A Soulful Journey

  “Instead of saying   you frighten me , what if we said   you interest me ?’ -Richard Bach   I laughed as I read those words.   Can you imagine a world where interest was a stronger impulse than fear?  There would be no more wars.  An end to hatred and likely poverty.  Much suffering would disappear from the world because we would learn from one another.

 "Love blinds us to faults, hatred to virtues." - Moshe ibn Ezra Rabbi Yehoshua said, "An evil eye, the evil inclination and hatred of people removes a person from the world."  - Pirkay Avot 2:11

"If the Spaniards massacred one another, if they set up their own country on fire and bled it, it is because in 1492 they burned or drove away their Jews...  You begin by hating and persecuting others and wind up hating and annihilating you own."  - Elie Wiesel

A Jewish man is sitting on a bench reading his newspaper when an anti-Semite approaches him and says, “You know, all the world’s problems are because of the Jews.” The Jewish man looks up and replies, “And the bicycle riders.” The anti-Semite replies befuddled, “Why the bicycle riders?” The Jewish man responds, “Why the Jews?” There is no rationality for Anti-Semitism.  Or ethnic hatred of any sort.

It is forbidden for a Jew to say that he is an idolater so that they will not kill him. But it is permitted to change one’s clothing so that they would not recognize him as a Jew in time of persecution, so long as he does not say he’s a Gentile.  - Shulchan Aruch, Hilchot Avodah Zarah Such is the history of our people that such considerations are given thought. 

A Dutch missionary came back to Holland as the Second World War was beginning.  His friends said to him: "Tell us that we should do about Jews.  Should we help and harbor them?  Should new turn them in?  Should we do nothing?"  He said to them:  "I cannot tell you what to do.  I can only tell you who you are.  Once you know who you are, you will know what to do." It is always the same.  We know who we are and therefore know what is expected of us.  The only remaining question is, will we listen?

"I imagine that one of the reasons that people cling to their hate and prejudice so stubbornly is because they sense that once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with their own pain.."   - James Baldwin

"That which you hate to have done to you, you must not do to others."  - Hillel If it hurts you, it will hurt someone else.

"Why was the Temple destroyed?" "Because of purposeless hatred among the people. "  -Yoma 9b Hate cannot create.  It has only one aim: to destroy.  Hatred destroyed in two ways: 1. It devours the object. 2. It consumes the subject.

Why was the holy Temple destroyed? There are three reasons given by the Sages: 1.      Avodah Zarah (idol worship) 2.      Inappropriate relations 3.      Spilling of blood. But in the Second Temple the people were immersed in Torah and mitzvot and acts of kindness.   Why then was it destroyed? Because of baseless animosity.   This teaches that baseless animosity is equivalent to Avodah Zarah, inappropriate relations and the spilling of blood.   –Yoma 5b

There is a Russian story about an Armenian grandmother on her deathbed.  Her children gathered to hear her final words. “Take care of the Jews,” she wheezed. “Mom, we are Armenians.   Why take care of the Jews?” “First they come for the Jews and then they come for the Armenians.”    - Rabbi  Jonathan  Miller

Three inmates were talking. "What are you here for?" asked one. "They put me in for beating up some old Jew named Khaimovich." "And why are you here?" asked the second. 'For having defended some old Jew in a fight man Khaimovovh." "And what were you arrested for?" the third was asked. "For being Khaimovoch."

“The Talmud says: If allowed to have his way, the Angel of Death will rage indiscriminately, He will cut down the wicked and the just.  In time of war, mankind goes insane.” –Elie Wiesel, The Testamant

Brezhnev and Kosygin met to discuss the Jewish question in the Soviet Union. “Kosygin, how many Jews do we have here?” “About 2 ½ million, I think” “And if we opened the borders to let out the troublemakers among them, how many do you think would leave?” “Probably no less than 5 million.” It has been said by historical observers that when the Jews suffer they are the first indication of a greater malaise that will soon engulf all.