THE JEWISH BIBLE-JUSTIFIES SCREWING OVER NON-JEWS
Philip Tom
The Talmud is Judaism's holiest book. Its authority takes precedence
over the Old Testament in
Judaism. Evidence of this may be found in the Talmud itself, Erubin 21b
(Soncino edition): "My son,
be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in
the words of the Torah (Old
Testament)."
The supremacy of the Talmud over the Bible in the Israeli state may also
be seen in the case of the
Black Ethiopian Jews. Ethiopians have more knowledge of the Old
Testament than the Israelis.
However, their religion is so ancient it pre-dates the Scribes Talmud,
of which they have no
knowledge. According to the N.Y. Times of Sept. 29, 1992, p.4: "The
problem is that Ethiopian
Jewish tradition goes no further than the Bible or Torah; the later
Talmud and other commentaries
that form the basis of modern traditions never came their way." Because
they don't traffic in
Talmudic traditions, the Black Ethiopians are discriminated against and
have been forbidden to
perform marriages, funerals and other services in the Israeli state.
Rabbi Joseph D. Soloveitchik is regarded as one of the most influential
rabbis of the 20th century,
the "unchallenged leader" of Orthodox Judaism and the top international
authority on halakha (Jewish
religious law). Soloveitchik was responsible for instructing and
ordaining more than 2,000 rabbis, "an
entire generation" of Jewish leadership.
N.Y. Times religion reporter Ari Goldman described the basis of the
rabbis authority: "Soloveitchik
came from a long line of distinguished Talmudic scholars...Until his
early 20s, he devoted himself
almost exclusively to the study of the Talmud...He came to Yeshiva
University's Elchanan
Theological Seminary where he remained the pre-eminent teacher in the
Talmud...He held the title of
Leib Merkin professor of Talmud...sitting with his feet crossed in front
of a table bearing an open
volume of the Talmud." (N.Y. Times, April 10, 1993, p. 38).
Nowhere does Goldman refer to Soloveitchiks knowledge of the Bible as
the basis for being one of
the top world authorities on Jewish law. The rabbis credentials are
predicated upon his mastery of
the Talmud. All other studies are clearly secondary. Britains Jewish
Chronicle of March 26, 1993
states that in religious school (yeshiva), Jews are "devoted to the
Talmud to the exclusion of
everything else."
The Scribes claim the Talmud is partly a collection of traditions Moses
gave them in oral form. These
had not yet been written down in Jesus time. Christ condemned the
traditions of the Mishnah (early
Talmud) and those who taught it (Scribes and Pharisees), because it
nullified Biblical teachings.
The famous warning of Our Lord about the tradition that voids Scripture
(cf. Mark 7:13), which is
regularly used against Catholicism by Protestants, is actually a direct
reference to the Talmud or
more properly, the forerunner of the first part of it, the Mishnah,
which existed in oral form during
Christ*s lifetime, before being committed to writing. All of Mark
chapter 7, from verse one through
thirteen, represents Our Lord*s pointed condemnation of the Mishnah.
Unfortunately, due to the abysmal ignorance of our day, the widespread
Christian notion is that the
Old Testament is the supreme book of Judaism. But this is not so. The
Pharisees teach for doctrine
the commandments of rabbis, not God; the Talmudic commentary on the
Bible is their supreme law
and not the Bible itself. That commentary does indeed, as Jesus said,
void the laws of God, not
uphold them. As a reader of Talmud (in the rabbinically authorized
Soncino version) I know this to
be true.
There is a small Jewish sect which makes considerable effort to eschew
Talmud and adhere to the
Old Testament alone. These are the Karaites, a most hated and severely
persecuted group within
Judaism.
To the Mishnah the rabbis later added the Gemara (rabbinical
commentaries). Together these
comprise the Talmud. There are two versions, the Jerusalem Talmud and
the Babylonian Talmud.
The Babylonian Talmud is regarded as the authoritative version: "The
authority of the Babylonian
Talmud is also greater than that of the Jerusalem Talmud. In cases of
doubt the former is decisive."
(R.C. Musaph-Andriesse, From Torah to Kabbalah: A Basic Introduction to
the Writings of
Judaism, p. 40).
