Category Archives: Judaism & Jews

Mosaic Law Was Not Meant For A Pack Of Baboons Or Charlie Mansons

Judaism & Jews, Law, Morality, Private Property

Myron Pauli shares thoughts on the Torah portion “Mishpatim” (about common law in the Book of Exodus), on the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of his late, beloved wife Linda Plotnick and the death of father Felix Pauli

The Torah can be divided into laws specifying the interaction between mankind and God such as prohibiting idol worship, and the interaction between mankind with mankind. Mishpatim contains much of the civil/common/secular laws. I will make some general observations rather than focus on specific laws:

FIRST: The laws should have a moral basis. Thus, laws should not be passed because the city council needs to refurbish the carpet or because a well-heeled businessman pays lawmakers to put his rivals out of business.

SECOND: The laws should be universal – hence they apply for all time and for all people. This is expressed in our own Declaration of Independence that all are equal in their God-given rights. It does not mean that I can slam-dunk equally with LeBron James – it is that we are equal under the law. This is the essence of the Rule of Law. The opposite is the “Law of Rule,” where the Czar or Pharaoh applies harsh laws to his enemies and no restrictions on his friends, or invents new laws or suspends old laws by his own whim.

THIRD: There are roughly 365 negative mitzvot and many of them deal with idolatry and the like. The number of civil-secular ones is smaller, perhaps around 200. Somehow, 200 prohibitions were enough for the ancient Israelites to function and thrive. This is distinct from America in 2015 which has over 80,000 pages in the Federal Register. Presumably some believe that 80,000 pages of laws make us more moral than the ancient Israelites, but I am skeptical.

FOURTH: I would like to consider 3 different philosophical views of property – those of Marx, Rosenbaum, and Moses. Karl Marx believed in communal property – hence, there could be no theft or coveting since everything was commonly owned. Individual property and individual responsibility were replaced by the commune and individual incentives to produce were replaced by communist coercion. Sadly, many people prefer to give up their individual responsibility to the communist whip although this concept of property has caused misery everywhere it has been tried.

Alisa Rosenbaum, better known as Ayn Rand, considered property sacrosanct and even above life itself. Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, and thou shalt not give thy property away – that is, compassion and altruism were dubious in her view. What you produced is yours and what I produced is mine. This was the perfect world for perfect people. Those who are too young to produce – children – were parasites with no place in her world. Nor did those who were too old, sick, stupid, or lazy. And without either compassion or children, it was a rather cold world with no means of sustainment.

Moses’ Torah recognizes the obligation to have and raise children and for children to love their parents and is thus self-sustaining. It also recognizes property rights and if one plants and cultivate an apple orchard, that orchard belongs to the producer. And those who are moral will be rewarded with rains and abundance. The owner owns all the apples on the trees, but if there is a surplus and apples fall on the ground, they belong to those in need. There is an incentive to own the trees rather than scavenge the leftovers, but there is also provision for the needy. So perhaps those 3000 year old ideas work better than the more modern proposed “improvements.”

FINALLY: I will temporary digress by departing from Mount Sinai for Philadelphia and quote Benjamin Franklin on the day the Constitution was adopted: “I agree to this Constitution … what may be a blessing to the people if well administered …. (however he noted that it) can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.”

John Adams said that our government was made only for a moral people. Thus it is true with any set of laws that they can only be as good as the people who abide by them. The Torah was not meant for a pack of baboons or Charlie Mansons. Throughout the Torah, Moses admonishes the people that good will happen to them when they follow the word of God and evil will happen when they disobey.

Thus, the needs of a civil society consist of a moral set of laws and a moral people to follow them.

