Review

The things are also written in other sources than the one cited here. As far as I understand what Michi says about Borg, he is right. In my opinion, the Borg problem lies in a slightly different place. This gentleman presents a false representation of Judaism in which the universalist (“humanist”) ethos is at least equivalent to the particularist national ethos. In fact, he also hints strongly that the “true” Judaism - the one that only enlightened people like him hold dear - leans much more towards the universalist side. He brings distorted examples to illustrate this, for example, in the question of the centrality of Israel: the Torah was given outside the borders of the land, the Babylonian Talmud was written in Babylon and not in Israel, and such nonsense. As if a faithful description of the basic norms of Judaism is conditioned by factual historical circumstances and not by the question of what Judaism demands of man.
In this way, Borg tries to embellish the image of Judaism, thereby distorting not only it but also impairing the ability of those who believe in universalism (and not as confused as his) to criticize Judaism. The bottom line is that Borg is striving against the opposing ideological camp and at the same time against his own camp.
And I haven't said a single word about the man himself. And there is something.

True words. Also say a few words about a person's body.

Thanks.
Well, this is more about my personal impression (and I think many others' too). I mean his career in the Jewish Agency, a Zionist body par excellence, and his alleged turn to fight Zionism. He will of course say that it is legitimate to change his position, but who really believes him?
Incidentally, if I remember correctly, he fought to receive compensation or a pension or I don't remember what in retrospect from that body. Supposedly after he ”changed” his position. And in my opinion, there were other small incidents that did not add credibility to anyone.

Another small thing, in an interview about his appeal to the High Court of Justice regarding his registration as a Jew, he insisted on telling the interviewers that ”his issue is not political but Gothic”.
Alek. He is resorting to a legal struggle in the country and is raising slogans to support the move, but it is “not political”…
Not that there's any problem with political measures (there's not even a problem, in my opinion, with this measure). The problem is with plagiarism.

In the book of the Torah, Abraham Burg is partially right. The people of Israel, as the sons of the "Father of a multitude of nations" (after whom he is called "Abraham"), should be "the firstborn of Israel". As the firstborn, he should be a model for his younger brothers. Therefore, before the giving of the Torah, it was made clear to the people of Israel that they were destined to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" who would be a living example of a life of faith, justice, and righteousness in their faith and lifestyle.

But the responsibility of the Jewish people towards other nations requires them to maintain extreme protection, both for their independent physical existence and for their spiritual character, so that they may be the people who influence humanity with their faith and values, and not a people who follow them in terms of values and culture.

Therefore, the law established boundaries to avoid interfering with the Gentiles, and hence the importance of the ‘Nationship Law’ which declares and preserves the Jewish character of the State of Israel. Who is Avrom Burg, whose father managed to escape from Germany shortly before the Holocaust, and whose mother is a survivor of the 1919 riots – who should know to what extent ‘we have no other country’, and therefore we must preserve its Jewish character.

With greetings, Amioz Yaron Schnitzel”r

Levinger, you are also partially right. Every time you sign your name correctly at the end of your words. And in the meantime, my personal email continues to cry for your departure from it. It misses you.

Unlike the imitators of Judaism, who spread their faith in the world by the power of wars and conquests, Judaism spread its faith by the power of wisdom and personal example of moral behavior.

Abraham, who was the "father of a multitude of nations," would go from place to place and call on the name of the Lord, and was respected by his Gentile surroundings, who called him "the president of God, you are among us." But Abraham himself, when the Lord consults with him about the fate of Sodom, understands that with fewer than ten righteous people in the city, without a "critical mass" of a "congregation" of the Lord's servants, – There is no chance of changing the negative reality. And in building a ‘community’ of God's servants, Isaac and Jacob focus, with the understanding that only when a well-established community is established – will it have the power to radiate outward.

Jacob embodies the vision of global influence in his blessing to Judah, who is destined to lead the people of Israel, that the time will come when ‘Shiloh will come and gather the nations’, as in: ‘And the nations will listen’ (And so, the root ‘yik”h” concerns ‘discipline and acceptance of the world’. Moses in his blessing attributes the universal influence to Zebulun, who deals with trade with the nations of the world, following which: ‘peoples will call upon the mountain, there they will sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness’.

A strong emphasis on the universal designation is given by King David, the founder of the kingdom of Israel. When he transferred the Ark of the Lord to his new capital, he said before the Ark of the Lord the psalm: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; declare in his name his wondrous works among all the nations’ (where we begin the ‘verses of Zimra’). The vision of the influence on the nations, came to a possible existence In the days of Solomon, when people from all over the world came to hear his wisdom, but this period of splendor did not last long, due to the disintegration of his kingdom into two rival kingdoms.

The vision of universal influence was developed by the prophets. Isaiah and Micah foretell the end of days when the Mount of the Temple would be exalted and all the nations would flock to it to learn from its hosts. The future leader would judge among the nations and rebuke them, and then they would dwell in peace and unity in the world. But the people of Israel did not listen to the rebukes of the prophets. Instead of imparting faith and moral values, they became influenced and punished in exile.

The exile had a corrective effect on the people, and began a process of correction. From the days of the Second Temple onwards, there are almost no idols in Israel. The center established by the people of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem gathered around it a worldwide network of synagogues all over the world.

In every city and village around the world, the Gentiles saw a strange people who returned from work every seventh day, gathered In a small temple devoid of idols, he lived his life according to his own holy scriptures, which each and every one of them participated in reading and studying. Many of the Gentiles reacted with disgust and hatred, but many, including the elite, drifted closer to Judaism and even converted.

Roman historians lamented the situation in which there was no home in Rome without a Jew. In order to stop this religious and cultural drift, Hadrian decreed circumcision, a decree that led to the Bar Kokhba revolt, which was brutally suppressed. Even later, when circumcision was permitted again for Jews, it was strictly prohibited for Gentiles, and the separation between Jews and Gentiles was absolute.

Christianity exploited the opportunity to approach Judaism, offering a lite Judaism without the obligation to observe the commandments, and also faith Syncretism that combined monotheism with idolatry ‘one who is three and three who are one’. A person can do what he wants and remain a semi-pagan, and still feel himself ‘the true Israel – Israel in the spirit’. And when Christianity became the dominant religion (and later Islam became the dominant religion in the East) – Judaism became a persecuted and humiliated minority.

More than a thousand and five hundred years would pass. The hegemony of Christianity passed to the hegemony of secularism, which it believed would bring enlightenment and progress to the world. Until postmodernity arrived and Western arrogance made room for listening to Eastern and ancient cultures as well. A movement of Gentiles also arose who were trying to approach Judaism as ’sons of Noah’, and there were also rabbis who responded to the challenge and are ready to engage in bringing them closer, such as the Rabbis Schneerson, Rabbi Steinsaltz, Rabbi Yoel Schwartz, Rabbi Jonathan Sachs, and Rabbi Uri Sharkey.

Our current state of independence, and the fact that the postmodern world is also attentive to the voices of the old, open a window of opportunity for Judaism to return to the universal vision.

With greetings, Simcha Fishel Plankton

It is worth noting the article by Rabbi Eliyahu Galil, On the Way to Monotheism (on the website of the Shabbat Supplement, Makor Rishon), in which he describes the vision of the Maimonides that the Messiah will spread the Jewish faith in the world through peaceful means. In my responses, I drew parallels with the words of Rabbi Nachman. From Breslav and the Raya Cook.

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The trend of approaching Judaism…