Within
certain Jewish communities one can hear statements such as “a goy is a goy and
can’t be expected to behave decently.” This is an attitude that is the result
of centuries of anti-Semitic persecution, but, in my opinion, is really kneged
Torah since all people are Btzelem Elokim, created in the image of God.
With
this thought in mind, let us look at the second section of Devarim 23
particularly interesting. Although negative, it discusses different nations and
the reasons why they may or may not join the nation of Israel.
“No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation
of the Lord, none of their descendants none
of their descendants, even in the tenth generation, shall ever be admitted into
the congregation of the Lord, because they did not meet you with food and water
on your journey after you left Egypt, and because they hired Balaam son of
Beor, from Pethor of Aram-Naharaim, to curse you.…. You shall never concern
yourself with their welfare or benefit as long as you live. You shall not abhor
an Edomite, for he is your kinsman. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you
were a stranger in his land. Children born to them may be admitted into the
congregation of the Lord in the third generation” (23:4-5,7-9).
Quite clearly the Torah
recognizes the distinct character traits of global humanity – if not by each
individual then certainly by nationally-inherited traits. In this regulation,
the Torah is revealing something about these individual nations. The Ammonites
and the Moabites were distant cousins of the Israelites, descendants of
Avraham’s nephew, Lot. Thus when they refused Bnei Yisrael bread and water, it
was particularly cruel as the Israelites were not complete foreigners to them
but rather Semitic cousins with whom at least the necessities should have been
shared.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael
Hirsch explains the prohibition of Ammonites and Moabites ever entering the
assembly of God and the Edomites and Mitzrim only after three generations thus:
“The Jewish nation is to build itself up by…guarding feelings of general
humaneness and kindness, as well as fostering those of gratitude.”
So how has it become
acceptable today to view other nations with such haughty eyes, to acknowledge
their humanity with lip service only? Of course, there is the fact of the
emotional trauma our people have suffered generation after generation, but that
is an external factor for a people who are meant to be continually striving to
emulate Hashem. It is a difficult question because many people have trouble
acknowledging that there is a problem since, after all, we are “the chosen
people.”
This is an opinion piece
but being the chosen people does not give us the right to look down on other
nations. Rather it gives us the responsibility to show other nations how Hashem
wants humankind to be (as Rav Hirsch stated so beautifully) filled with
“humaneness and kindness.” Certainly, halacha differentiates how one is to
treat Jews and non-Jews, because we are a family. How we treat our family,
however, should be a model for how we treat others.
The fact is that this is
not just a question of how we act. Every Torah observant Jew understands the
significance of thought and intention, the power of the tongue and how talk
inevitably is reflected in action. If, in our minds, all of the other nations
are lesser, than our actions reflect this belief. With bullying so often in the
news, our society is very much aware that the bullies are often those who are
hurting inside themselves. A person cannot truly pull themselves up by putting
others down, and this is a lesson for Klal Yisrael. We do not become better
people by insisting that the other nations are lowly. We become better people
by following the Torah and living Jewish lives.
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