Why not me ?

B"H

News from the monk.
As I mentioned before, I met this Catholic monk a few days ago, and some readers expressed their concern by e - mail. Being concerned is absolutely right.

An acquaintance of mine raised the question if we Jews should always answer with suspicion regarding Gentiles. There are righteous Gentiles as well and not everybody is a Christian missionary or has something bad in mind.

Furthermore, he claimed that Jews still suffer from a kind of Holocaust - Syndrom. Everybody just wants do destroy and kill us. Where is our pride and self - esteem ? Shouldn't we be more open in order to communicate much more with the Gentile world ?

This was exactly the question I raised myself when I met this monk three days ago. As I wrote, he had responded to my German religious site and wanted to meet me in order to ask some questions about Judaism.

I met him and everything was okay. He didn't missionize but asked regular questions. Then I took him to a Shiur at the house of Rabbi Mordechai Machlis who rather belongs to the national religious movement, although his sons study at the MIR Yeshiva. However, Rabbi Machlis is so much full of Chesed that he became the only orthodox rabbi in Jerusalem inviting also Gentiles for Shabbat. Whoever starts his missionizing show will be stopped immediately. So far, the system always worked out and will in the future.

The monk was impressed seeing a married rabbi with 14 kids because the monk is not allowed to marry. This is a rather funny fact. At least to me.

Rabbi Machlis invited him to the wedding of his eldest son Moshe next week. The monk was happy. Wow, seeing a real Jewsih wedding and so on. Exciting.

Then yesterday, the monk read my comment on Parashat Terumah from last Shabbat and decided to let me know the Catholic opinion about the Mishkan. I was shocked because of the sick schizophrenic interpretation of the church. The self - appointed virgin so and so is identified with the Mishkan. This is what he wrote.
I told him immediately that I am not into interfaith discussions and particularly not referring to such idiotic concepts.
The monk was quiet.

The bottom line is that we Jews really have to be careful with many Gentiles, and it is not always a Holocaust - Effect. It is reality that people hate us. Especially Haredim, as they are seen as some kind of present Pharisees (Perushim).

Fact is that G - d gave the Torah to the Jews, and only they are commanded to keep the Mitzwot.

Still, all Gentiles are entitled receiving a place in the "World to Come - Olam HaBah" if they keep the Seven Noachide laws.

The Torah mentions many times that it is eternally valid, nothing can be taken out, changed or added. That's it.

Why is particularly this fact so hard to understand by many Gentiles ?

Okay, we don't have the 613 Mitzwot, we didn't get the Torah, we are not chosen but we do have a place in the "World to Come" and we do have a special task in this world. Can't they just be happy with this ?

I am neither a man, nor a Cohen, nor a Levy, but a simpleton, as Rabbi Nachman of Breslov would say. And I don't have a problem with this. It doesn't even occur to me for one second changing the context of the Torah is such an absurd ridiculous way that I could become a Cohen let alone serve in a Temple.

It doesn't bother me at all not being part of a certain elite group serving in the Temple. I can accept that.

Each individual has his task in this world and this is the reason why G - d created us. Jews have their task and Gentiles have their task.

Why can people just not be happy with their own lot and task, but start constantly envying others ?

Well, if nothing works, I just take a Torah passuk and change it in such a way that I am included in the whole story. What do you think by doing so ? That G - d is a dummy (excuse my words) and He doesn't know what is going on ?

You can change the Torah however you like but you will never be part of the Jewish people unless you are an honest orthodox convert to Judaism.

As the Midrash tells us, before G - d gave the Torah to the Jews, He asked all the other nations first if they want it.
Their first question was: "What does it demand ? What no more stealing and murdering ? No, no, no, we don't want this."
Only the Jews accepted the Torah unconditionally without having second thoughts.

The monk also told me that he reads Talmud. I responded that this is complicated; especially without an understanding and commentaries such as EIN YAAKOV. He, on the other hand, doesn't really believe in all those rabbi opinions.
Talmud study by a Gentile is useless. They have no understanding and no Yiddishe Neshama in order to gain a level of Jewish Chochmah. Just look at the famous "Madonna" - case and her Kabbalah studies. I cannot imagine that she studies the Arizal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria), as he said that Gentile without a Yiddishe Neshama are never able of Jewish understanding. So what kind of a use is it when Madonna studies Kabbalah but continues worshiping idols at the same time ?

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (the Ramchal) made another important point in his book "Adir BaMarom":
The Jews are commanded to fulfill the Mitzwot in order to cause a Tikun Olam.

As soon as Gentiles take the Jewish Torah, make a mess out of it and try to keep some Mitzwot, they don't cause anything. In Hebrew we say: "Chaval al HaZman".

My acquaintance was wrong. Jews have to be careful in any way. I also learned this from two counter missionary lectures I went a week ago. "Jews for Judaism" opened a branch in Jerusalem and the Israel Center (OU) made a big thing out of it.
Criticized was especially Nefesh Be'Nefesh, as they started taking money from American Evangelists organizations. The fanatic Christian idea is bringing all the Jews to Israel, turn them into Christians and thus, J. will come.
It looks like there is no end of schizophrenic ideas.

So, what is happening with the monk now ?
He can come to the Rabbi's but has to behave. If he wants further discussions, I will refer him to the Rabbi, as I am not willing to waste my time by listening to endless virginity stories.