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Ask JTF For Sunday January 18, 2009
zachor_ve_kavod:
Dear Chaim,
The teachers union in my area is anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. I should say that the leaders of the union are, not necessarily the teachers. They keep proposing anti-Semitic regulations. A couple years ago, they tried divesting from Israel, but the members defeated this proposal by a narrow margin. Now they've gone further and are proposing to prohibit Israelis from teaching in colleges. My guess is that this proposal will be defeated as well (narrowly).
For the last few years, I've gone back to university to get a degree in music and history and I have been planning to teach, which means I would have to be a member of the union. I was talking about it with my wife today, and I told her that I don't want anything to do with an anti-Semitic union. She reasoned that if I were to become a member, I could be a voice for the good people in that union, and take on the those leaders who try to harm Israel at every opportunity.
It is a reasonable argument. I know several teachers who hate what their union leaders are trying to do in their name. If I were to be a teacher, I would have no option but to become a member of the union. And if I were a union member, I would do everything to ensure that evil proposals wouldn't pass, and I would go even further and try to change the leadership and the mindset of this union for the better.
But I don't know if this is the right thing to do. Is it worth it? Should I even have anything to do with such people? Should I try to make a change for the better? What is the moral thing to do?
Thanks,
Zachor_ve_kavod.
Masha:
Dear Chaim,
I find your explanation about rodef/rodfim very illuminating. It makes a lot of sense to me. However, some Jews disagree with your definition of the rodef. What would your answer be to someone who claims that rodef is someone who has murderous intentions. I found this discussin on the Internet, where the writer uses Hebrew grammar to claim that your definition of rodef is incorrect. Sorry for the long quotation, but I would like to be able to debunk them.
--- Quote ---It has been suggested that rodef literally means pursuers in some benign, innocent way. That is incorrect. In Hebrew, many words have a three letter “shoresh” or root. There can be numerous words with differing yet similar root meanings that have the same derivation from the same shoresh. There are numerous words with the same shoresh as rodef but they are mainly adjectives, verbs and adverbs. There are a few nouns with the same shoresh.
They include:
Redifah = pursuit
Meradeh = one who pursues vanities
Mordaf = persecuted/pursued.
Rabbi Arthur Green used rodfim as a noun. As a noun, there is no modern Hebrew usage of the term rodef/rodfim. It is a biblical term and a Halachic designation. It does not mean a mere benign pursuer. It means “a pursuer(s) with murderous intention”. A person who meets the definition of a
rodef/rodfim is subject to din rodef / law of the pursuer and is subject to death on sight. It is forbidden to transgress the sabbath to save the life of a rodef/rodfim.
The average person in any hebrew speaking community in the entire world who saw a person shake his fist at a group of people and shout "RODFIM" would instantly recognize, understand and appreciate the "blood libel" being stated. That is exactly what Rabbi Arthur Green has done here.
We call on Rabbi Arthur Green to publicly withdraw his comment and issue a full public apology for the use of the term rodfim. We call on Jewish institutions affiliated with Rabbi Arthur Green and that work with victims of violence to condemn his comments and distance themselves from him until he takes those steps.
--- End quote ---
Taken from: http://protocols.blogspot.com/2004_10_10_protocols_archive.html
Zvulun Ben Moshe:
Chaim,
Why not register a party in Israel with a nominal leader, while you would be the real party leader in exile?
I think this scenario will make HaYamin look more serious than just a movement who is against everyone, but itself is not in the action.
Thank you.
davinci:
Shalom Chaim
I studied recently what is today called the "Arab world". Before the rise of Islam it was part of the Christian world and there were no Arabs there because they lived still all in the Arab peninsula. All the countries from Morocco to Egypt converted entirely to Christianity. Iraq and Persia converted partially to Christianity because they had the state religion Zoroastrianism.
So we can sum up that from Morocco to Persia we had entirely or partially judeo-christian societies.
There is one exception: the Arab peninsula which never accepted judeo-christianity besides Yemen and Oman which probably accepted it only because they were part of the Persian empire.
My question: what went wrong in the Arabian peninsula? Is it because of the mindset of the Arabs or because of the Christian missionaries who made wrong decisions there?
Kind regards
davinci
YESHA:
Shalom Reb Chaim,
How come a radical-Left, Meretz Knesset Member, like Avishalom …what’s his name Avshalom (Abu) Vilan, wears a Kippa (Jewish skullcap) and someone like Aryeh Eldad – a MK for the Right-leaning (arguably!) National Union-NRP bloc does not wear one? Thanks and keep up your great show!
Todah!
Zeev
Zev – Ask Yesha Q&A JTF Audio Show – every two weeks
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