentalist and sometimes contradict each other based interpretation. on a number of rabbinic sources: Messianic beliefs also are used as 1. Non-Jews have no legal status in justifi cation for activist fundamentalist the tradition actions. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook 2. Non-Jewish claims must be (1865-1935), the fi rst Ashkenazi Chief acknowledged because of social and Rabbi of Palestine was a Zionist mystic political realities. who based his work on Lurianic Kabbalah. 3. Non-Jews are subjects of the same He proposed that the individual person God, and therefore deserve to have of the messiah could be interpreted as some of the same benefi ts. 24 a collective being.21 Everything that I have read leads me to believe that Kook Th is last category is the most inclusive would have been shocked and dismayed and has its own interpretive history. As Jews by what his son and others have done to were included in the non-Jewish world, his teachings -- teachings that allowed this inclusiveness increased. In Torah, all Orthodox Jews wiggle room to cooperate humans are made in God’s image, tselem with the Zionist state. His followers elohim (Genesis 1:26). Th rough Abraham became that collective being, and thereby all the families of the earth are to be took on messianic pretensions. One of his blessed (Genesis 12:3). God is the God of contemporary followers, Rabbi Shlomo all fl esh (Numbers 27:16). Aviner, is reported to have said that Jews When we begin to explore the prophets, should “be holy, not moral, and the general they too, recognise the universal nature principles of morality, customary for all of all humankind. Isaiah says (56:7), “For mankind, do not bind the people of Israel, my house will be called a house of prayer because it has been chosen to be above for all people.” And Malachi asks (2:10), them.”22 “Have we not all one father? Did not one Th is truly appalling statement not God create us all?” only demonstrates how dangerous Jewish Th e rabbis of the Talmud also generate fundamentalists are, but how corrupt their a number of ideas to support the unity ideology can become. Th ere is no doubt of all humankind. Th e Noahide laws that there is no precedence to separate proclaim that anyone can be righteous the holy from the moral in Judaism. Th e as long as they follow seven basic laws.25 last time it happened it was considered Th e following legal concepts also promote heresy.23 However, both the mysticism and peace and well-being. the messianism of Jewish fundamentalism 1. Darkei shalom, “the ways of do have precedence in the tradition. peace,” fosters peace and prevents

6 arches quarterly volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 FUNDAMENTALISTS VS. MODERATES: THE WAR WITHIN JUDAISM controversy within and between A multiplicity of valid ideas became a way diff erent communities. to reduce sectarianism and sustain their 2. Darkei noam, “the ways of existence. pleasantness,” refers to the ways In fact, the Babylonian Talmud is of Torah. When the intention of considered a rather unique set of books, Jewish law is unclear, interpretation because argumentation that is not resolved should not confl ict with ways of makes up so much of the text.26 Not only pleasantness and peace. does argument help in the development 3. Rodef shalom, “pursuing peace,” of ideas, but multiplicity allows for encourages one to help an enemy contradictory ideas to remain a part of the even before one helps a friend. tradition. Th is is famously summarized in 4. Pikuach Nefesh, “saving a soul,” a talmudic story about two famous rabbis, means saving a life supersedes all Hillel and Shammai. other commands with the exception For three years there was a dispute of prohibitions against murder, between the School of Hillel and the School idolatry, and sexual immorality. of Shammai, the former asserting, “Th e law 5. Tikkun olam, “repair of the world,” is in agreement with our views,” and the was initially a very narrow way of latter contending, “Th e law is in agreement repairing a judicial injustice. In with our views.” Th en a voice from heaven, Lurianic mystical Judaism, it refers announced, “Th ese and those are the words of to an individual’s capacity to repair the Living God…” the cosmos with his or her acts. Th at both legal traditions are the word of Th e signifi cance of the inclusive, God suggests that both have validity. Th is universal strand of rabbinic thought is not only refl ects the acknowledgement not only a refl ection of a counter-tradition of multiple valid perspectives, but it in Judaism, but just as importantly, a acknowledges the validity of each rabbi’s refl ection of the validity of pluralistic ideas. reasoning process in developing their Th e importance placed on multiplicity tradition. In fact, the resolution of the has its own signifi cant place in rabbinic dispute between Hillel and Shammai does history. Th e early rabbis were concerned not concern a system of beliefs, but moral about the survival of the Jewish people. action.27 We follow the School of Hillel Th is was particularly true once the Temple because they are kindly and modest, and in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans teach their opponent’s views before their in 70 CE, and it became clear that it was own. 28 not going to be rebuilt any time soon. Th e Th is text suggests that morality