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Barely a Blog (BAB) contributor Myron Pauli grew up in Sunnyside Queens, went off to college in Cleveland and then spent time in a mental institution in Cambridge MA (MIT) with Benjamin Netanyahu (did not know him), and others until he was released with the “hostages” and Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1981, having defended his dissertation in nuclear physics. Most of the time since, he has worked on infrared sensors, mainly at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. He was NOT named after Ron Paul but is distantly related to physicist Wolftgang Pauli; unfortunately, only the “good looks” were handed down and not the brains. He writes assorted song lyrics and essays reflecting his cynicism and classical liberalism. Click on the “BAB’s A List” category to access the Pauli archive.

Israel: A Quality Society, Not A Suicide Pact

Israel, Judaism & Jews, Terrorism

“Ten Hours of Walking in Israel as a Woman in Hijab” (via Target Liberty) serves as a remarkable testament to the quality and tolerance of Israeli society. So conclusive and vivid is this video depiction that words pale by comparison. It is a rather long clip. My tolerance for text-less material taking time to get through is limited. But, here, a picture in time is indeed worth a thousand words.

Editor Robert Wenzel disagrees, writing this at TL:

In commerce, there is peace.
What Corey Gil-Shuster didn’t film is what occurs at Israeli government checkpoints.

Checkpoints? The reason there is “peace in commerce” is because those manning checkpoints care about the security of their Israeli countrymen, Jew and Muslim, to ensure that hijab-swaddled individuals do not have vests of explosives under their garb.

Would you feel at ease in a cinema or a supermarket where hijabs went unchecked?

Kudos to the Israelis.

TEVYE TODAY (Or, Fiddler On The Roof 2)

Culture, Judaism & Jews, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, The Zeitgeist

Fiddler On The Roof 2 – The Sequel

By Myron Pauli, who, by day, is a physicist and a father to one girl*

“Fiddler on the Roof” (the original) is coming near my home in early June. I was thinking that the original, however quaint, is far outdated and perhaps it is time for a sequel.

Fiddler on the Roof 2 takes place in current America. Tevye is now a Reform Jew with several daughters ready for marriage:

Deborah: Daddy, I am going to get married to Sol. Sol
is a complete atheist and insists that we do not expose our children to any religion.

Tevye: But does he give money to Common Cause and Handgun Control and Peace Now and all the right charities?

Deborah: Of course, Daddy.

Tevye: And he’s Jewish! You have my blessing.

Rebekkah: Daddy, I want to get married. I am going to marry a Rabbi.

Tevye: A rabbi – what an honor!

Rebekkah: Her name is Rachel, you will love her.

Tevye: I hope she’s reform and not conservative!

Rebekkah: What kind of a girl did you raise? Of course!

Miriam: Daddy, I am going to marry David. He’s a practicing Reform Jew and a great husband.

Tevye: You mean you THINK he’ll make a great husband.

Miriam: No, daddy, his six other wives tell me he is a wonderful husband and father.

Tevye: Well, you have my blessing.

Sarah: Daddy, I’m in love – and he’s Jewish. He is a little different, however. He works at the kiddie farm and he loves children. I hope you are tolerant and approve of diversity.

Tevye: Can I meet him? What’s his name.

Sarah: His name is Mr. Ed. He’s right outside.

Tevye: Mr. Ed is a horse.

Sarah: Daddy, don’t be a stick-in-the-mud. I met Mr. Ed at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals rally. Ask him a few questions.

Tevye: Mr. Ed, do you keep kosher.

Ed: Nay

Tevye: Mr. Ed, do you refuse to work on Saturday?

Ed: Nay

Tevye: Do you contribute to any right-wing causes?

Ed: Nay nay nay

Tevye: You have my blessing.

Bella: Daddy, I want you to meet a great guy whom I met at the Greenpeace rally. His name is Sven.

Tevye: Oi, a goy!

Bella: He’s willing to convert to Reform Judaism. He’s studied all the principles of Reform Judaism. Go quiz him.

Tevye: Ok, Sven. What is the greatest choice a woman can make?

Sven: To have an abortion. A late term, partial-birth abortion is the highest calling possible.

Tevye: How about this one – what does the Bible say about homosexuality?

