Comments on: Hatred, or Judaism told backwards

By: Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place » In Blood, Fire and Hatred Shall Judea Rise

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:28:25 +0000

[...] resident Gershom Gorenberg notes that before Purim, posters dripping with blood red lettering showed up all over the city announcing a rally at the East [...]

By: The Look of the Lynch Mob « South Jerusalem: Gershom Gorenberg and Haim Watzman

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:01:21 +0000

[...] march was no secret. The organizers, including Women in Green, put up posters around the country calling for people to gather on the stone-paved promenade above the landscaped [...]

By: Warren

Warren — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:07:38 +0000

I found Elliott’s post here – http://jewschool.com/2008/03/14/between-hebron-and-jerusalem/

And I found a copy of the poster on the message board at Tzomet Habankim on the way home from shul this morning.

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:21:10 +0000

Chris has it spot on. A beautiful post. And an issue that bothers any thinking Jew. I’ve always thought that our religious tradition is a historical struggle between warring impulses: to be just or merciful; to be vengeful or loving; to be tolerant or exclusive. You can find a Jewish text for any season. The Kahanists can find their source as Gershom and I can find ours. The issue is which sources will become normative? Which sources will dominate the discourse? Do we as Jews want to be known for the genocide we commited against Amalek and the Jebusites? Or do we want to be known as the people who love God and treat our fellow human beings as if they were created in His image?

I don’t think this struggle is ever won. That’s why we must try to make our mark in the ongoing debate and put forward the best, more humane values that Judaism has to offer. If we don’t do this then we cede the field to the haters among us and let the world know our religion as one of fear, ignorance & violence.

By: Chris Dornan

Chris Dornan — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:10:24 +0000

A beautiful post. No tool can work without being applied skilfully–the tool simply can’t accomplish the task by itself. An airplane won’t fly from A to B without the skilful intervention of a pilot.

Why on earth should anyone expect any different from religious texts is beyond me. Like scientists keep saying about science–that it is morally neutral–the same is true of religious traditions after a fashion. If the practitioners put hatred in that is what will come out. If they approach it with a good heart, humility, love and a desire for knowledge and harmony then they will get results to match.

In Tibetan Buddhism, once the transmission for a text has been broken it is dead. End of story. The text itself is no longer a religious text and has no religious or spiritual value. The only way for it to be passed on is from realised master to qualified student.

I look forward to lots more of your beautiful tradition on this blog.