More than 3,300 years ago, the G-d of Israel gave the world an instruction Book. Through this Book, the world learns what is right. It learns what is wrong.
From this Book, we learn how to choose what is right. We learn how to avoid what is wrong. We learn, in other words, how to be moral.
We learn how to tell the difference between right and wrong. We learn how to apply such knowledge to the real world: we learn what to do when a wrong has been done. We learn how make ‘right’ what has been done ‘wrong’.
In other words, we learn about justice.
G-d chose the Jewish people to bring this Book to the world. He chose Judaism to define what is moral and just.
This Book has never changed. It remains G-d’s word. His definitions and instructions remain eternal, not temporary. The concepts of morality and justice found here remain universal.
This Book is the Torah, which many call the Five Books of Moses. Its message and lessons have remained compelling through the Ages. It is the single best-selling Book of all time.
The reason for that is simple. Western law, morality and justice are all based upon this Book. Our daily lives are guided by this Book. It ‘speaks’ to us.
The West would be wise to listen to its voice—for the voice of this Book is more than the voice of morality and justice. It is more than the voice of Man. It is the Voice of G-d.
But the West falters. It no longer follows this Book. We know that because the West scorns the people of this Book.
The West forgets. It chooses to forget. This Book is a Gift received by the Jewish people directly from G-d.
The Grantor, the Gift and the recipient of the Gift are linked. Reject one—and, ultimately, you will reject all three.
It’s a simple proposition. It works.
Look how the West operates. It says it is moral. It says it seeks justice and peace. Then it rejects the people of the Book. It demonizes the people of the Book. It delegitimizes the people of the Book.
But when the West rejects and demonizes the people who received the Gift, it rejects and demonizes the Grantor of the Gift.
When it rejects the Grantor of the Gift, the West rejects the truth of contents of the Gift—its morality and its justice.
Then, when the West rejects the truth of the Gift, it perverts morality. It undermines justice.
For example, the West says it is moral. But it demonizes Jews. It speaks harshly to Israel but refrains from rebuking Arabs ("Kerry warns of third intifada, Israel's isolation, if peace talks break down", Jerusalem Post, September 7, 2013).
That isn’t justice. It’s playing favourites. It is a perversion of justice specifically forbidden by the Torah (see Sh’mot, 23:6, and commentary from The Chumash, the Stone Edition of the ArtScroll Series, Mesorah Press, New York, sixth ed., 1996, p.434).
This week, (February 4, 2014), news reports surface that, while the UN blasts Israel for talking about deporting trapped illegal immigrants (“UN Insists Israel Admit Black Africans Trapped On Border, As Illegal Immigration Crisis Deepens”, International Business Times, February 4, 2014), it has remained silent while other nations already actively deport 70 per cent of their own illegals (“EU Deports 70% of its Illegal Immigrants”, Israel National News, February 4, 2014).
That’s not justice, either. It’s a double standard—a perversion of justice because it subverts the Torah requirement to treat everyone fairly [who is being judged]’ (see D’Varim 16:19 and commentary in The Chumash, ibid, p. 1025).
The West judges Israel harshly and gives everyone else a pass. That is the opposite of Torah justice.
Torah justice is eternal. It does not show favourites. It does not accept double standards.
The survival of morality is linked to the survival of the people of the Book. When you protect the Jew, you protect morality. When you attempt to destroy the Jew, you will pervert the definition of morality.
If you begin to pervert morality, you’re on the road to Nazism, Stalinism—or worse.
It’s that simple. It’s happened before. It’s beginning to happen again today.
It’s like a mirror. Your attitudes about Jews, Judaism and Israel will almost always reveal whether you uphold or subvert morality.
Look at how the world treats Israel. Think about how the world defines (or, redefines) morality and justice.
When the world demonizes Israel, it perverts what is moral and just. That’s not a good thing because perversion never leads to a happy ending.
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