This study is based on the Jewish-authorized, English translation of the
Babylonian Talmud: the
Soncino edition. Every selection we cite is documented directly from the
text of the authoritative
Soncino Talmud. We have published herein the authenticated sayings of
the Jewish Talmud. Look
them up for yourself. To verify the Talmud passages cited, refer to the
Soncino edition Talmud,
which may be found in large university and seminary libraries. The
Soncino Talmud may also be
purchased from book dealers.
Translations: The translators of the Talmud sometimes translate the
Hebrew word goyim (Gentiles)
under any number of terms such as heathen, Cuthean, Egyptian, idolater
etc. But these are actually
references to Gentiles (all non-Jews). See for example footnote 5 of the
Soncino edition Talmud:
Cuthean (Samaritan) was here substituted for the original goy...
Christians are sometimes referred to
by the code word Min or Minim.
It is the standard disinformation practice of the Pharisees to deny the
existence of the following
Talmudic scriptures and to claim they are the fabrications of
"anti-Semites." This disinformation can
only obtain cachet among those too lazy to go to the English-language
books of the Talmud and look
these passages up for themselves. Hebrew University Professor emeritus
Israel Shahak in his
monumental 1994 work, "Jewish History, Jewish Religion" (London:Pluto
Press), has confirmed the
malice and racism contained in Talmud.
Like the courageous Prof. Shahak, we publish the following educational
material in the hope of
liberating people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, from the superstitions,
hate-mongering and
barbarities of Talmud. The implementation of Talmudic philosophy has
caused untold suffering
throughout history and now in occupied Palestine it is used as a
justification for the mass murder of
Palestinian civilians.
Some Teachings of the Talmud Erubin 21b. Whosoever disobeys the rabbis
deserves death and will
be punished by being boiled in hot excrement in hell.
Moed Kattan 17a . If a Jew is tempted to do evil he should go to a city
where he is not known and
do the evil there.
Non-Jews are Not Human Baba Mezia 114a-114b. Only Jews are human ("Only
ye are designated
men"). Also see Kerithoth 6b under the sub-head, "Oil of Anointing" and
Berakoth 58a in which
Gentile women are designated animals ("she-asses").
Jews are Divine Sanhedrin 58b. If a heathen (Gentile) hits a Jew, the
Gentile must be killed. Hitting a
Jew is the same as hitting God.
O.K. to Cheat Non-Jews Sanhedrin 57a . A Jew need not pay a Gentile
("Cuthean") the wages
owed him for work.
Jews Have Superior Legal Status Baba Kamma 37b. "If an ox of an
Israelite gores an ox of a
Canaanite there is no liability; but if an ox of a Canaanite gores an ox
of an Israelite...the payment is
to be in full."
Jews May Steal from Non-Jews Baba Mezia 24a . If a Jew finds an object
lost by a Gentile
("heathen") it does not have to be returned. (Affirmed also in Baba
Kamma 113b).
Sanhedrin 76a . God will not spare a Jew who "marries his daughter to an
old man or takes a wife
for his infant son or returns a lost article to a Cuthean..."
Jews May Rob and Kill Non-Jews Sanhedrin 57a . When a Jew murders a
Gentile ("Cuthean"),
there will be no death penalty. What a Jew steals from a Gentile he may
keep.
Baba Kamma 37b. Gentiles are outside the protection of the law and God
has "exposed their money
to Israel."
Jews May Lie to Non-Jews Baba Kamma 113a. Jews may use lies
("subterfuges") to circumvent a
Gentile.
Non-Jewish Children Sub-Human Yebamoth 98a. All Gentile children are
animals.
Abodah Zarah 36b . Gentile girls are in a state of niddah (filth) from
birth.
Abodah Zarah 22a-22b . Gentiles prefer sex with cows.
Abodah Zarah 67b . "The vessels of Gentiles, do they not impart a
worsened flavor to the food
cooked in them?"
Insults Against Blessed Mary Sanhedrin 106a . Says Jesus mother was a
whore: "She who was the
descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters."
Also in footnote #2 to
Shabbath 104b it is stated that in the "uncensored" text of the Talmud
it is written that Jesus mother,
"Miriam the hairdresser," had sex with many men.