is the Jewish way of life had been organized ultimate determinate of Jewish law.29 around the Temple. Th e question for the In fact, other talmudic texts connect rabbis was could the Jewish people survive holiness and morality. One text blames the without a Temple or a land in which they destruction of the Temple on immorality. could govern themselves? Why was the First Temple destroyed? Th eir answer was to generate an halakhic Because of three evils in it: idolatry, (legal and social-religious) system that immorality, and bloodshed. But why was the could be enacted anywhere. Th ey were Second Temple destroyed, seeing that during particularly fearful of the development the time it stood people occupied themselves of sectarian divisions, not only because with Torah, with observance of precepts, and there were so many such divisions when with the practice of charity: Because during the rabbinic tradition started (before the time it stood, hatred without rightful the destruction of the Temple), but also cause prevailed. Th is is to teach you that because Jews were such a small population hatred without rightful cause is deemed as that sectarianism would threaten the grave as all three sins of idolatry, immorality, existence of the Jewish people altogether. and bloodshed together.30 volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 arches quarterly 7 FUNDAMENTALISTS VS. MODERATES: THE WAR WITHIN JUDAISM to the fundamentalist ability to determine Another text says that Jerusalem was the rules of the game. Th ere are three basic destroyed because the people only acted tools that moderates can use: according to the letter of the law, and did 1. Knowledge – we must be not go beyond the measure of the law to knowledgeable about our tradition. morality.31 Th is includes k nowledge of counter- Medieval commentators add their voice texts and commentaries to the ones to this chorus. Nachmanides (1194-1256) fundamentalism uses. was not only a noted commentator on 2. Counter values – Our the Hebrew Bible, and a rational debater understanding of what is valuable with Christians about Judaism, but also is not the same. a mystic. In one of his commentaries, he 3. Cooperation with moderates of all says one should do “the right and the good traditions. We are stronger together (Deuteronomy 6:18)” in every matter. than individually. Th is command occurs because one could technically fulfi ll all of the Torah’s rules and still lead an immoral life.32 Fundamentalism often Mysticism, too, connects the holy and the moral. Moses Cordovero (1522-1570) triumphs because shows how mystical ideas can be used to of the weakness of promote morality.33 Lurianic Kabbalah also frames Jewish ritual as a way of moderates, not because repairing God and the cosmos, a repair of the strength of that is certainly moral.34 fundamentalists. Th e separation of morality from holiness that appears in Jewish fundamentalism is a modern phenomenon that occurs precisely Across religious boundaries, religious because the secular world has separated moderates need to study texts with religion from morality. Th e fact that each other, learning together to push Jewish fundamentalism does, only shows beyond literal meaning. A hallmark of how much it is infl uenced by the very fundamentalism is a worship of sacred text, modernity that it rejects. as if the text is God. Responding to the In fact, the attempt of many Jewish modern world, religious moderates must fundamentalists to stop time and deny search for the compelling moral and ethical modernity and the interconnectedness insights revealed in sacred texts. Religious of the world seems to be its own kind of moderates tend to take text less seriously idolatry. In Judaism, it is possible to turn than fundamentalists. My undergraduate the tradition, the land, or the people into New Testament professor Krister Stendahl, an idol. In Th e Book of Exodus (3:14), God in the most important lesson I learned in a is reported to have said to Moses when year of New Testament textual study with Moses asks for God’s name: I will be that him, stressed the necessity of religious I will be. Th is is an answer that refl ects moderates like me learning to study texts action, future possibility, and ambiguity. as seriously as fundamentalists do, if only To turn God into anything else is idolatry, to do battle with them. and such idolatry is capable of destroying Fundamentalism often triumphs the religion. because of the weakness of moderates, It is not easy to fi ght fundamentalism. not because of the strength of It has a black and white view of the world fundamentalists. I personally learned this that creates certainty in an uncertain insight forty years ago from a political world. Th at is part of its appeal. But the science professor of mine, Juan Linz. In either/or world inhabit a course on “Crisis and Breakdown in is about the use of power. It contributes Democracy,” Linz taught that the triumph