Sven: The Bible teaches us that we must tolerate diversity and condemn those heathens who promote heterosexuality, monogamy, and other perversions.

Tevye: Well, you do sound learned. But I will ask you one more question because I have to be careful. What is absolutely forbidden according to our sacred scrolls?

Sven: Bork!

Tevye: Gotchaa! I just had a ham and cheese this morning.

Sven: Not pork, I said Bork! Robert Bork, that right-wing judge who would make women have coathanger abortions and enslave all black people.

Tevye: Of course, Sven. You are truly a mensch and a true believer. Enjoy your life with Bella.

Hanna: Daddy, I’m going to marry Moshe.

Tevye: What’s that silly round thing on his head?

Hanna: It’s a kippa.

Tevye: What – he’s keeping his bald spot hidden?

Hanna: No, it’s a yarmulke. Moshe is Orthodox.

Tevye: Oi vey!

Hanna: We’re going to set up a kosher home in Hebron in Judea and keep all 613 mitzvot [commandments].

Tevye: No No NO NO NO!!!! He’s Orthodox!! He’s going to be an imperialist obstruction to the Peace Process – a settler! A right-winger! Oi! Oi! Kosher! Oi! Sabbath – oh, no! An atheist – OK. A lesbian – OK. A polygamist – OK. A horse – OK. A goy – OK. But Orthodox! Young lady, you have gone too far! Have you forgotten how you were raised?

I have no daughter! OUT OF MY HOUSE!

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* Barely a Blog (BAB) contributor Myron Pauli grew up in Sunnyside Queens, went off to college in Cleveland and then spent time in a mental institution in Cambridge MA (MIT) with Benjamin Netanyahu (did not know him), and others until he was released with the “hostages” and Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1981, having defended his dissertation in nuclear physics. Most of the time since, he has worked on infrared sensors, mainly at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. He was NOT named after Ron Paul but is distantly related to physicist Wolftgang Pauli; unfortunately, only the “good looks” were handed down and not the brains. He writes assorted song lyrics and essays reflecting his cynicism and classical liberalism. Click on the “BAB’s A List” category to access the Pauli archive.

Jesus Was A Jew Through-And-Through

Christianity, Judaism & Jews, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, Political Correctness

He was quarrelsome, charismatic, domineering, polarizing; judgmental, fueled with messianic zeal, often impatient—in every fiber of his being, Jesus, Yehoshua in Hebrew, was the son of the God of wrath; the God of the Hebrew Testament. As such, says devout Catholic columnist Jack Kerwick, “Jesus spared no occasion to remind both fans and foes alike that He and ‘the God of the Old Testament’ [were] one and the same”:

“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 13: 49-50).

Nor was Jesus a pacifist, as did he like many a rich and influential person, for Judaism views wealth acquired justly as a sign of God’s blessings.

Jesus probably didn’t even look like the angelic images of him foisted on us by the Jesus industry. Face it, Jesus was Jewish through-and-through. He likely looked Jewish.

“The Real Jesus vs. the Neutered Idol of the Politically Respectable” is a lovely, piquant column by Jack Kerwick:

“Whoever is not with me is against me…but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt. 12: 30-32; Mk. 3:19-30; Lk. 11:14-23).

For His enemies, the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus reserved a furry of criticism. They were “hypocrites,” “blind guides,” “whitewashed tombs” who are “full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth” like “greed and self-indulgence.” His opponents are “descendants of those who murdered the prophets,” “snakes” and “vipers” who can’t “escape being sentenced to hell” (Mt. 23: 16-36; Mk. 12: 38-40; Lk. 20: 45-47) [.]

Yet even those who styled themselves His friends didn’t escape His wrath.

Unfaithful servants will be “cut” into “pieces” and placed “with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 24:51; Lk. 12: 41-48). Jesus informs His disciples of His plans for those nations with which He is displeased: “Then he [the Son of Man] will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…And these will go away into eternal punishment” (Mt. 25: 41-46).

MORE.

A fine Easter and a happy Pesach to all.