Gloats over Christ Dying Young A passage from Sanhedrin 106 gloats over
the early age at which
Jesus died: "Hast thou heard how old Balaam (Jesus) was?-He replied: It
is not actually stated but
since it is written, Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half
their days it follows that he was
thirty-three or thirty-four years old."
Says Jesus was a Sorcerer Sanhedrin 43a . Says Jesus ("Yeshu" and in
footnote #6, Yeshu "the
Nazarene") was executed because he practiced sorcery.
Horrible Blasphemy of Our Lord Gittin 57a . Says Jesus ( see footnote
#4) is being boiled "hot
excrement".
Sanhedrin 43a . Jesus deserved execution: "On the eve of the Passover,
Yeshu was hanged...Do
you suppose that he was one for whom a defense could be made? Was he not
a Mesith (enticer)?"
Attacks Christians and their Books Rosh Hashanah 17a . Christians
("minim") and others who reject
the Talmud will go to hell and be punished there for all generations
(see footnote #11 for the
definition of minim).
Sanhedrin 90a . Those who read the New Testament (uncanonical books, see
footnote #9) will have
no portion in the world to come.
Shabbath 116a (p. 569). Jews must destroy the books of the Christians,
i.e. the New Testament.
See footnote #6.
Israel Shahak reports that the Zionists burned hundreds of New Testament
books in Occupied
Palestine on March 23, 1980 (cf. Jewish History, Jewish Religion, p.
21).
Sick and Insane Teachings Gittin 69a . To heal his flesh a Jew should
take dust that lies within the
shadow of an outdoor toilet, mix it with honey and eat it.
Shabbath 41a. The law regulating the rule for how to urinate in a holy
way is given.
Yebamoth 63a. States that Adam had sexual intercourse with all the
animals in the Garden of Eden.
Yebamoth 63a . Declares that agriculture is the lowest of occupations.
Sanhedrin 55b . A Jew may marry a three year old girl (specifically,
three years "and a day" old).
Sanhedrin 54b . A Jew may have sex with a child as long as the child is
less than nine years old.
Kethuboth 11b . "When a grown-up man has intercourse with a little girl
it is nothing."
Yebamoth 59b . A woman who had intercourse with a beast is eligible to
marry a Jewish priest. A
woman who has sex with a demon is also eligible to marry a Jewish
priest.
Abodah Zarah 17a. States that there is not a whore in the world that
Rabbi Eleazar has not had sex
with.
Hagigah 27a . States that no rabbi can ever go to hell.
Baba Mezia 59b. A rabbi debates God and defeats Him. God admits the
rabbi won the debate.
Gittin 70a . The Rabbis taught: "On coming from a privy (outdoor toilet)
a man should not have
sexual intercourse till he has waited long enough to walk half a mile,
because the demon of the privy
is with him for that time; if he does, his children will be epileptic."
Toilet and excrement obsessions are laced throughout Talmud and were
exhibited in Spielberg*s
Schindlers List where the Hollywood director shows a Jewish child
jumping through a toilet seat in
an outhouse and falling into a pool of liquefied excrement. There the
child meets two other Jewish
children partially immersed who inform the interloper that this cesspool
is their hiding spot exclusively
and that he must find his own. These are the kind of disgusting and
morbid, psychotic images which
Jewish kids are exposed to constantly in the cinematic liturgy of
Holocaustianity and for that matter,
in the Talmud as well.
Gittin 69b (p. 329). To heal the disease of pleurisy ("catarrh") a Jew
should "take the excrement of a
white dog and knead it with balsam, but if he can possibly avoid it he
should not eat the dogs
excrement as it loosens the limbs."
Pesahim 111a. It is forbidden for dogs, women or palm trees to pass
between two men, nor may
others walk between dogs, women or palm trees. Special dangers are
involved if the women are
menstruating or sitting at a crossroads.
Menahoth 43b-44a . A Jewish man is obligated to say the following prayer
every day: Thank you
God for not making me a Gentile, a woman or a slave.
Shabbath 86a-86b . Because Jews are holy they do not have sex during the
day unless the house
can be made dark. A Jewish scholar can have sex during the day if he
uses his garment like a tent to
make it dark.