8 arches quarterly volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 of authoritarianism comes about more Religious moderates need to stand in the through the weakness of democrats than forefront of eff orts to create a passion for by the strength of authoritarians. From peace within civil society and to elevate the Weimar Republic to Republican moderation to a civic virtue. It is often the Spain and similar failed democracies, Linz lack of such passion, often a by-product of buttressed this hypothesis through a full- a society’s focusing on other “existential” year course. Religious moderates similarly matters, which allows fundamentalism to need to learn to make moderation robust enlarge its infl uence. and compelling, if we are to vanquish We must build a world where people of fundamentalism. all diff erent traditions can live together Th e single most important focus for in peace. Th e best possibility we have of interfaith conferences should be the role creating peace is to develop partnerships and status of women in our religious with others who also seek peace regardless traditions. Th e role and status of women of their religious traditions. Mutual respect in all – such as women’s access to and the celebration of diff erence should education, including study of sacred texts be the goals of our joint eff ort. Although - is the single most important barometric infl uencing fundamentalists often seems a measure in the fundamentalist-moderate daunting task for religious moderates, we war within every religion. Listening believe that it is a sacred task and one which and hearkening to the voices of women unites large segments of humanity. Jewish enhances every religious tradition in tradition tells us that it is not incumbent indispensible ways. Focussing on women’s upon us to complete the task, but we are issues, religious moderates confront the not allowed to desist from it either.35 full range of issues in the confl ict between moderates and fundamentalists within > Many contributed ideas and suggestions for this article. The every tradition. author indebted for much of the research and insight in the article to Catherine Lasser, Ph.D., the Director of Research for Th e interfaith encounter is in and of FAITH. itself an expression of modernity and moderation. Fundamentalists within every religion resist and oppose interfaith Rabbi Dr Mark L. Winer is President of FAITH: the activity. It is the relative moderates Foundation to Advance Interfaith Trust and Harmony, two sibling foundations of the same name in the UK who attend the interfaith dialogues and and US, www.faithinterfaith.com. He is also Chairman participate in interfaith partnerships. It is of the International Interfaith Task Force of the World sometimes diffi cult to read the moderation Union for Progressive Judaism and Senior Scholar at the in interfaith dialogue, since so often a West London Synagogue of British Jews, where he was Senior Rabbi between 1998-2010. measure of posturing takes place in the enunciation of positions. Nonetheless, all need to recognise the essential moderation ENDNOTES of their partners in dialogue. Attending 1. Huntington, Samuel. (1996). The Clash of Civilizations, New interfaith dialogue implies an acceptance York, Simon and Schuster. of the possibility of the validity of more 2. See footnote 15. 3. This language may seem extreme. However, fundamental- than one path to truth. We need these ists adhere to a single truth model of the world (see below), encounters, however awkward they appear which creates a black-and-white, either/or understanding of sometimes, to nurture moderation in the world. Using this perspective, fundamentalists have cre- others, and cross-pollinate our interfaith ated a win-lose zero sum game, which creates confl ict and is oriented to power. Moderates, who are more oriented toward endeavours. creating win-win, cooperative situations, will fi nd themselves Th e eternal war between fundamentalists ‘losing’ in situations that fundamentalists have defi ned unless and moderates, within each religion and they recognize this dynamic. across religious boundaries, refl ects the 4. Mittleman, Alan L. (1993). “Fundamentalism and Political Development,” in Jewish Fundamentalism in Comparative never-ending confl ict in every civil society. Perspective, NY: New York University Press. Too often moderation, compromise, 5. Most scholars do not address this particular form of and peace-building become demonised. fundamentalism. 6. J. Silberstein, Laurence J. (1993). “Religion, Ideology, Moder- volume 5 edition 9 spring 2012 arches quarterly 9 FUNDAMENTALISTS VS. MODERATES: THE WAR WITHIN JUDAISM

nity: Theoretical Issues in the Study of Jewish Fundamentalism, reasons: against the seven (Canaanite) nations, against Amalek in Jewish Fundamentalism in Comparative Perspective, NY, NY: and to deliver Israel from an enemy who has attacked them. New York University Press, pp. 3-26. An authorized war is one to enlarge the borders of Israel and 7. Heilman, Samuel C. (2005). “Orthodoxy in America after the to increase greatness and prestige. Hence how one designates Holocaust,” in Sliding to the Right, Los Angeles, CA: University of the inhabitants of the land is critical to what one is permit- California Press, pp.15-62. ted to do and how one treats the combatants.See Michael 8. Ibid, pp.127. J. Broyde, The Bounds of Wartime Military Conduct in Jewish 9. It is true that since the time of Saadia Gaon rabbinic author- Law, Flushing, NY: Center for Jewish Studies, 2006, for a more ity has characterized Judaism. However, it is problematic complete discussion. to make the case that the only way to determine authentic 21. Another interpretation was based on Zechariah 9:9 “your Judaism is to rely on this characteristic. A 400 year