Tall Tales of a Roman Holocaust Here are two early "Holocaust" tales
from the Talmud: Gittin 57b .
Claims that four billion Jews were killed by the Romans in the city of
Bethar. Gittin 58a claims that
16 million Jewish children were wrapped in scrolls and burned alive
by the Romans. (Ancient demography indicates that there were not 16
million Jews in the entire
world at that time, much less 16 million Jewish children or four billion
Jews).
A Revealing Admission Abodah Zarah 70a . The question was asked of the
rabbi whether some
wine stolen in Pumbeditha might be used or if it was defiled, due to the
fact that the thieves might
have been Gentiles (a Gentile touching wine would make the wine
unclean). The rabbi says not to
worry, that the wine is permissible for Jewish use because the majority
of the thieves in Pumbeditha,
the place where the wine was stolen, are Jews
Pharisaic Rituals Erubin 21b (p. 150). "Rabbi Akiba said to him, "Give
me some water to wash my
hands." "It will not suffice for drinking," the other complained, "will
it suffice for washing your
hands?" "What can I do? the former replied, "when for neglecting the
words of the Rabbis one
deserves death? It is better that I myself should die than that I
transgress against the opinion of my
colleagues."[This is the ritual hand washing condemned by Jesus in
Matthew 15: 1-9].
"Great Rabbi" Deceives A Woman Kallah 51a (Soncino Minor Tractates).
Teaches that God
approves of rabbis who lie: "The elders were once sitting in the gate
when two young lads passed
by; one covered his head and the other uncovered his head. Of him who
uncovered his head Rabbi
Eliezer remarked that he is a bastard. Rabbi Joshua remarked that he is
the son of a niddah (a child
conceived during a womans menstrual period). Rabbi Akiba said that he is
both a bastard and a son
of a niddah. "They said, "What induced you to contradict the opinion of
your colleagues?" He
replied, "I will prove it concerning him." He went to the lads mother
and found her sitting in the
market selling beans. "He said to her, "My daughter, if you will answer
the question I will put to you,
I will bring you to the world to come." (eternal life). She said to him,
"Swear it to me." Rabbi Akiba,
"taking the oath with his lips but annulling it in his heart," said to
her, "What is the status of your son?"
She replied, "When I entered the bridal chamber I was niddah
(menstruating) and my husband kept
away from me; but my best man had intercourse with me and this son was
born to me."
Consequently the child was both a bastard and the son of a niddah. It
was declared, "..Blessed be
the God of Israel Who Revealed His Secret to Rabbi Akiba..."
In addition to the theme that God rewards clever liars the preceding
discussion is actually about
Christ (the lad who "uncovered his head"). The reference to the lad*s
mother is of course to the
mother of Jesus, Blessed Mary (called Miriam and sometimes, Miriam the
hairdresser, in Talmud).
Genocide Advocated by Talmud Minor Tractates. Soferim 15, Rule 10. This
is the saying of Rabbi
Simon ben Yohai: Tob shebe goyyim harog ("Even the best of the Gentiles
should all be killed").
This passage is not from the Soncino edition but is from the original
Hebrew of the Babylonian
Talmud as quoted by the 1907 Jewish Encyclopedia, published by Funk and
Wagnalls and compiled
by Isidore Singer, under the entry, "Gentile," (p. 617).
This original Talmud passage has been concealed in translation. The
Jewish Encyclopedia states that,
"...in the various versions the reading has been altered, The best among
the Egyptians being generally
substituted." In the Soncino version: "the best of the heathens" (Minor
Tractates, Soferim 41a-b].
Israelis annually take part in a national pilgrimage to the grave of
Simon ben Yohai, to honor this
rabbi who advocated the extermination of non-Jews. ("Jewish Press" of
June 9, 1989, p. 56B).
On Purim, Feb. 25, 1994, Israeli army officer Baruch Goldstein, an
orthodox Jew from Brooklyn,
massacred 40 Palestinian civilians, including children, while they knelt
in prayer in a mosque.
Goldstein was a disciple of the late Rabbi Kahane who has stated that
his view of Arabs as "dogs" is
"from the Talmud." (Cf. CBS "60 Minutes", "Kahane").
Univ. of Jerusalem Prof. Ehud Sprinzak described Kahane and Goldsteins
philosophy: "They believe
it's God's will that they commit violence against "goyim," a Hebrew term
for non-Jews." (NY Daily
News, Feb. 26, 1994, p. 5).
Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg declared, "We have to recognize that Jewish blood
and the blood of a goy
are not the same thing." (NY Times, June 6, 1989, p.5). Rabbi Yaacov
Perrin says, "One million
Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail." (NY Daily News, Feb. 28, 1994,
p.6).
Judeo-Christian Response to Talmud Neither the "modern" popes or the
modern preachers of
Protestantism, have ever insisted that the rabbis of Judaism repudiate
or condemn the Talmud. On
the contrary, the heads of "Judeo-Churchianity" have urged the followers
of Christ to obey, honor
and support the followers of the Talmud. Therefore, it should be obvious
that "Judeo-Churchianity"
is the worst betrayer of Jesus Christ on Earth today.
Copyright 1994 Old Order Brotherhood by Warrant of John 18:37; Matthew
23:13-15 I Thess.
2:14-16; Titus 1:14; Luke 3:8-9; Rev. 3:9.
"Pray for the Conversion of the Pharisees as Christ converted Nicodemus"
This material is available as a tract. Order extra copies of this tract:
50 copies: $10.00. 100 copies
for $15.
Books available: Prophecy and Politics. 210 pages, $9.95 per copy.
Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare. 115 pages $29.95 per copy.
Free shipping in the U.S. In N.Y. add 7% tax.
Sara Salzman
Yes, okay, I'll post the refutation AGAIN.
However, there is one series of quotes that always turn up in these
diatribes that fascinates me.
In article <6k5ca4$4s2$1...@nnrp3.snfc21.pbi.net>, phil...@pacbell.net wrote:
[snip]> Insults Against Blessed Mary Sanhedrin 106a . Says Jesus mother was a
> whore: "She who was the
> descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters."
> Also in footnote #2 to
> Shabbath 104b it is stated that in the "uncensored" text of the Talmud
> it is written that Jesus mother,
> "Miriam the hairdresser," had sex with many men.
>
> Gloats over Christ Dying Young A passage from Sanhedrin 106 gloats over
> the early age at which
> Jesus died: "Hast thou heard how old Balaam (Jesus) was?-He replied: It
> is not actually stated but
> since it is written, Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half
> their days it follows that he was
> thirty-three or thirty-four years old."
>
> Says Jesus was a Sorcerer Sanhedrin 43a . Says Jesus ("Yeshu" and in
> footnote #6, Yeshu "the
> Nazarene") was executed because he practiced sorcery.
>
> Horrible Blasphemy of Our Lord Gittin 57a . Says Jesus ( see footnote
> #4) is being boiled "hot
> excrement".
>
> Sanhedrin 43a . Jesus deserved execution: "On the eve of the Passover,
> Yeshu was hanged...Do
> you suppose that he was one for whom a defense could be made? Was he not
> a Mesith (enticer)?"
How the heck could the TALMUD refer to Jesus?!?
Sara
Refutation of the rest to follow.
--
"Yeder aizel hot lib tsu hern vi er alein hirzhet."
(Every ass likes to hear himself bray.)
Yiddish folk saying
Sara Salzman
In December of 1996, this same screed was posted in alt.revisionism. I
contacted a Talmudic scholar and asked him to respond to these lies. Here
is his response:
Sara,
Deja vu... It seems that the quotations you asked about are the same ones
that appeared in a (forged) pamphlet called "facts are facts" that I had to
refute when I served as expert witness at the second Keegstra trial in 1992--he
was teaching that material in his infamous Eckville classroom. Most of the
quotes are blatantly fictitious and very easy to discount.
On Sun, 15 Dec 1996 20:48:19 -0500 schw...@infinet.com (Sara aka Perrrfect)
wrote:
>
>Dear Sir:
>
>I am a volunteer with the Nizkor Holocaust archives, and a frequent
>contributor to various Usenet groups regarding Judaism, anti-Semitism,
>etc. As such, I am constantly bombarded with questions regarding Torah
>and Talmud in relation to "goyim" and gentiles. I want to be able to
>answer intelligently. These are examples of what I am trying to refute:
>
>"1. "The teachings of the Talmud stand above all other laws. They are
> more important than the laws of Moses."-
>-Rabbi Ismael, Rabbi Chambar, et. al.