tradition king will come to you, righteous and victorious is he, a humble has been established in the United States that does not rely on man riding upon a donkey…” Secular Jews were the ‘donkey’ rabbinic authority. Moderate Jews are more likely to accept the that messianic Zionism would use to fulfi ll their goals. Shahak halakhic expertise of rabbis than their authority to determine and Mezvinsky, op.cit. an individual’s actions. As such the role of halakhah has 22. Hirst, David. (2003). The Guns and the Olive Branch: Roots changed. It can be a communal practice and/or a Jewish way of Violence in the Middle East, NY, NY: Avalon Publishing Group, to connect with God. Therefore it provides a way to develop Inc, p.84. one’s spiritual being. In addition, it is true that though Jews 23. This refers to the Frankist heresy after Jacob Frank, an 18th worry about assimilation and intermarriage, the strong use of century Jewish religious leader who proclaimed himself the rabbinic authority is not considered the only, or even the best messiah and believed in “purifi cation through transgression.” solution. 24. Fraade, Steven D. (1994). “Navigating the Anomalous: Non- 10. Shahak, Israel & Mezvinsky, Norton. (1999). Jewish Funda- Jews at the Intersection of Early Rabbinic Law and Narrative,” in mentalism in Israel, www.members.tripod.com/alabasters_ar- Lawrence J. Silberstein and Robert L. Cohn, The Other in Jewish chive/jewish_fundamentalism.html. Thought and History, NY: New York University Press, pp.145-165. 11. Ibid. 25. BT Sanhedrin 56a-b. The laws are 1) having a judicial 12. In his laws of idolatry (2.3) he says that it is forbidden to system, 2) no idolatry, 3) no blasphemy, 4) no murder, 5) no think about idolatry or anything that may cause a Jew to doubt sexual immorality, 6) no theft, and 7) no eating a limb taken one principle of Jewish religion. Further (2.5), he says that from a live animal. idolatrous Jews are to be treated like non-Jews. This particular 26. Kraemer, David.(1990). Mind of the Talmud: An Intellectual point shows that not only were ideas a basis for expressing History, NY: Oxford University Press. Lightstone, Jack. (1994). exclusivity, but exclusivity between Jews and non-Jews was a The Rhetoric of the Babylonian Talmud: It Sociological Meaning trend in Jewish thought as well. This Jew/non-Jew exclusivity and Context, Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press. is more clearly stated in Maimonides’ Laws of Murders and 27. What is even more fascinating is that this text is followed Preservation of Life (4.10-11) where he cites Leviticus 19:16 by a story in which it turns out that we follow the tradition of that says one should not stand by the blood of your fellow, Shammai. Thus showing that the precedence given to Hillel is and then goes on to say that the non-Jew is not your fellow. not an exclusive one. He further states that one is forbidden to cause the death of a 28. BT Erubin 13b, “but the law is in agreement with the rulings non-Jew, but one is also forbidden to rescue a non-Jew. of School of Hillel.” Since both are the words of the Living God,” 13. Fox, Marvin. (1990). Interpreting Maimonides. University of what entitled [the members of] the School of Hillel to have the Chicago Press. law fi xed according to their rulings? Because they were kindly 14. The example concerns a double standard applied to the and modest, they studied their own rulings and those of the Jew and the non-Jew with reference to their culpability when School of Shammai, and were even so humble to mention the an ox of one does damage to an ox of the other. words of School of Shammai before their own. 15. BT. Sanhedrin 105a. Other texts and ideas will be presented 29. In fact the Hebrew Bible makes little sense unless it can be below. comprehended that morality matters to God. 16. Shahak and Mezvinsky, op.cit., Mysticism was a particularly 30. BT Yoma 9b. important trend in Judaism from approximately 1550 when 31. BT Bava Metzia 30b. Luria democratized the elitism of Jewish mysticism to 1750 at 32. See Wurzburger, Walter. (1994). Ethics of Responsibility: the beginning of modernity when Jews began to be accepted Pluralistic Approaches to Covenantal Ethics, Philadelphia, PA: into the broader non-Jewish society and rejected mysticism Jewish Publications Society, p.32. for rationality 33. Cordovero, Moses. (1994). The Palm Tree of Devorah, South- 17. In Israel they are more of a problem because they control fi eld, MI: Targum Press. how certain rituals are observed in Israel, and even defi ne who 34. Luria lived from 1534-1572. His student Hayim Vital wrote is a Jew. down and transmitted his teachings. 18. Hunter, James Davison. (1993). “Fundamentalism: 35. Pirkei Avot 2:21. Introduction to a General Theory,” in Jewish Fundamentalism in Comparative Perspective, NY, NY: New York University Press, pp. 27-41. 19. This is the case even though Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, a respected second century rabbi, has said that the seven na- tions that lived in ancient Canaan can no longer be identifi ed. 20. These classifi cations are important because they defi ne how one responds to inhabitants in the land. Specifi cally, the Talmud makes a distinction between obligatory wars and authorized wars. An obligatory war can occur for three

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