>
>2. "The Jews are human beings , but the nations of the world are not
> human beings but beasts."-
>-Baba Mecia 114, 6.
>
>3. "Jehovah created the non-Jew in human form so that the Jew would
> not have to be served by beasts.
> The non-Jew is consequently an animal in human form, and commanded
> to serve the Jew day and night."-
>-Midrasch Talpioth, p225-L.
>
>4. "At the time of the Cholhamoed the transaction of any kind of
> business is forbidden. But it is permitted
> to cheat a goy, because cheating of goyim at any time pleases the
>Lord."-
>-Chulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 539.
>
>5. "A Gentile girl who is three years old can be violated."-
>-Aboda Sarah 37a.
>
>So, here's the question again. Are these quotes in truth and in fact
>from
>the current Talmud? And, if they are, is the Talmud still viewed as a
>living, operative document? Or is it just an historical document,
>something that no one really cares about?"
>
>These questions were asked of me by a surprisingly polite member of the
>American Nazi Party. Rather than tellimg him to kiss my ***, I want to
>respond intelligently. Can you please point me in some directions here?
>Where can I find the "real" quotes instead of these obviously-tainted
>so-called "translations"?
>
>Thank you and shalom,
>
>Sara Schwartz
>schw...@infinet.com
Yes, these are the same texts that were taught in Mr. Keegstra's
classes, and have long been circulated by various American antisemitic groups.
Most of them are garbled from a work by I.V. Pranaitis, a slimy turn-of-the
century Russian charlattan who served as an "expert witness" at the nototious
Mendel Beiliss blood libel where he was literally laughed out of court for his
displays of ignorance under cross-examination!
^ 1. "The teachings of the Talmud stand above all other laws. They are
^ more important than the laws of Moses."-
^ -Rabbi Ismael, Rabbi Chambar, et. al.
The passage as quoted is clearly spurious. Rabbi Ishmael lived far too early to
be saying anything about the Talmud (which was not compiled until centuries
afterwards), and there is nobody with a name that sounds remotely like Rabbi
"Chambar."
There are some statements that speak of the teachings of the sages as being
"more beloved" before God than those of the Torah (because of their human
component), or requiring more strengthening (i.e., additional stringencies lest
people treat them lightly). I am not aware of any statement that formulates it
as in the passage.
^ 2. "The Jews are human beings , but the nations of the world are not human
beings but ^ beasts."-
^ -Baba Mecia 114, 6 [i.e.: 114b].
Apparently a deliberate mistranslation. The passage deals with the technical
rules of corpse-impurity which, according to the author of this text, apply to
Jews and not to gentiles. In this connection Ezekiel 34:31 is cited: "And ye My
sheep [referring to Israel], the sheep of My pasture, are _men [Hebrew:
"adam"]_, and I am your God, saith the Lord God." From a careful midrashic
reading of this Biblical verse, Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai deduced "Only "ye" [i.e.,
Israel, not other nations] are designated "adam," in the sense that only Jewish
corpses and graves generate impurity according to Numbers 19:14: "This is the
law: when a _man ['adam']_ dieth in a tent, every one that cometh into the
tent...shall be unclean seven days..." The passage is legal and exegetical, not
theological. If anything, it seems to put Jews on a lower footing than non-Jews.
Typically, the words "but beasts" were added on by whoever put this list
together. They do not appear in the original.
^ 3. "Jehovah created the non-Jew in human form so that the Jew would
^ not have to be served by beasts.
^ The non-Jew is consequently an animal in human form, and commanded
^ to serve the Jew day and night."-
^ -Midrasch Talpioth, p225-L.
I was unable to check this reference in my extensive Judaica library. The book
"Midrash Talpiyyot" is appparently an obscure eighteenth-century Kabbalistic
work that is little known and carries no authority whatsoever. Even if the
citation were correct (which seems doubtful in light of the other examples on
this list, and the fact that Jews never employ the designation "Jehovah"), it is
hard to imagine what could be proven from it about Judaism or the Talmud.
^ 4. "At the time of the Cholhamoed the transaction of any kind of
^ business is forbidden. But it is permitted
^ to cheat a goy, because cheating of goyim at any time pleases the
^ Lord."-
^ -Chulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 539.
Nothing of the sort is found there. The passage deals with various types of
business transactions that are forbidden or permissible on the "intermediate
days" of festivals. Some of the references are to transactions with gentiles
(who are not bound by the prohibitions); e.g., it is permitted to collect a debt
from a gentile on the half-holidays. Nowhere does it say anything about
cheating.
^ 5. "A Gentile girl who is three years old can be violated."-
^ -Aboda Sarah 37a.
Apparently a deliberate misquote. The observation is a technical, physiological
one, regarding the impurities related to genital "flows" as outlined in
Leviticus chapter 15. The Talmudic source argues that since the tearing of the
hymen at that age would be permanent (as distinct from a younger girl whose
hymen the rabbis believed would grow back), she is considered to have reached a
state of physical development that her discharges would be included under the
category of impure flows according to the Biblical purity laws. (The same rule,
by the way, would apply to a Jewish girl). This is of course not a permission to
"violate" the girl, merely a legal definition of her age.
*********************************
By the way, I should note that not all the citations pulled out by our neo-Nazi
friends are as easy to refute as this one. The Talmudic Rabbis, and some of
their medieval successors, were creatures of their non-pluralistic times, and
the Talmud said some really nasty things about their Roman occupiers--generally
these were the "gentiles" referred to in ancient sources, depicted as utterly
depraved heathens (a characterization that is not completely off the mark, if
one reads Suetonius, Petronius and other contemporaries).
Several of their citations (including one in your collection) are designed to
show that Judaism is not based entirely on the Old Testament --an accusation
that traditional Jews would gladly confess to, but which constitutes a damning
flaw in the eyes of fundamentalist Christians.
Similarly, there are are some anti-Christian polemics in talmudic literature,
which is of course their right, but which the Christian consider blasphemous.
It doesn't help that the ultranationalist Israeli rabbis have been generous in
producing disgusting racist pronouncements; or that radical Israeli secularists
have been quicker than the neo-nazis to collect and make available the
embarrassing quotes as part of their struggle against the Israeli religious
establishment.
*************************************
I have appended as an attachment an exchange with a correspondent that arrived
about the same time as yours, this morning. I don't know on what side of the
barricades "Andrew" stands, but his questions and my response might help guide
your own strategies.
Andrew,
The passage is a long one, and I don't have the time to deal with all the
elements in it. I'll summarize a few general points.
The standard forms of Judaism (other than the Karaite movement mentioned
in the passage) do not rely solely on the authority of the "written Torah"
(i.e., the Biblical Books of Moses), but believe that the Bible is also
supplemented and interpreted by the "Oral Torah" transmitted over the
generations. The nature of this Oral Torah is somewhat complex, but
traditional Jews will claim that its origins go back to the original
revelation to Moses at Mount Sinai. It also includes intepretations and
enactments by Jewish sages over the generations.
It is through the oral tradition, especially as embodied in the Babylonian
Talmud, that Jews understand the correct meaning of the written Torah--the
comparison to Catholicism is quite valid. For the most part, Jews have
studied the Bible through the interpretations of the Talmud, and for that
reason the Talmud has been central to the curriculum of Rabbinic training.
Because of its extreme difficulty (it consists largely of complex debates
on technical issues of Jewish law), mastery the Talmud has often been
viewed as a higher level of intellectual accomplishment than mastery of
the Bible. Ordination of Rabbis is defined by the individual's expertise
in the Talmud and related literature.
Accordingly, it is not considered sufficient for Orthodox Jews to follow
the Bible alone. The Karaites are pleased to live with that situation, and
exist as a separate movement. The Ethiopians have mostly opted to join the
Jewish mainstream, a fact which has put their teachers at a disadvantage
vis a vis the Israeli religious establishment--at least for the current
generation. In Israel at the moment, Orthodox Judaism is the only form of
Judaism that has full recognition in the legal system (due to coalition
politics).
The New Testament is ambivalent on the whole question of the Oral
Tradition. While Jesus clearly criticizes the "man-made" rules of the
Pharisees, he elsewhere instructs his followers to obey the Pharisees,
since they occupy the "seat of Moses." Several important Christian
institutions (e.g., the identification of the two greatest commandments,
belief in bodily resurrection and the symbolism of Pentecost as a day of
revelation) seem to presuppose Jewish oral interpretation. I don't think
there is anything earthshaking in the claim that Judaism and Christianity
are at odds on key issues.
"Goyim" literally refers to the "nations." In the Bible that includes
Israel, but in Rabbinic works it designates the other nations of the
world. Of course during Talmudic times the nations in question were the
ones that Jews came in contact with, principally the Romans--there were no
other monotheistic peoples around then, and the Romans, the "kingdom of
evil," were despised for their cruelty, lewdness and immorality--similar
views are found in Paul and in Revelation, and the accusations have some
historical basis. Gentile Christians were not very well known at the time
that the Talmud was redacted, and Jewish Christians are mentioned
surprisingly rarely, as an internal heresy. They are referred to as
"Minim" though the term encompassed several "heretical" views, especially
dualists and gnostics. Medieval Jewish law for the most part did not
understand these statements as applying to the monotheistic religions.
I don't have time to check all the citations from Shahak. A few are
clearly mistranslated (intentionally, I suspet), but most are probably
based on actual sources. Several of them fall into the category of
virulent anti-Roman "passive resistance" measures intended to loosen their
occupation on the land of Israel. Pagans are indeed discriminated against
in Jewish law, as Jews were under Roman administration (the comments were
of course theoretical, since Jews did not administer their own judicial
system). There are indeed a handful of anti-Christian traditions,
reflecting the fierce controversies of the time. There is also a lot of
"state of the art" medical advice that, of course, does not stand up to
modern standards.
The Talmud is a mixed bag. It is a collection of many contradictory
opinions, and not everything in it has been accepted as valid by
posterity. This is true about modern Judaism as well, where (especially
among the Israel "religious right"), several Rabbis have voiced views
which are clearly racist and reprehensible.
*************************************
On Tue, 17 Dec 1996 03:06:12 +1100 aj...@uow.edu.au (Andrew) wrote:
>
>Dear Sir,
>
>It would seem you are somewhat knowlegable in regards to the Talmud. I was
>wondering if you could take a look at the following passage and tell me
>whether it's from the Talmud, as claimed.
>
>Begin extract:
>-------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 15:14:26 -0700
From: Eliezer Segal <els...@acs.ucalgary.ca>
Sender: els...@acs6.ACS.UCALGARY.CA
Subject: Re: Questions about the Talmud
To: Sara aka Perrrfect <schw...@infinet.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
>----------------------------------------
Philip Tom
On Fri, 22 May 1998 19:34:49 -0700, Philip Tom <phil...@pacbell.net>
wrote:
>The Talmud is Judaism's holiest book. Its authority takes precedence
>over the Old Testament in
((Major league snipping))
Hello everyone.
Please excuse this rather generic posting.
As you may have noticed, my name has appeared on some rather
inflammatory posts. I'm afraid that we've all been victims
of someone we, in our newsgroup, "affectionately" refer to
as the Hemmorhoid. The Hemmorhoid likes to post inflammatory
messages filled with false and dangerous information.
Since I was responsible for him getting kicked off of his last
ISP, he's taken a personal interest in damaging me. So my name
will appear in various groups in an attempt to get me flooded
with retaliatory e-mail.
If this person offends you, I apologize. I am currently working
on his removal again.
Thank you for your time.
the real Philip Tom
I am not the author of this outrageous posting.
Someone has taken my name and is trying to get me
flamed. I am incensed that someone has stolen my
identity and is misusing it.
I want you to find out who this "person" is and either
make him stop or cancel his account. Such behavior is
not acceptable to me or others sharing my newsgroup.
This is not the first time I have had this problem
with this individual. He was recently cancelled by
JPS.NET for this exact same behavior.
Thank you for your assistance. Please respond so that
I will know you are working on this.
Philip Tom (the real one)