I attended a lecture by a young scholar who is studying Jewish Youth Movements in Poland during the interwar years. His starting point is how people lived whereas most historians dwell on how people in this era died.
He found the largest most prolific group was a right wing, pro-State Jewish youth group. There was an interesting review of the facts on the ground from this time. A sub-theme was Jewish vs Christian integration. I am reading Hannah Arendt who covered the same era and her observations are instructive. One participant in this youth movement was Menachim Begin, whose hatred of Catholics was legendary. It dawns on me that today proportionally Jewish antipathy for Catholics far outweighs Catholic antipathy toward Jews.
The lecture hall was packed, but that has never stopped me from asking questions of a lecturer during the Q&A. For some reason, upon which I had to reflect, I could not bring myself to voice my questions in this overwhelmingly Jewish audience. Why was that?
Two parables came to mind, first:
Note the woman is an outsider, not a Jew. Her importuning is an impertinence. Jesus's first and second reaction to her is culturally Jewish. 1. Ignore her. 2. Liken her status to a dog. But note her persistence, Jesus relents and gives this dog her wish. Most Christians today are not Jewish. When Jesus was likening the woman to a dog, He was speaking to most Christians today. And in turn, most Christians today persist as the woman did. Faith matters.
Second, a Jewish fellow approaches Jesus.
In both instances the person addressing Jesus bows before him. Now in this case Jesus immediately and directly offers his best/most to the Jewish lad, in contrast to his treatment of the Canaanite woman. First Jesus confirms by allusion what the lad recognizes in Jesus and demonstrates by his bow. The lad boasts he keeps the commandments, and Jesus is moved by love for the commandment keeper, so Jesus offered more: give up your power and riches, and follow me.
The apostles were astonished at the idea that a rich man may find difficulty entering heaven. This does not address the common enough phenomena of people giving up all of their riches to benefit others. That happens among the religious and atheist alike, so no big deal. But among those who do not exercise the option of giving all away, there is little chance of them of getting into heaven? Now there is a challenging idea.
Pope John Paul II addressed this parable and suggested it was the "follow me" that saddened the lad, not the "give up the riches." To be exalted by giving everything away is one thing, but to give everything away to be a mere follower, that would be a waste of one's wealth.
Now my question had to do with why, if there are many Jews who see the holocaust as just another in a series of events well recorded in history in which Jews who reject God suffer terrible consequences, and other Jews well chronicle the facts on the ground, why has no one integrated the two?
The lecturer opened with a cartoon of many disputing Jews banded together, an image of the reality of inter-war Poland. A questioner in the audience inquired as to how religious Jews reconciled right wing policies with their religious observance. Not a tough question, the answer is universal. The movement was a great place to meet girls. Who cares about the philosophy?
It seems there are those who write brilliantly on the facts on the ground. And those who write brilliantly from a theological perspective. But within Judaism culturally they talk past each other.
And culturally, an outsider who asks is going to get treated like the Jesus treated the Canaanite woman, sans the miracle. Jews might ask, and will get well received, like Jesus treated the rich lad.
The question a Christian would ask in all earnestness of a Jew must sound impertinent to the Jew. I think that is why I hesitated to ask my question. Why when I ask such questions in earnest of Moslems or Chinese or any other culture alien to mine the question is taken as earnest? I have no fear of giving offense to any of them.
I am painting with a very broad stroke, and I am sure in time I will come across a Jewish scholar who shares my inquiries and accepts my earnestness. I would not doubt they have a harder time than I do, like the orthodox Jews walking down Pico on Friday, large families stretched behind the patriarch, who get verbally abused by passing liberals.
Perhaps the problem is Jesus. He blessed the Canaanite woman and left the Jewish lad sad. I am a Canaanite woman.
Please feel free to share this post with three of your friends.
He found the largest most prolific group was a right wing, pro-State Jewish youth group. There was an interesting review of the facts on the ground from this time. A sub-theme was Jewish vs Christian integration. I am reading Hannah Arendt who covered the same era and her observations are instructive. One participant in this youth movement was Menachim Begin, whose hatred of Catholics was legendary. It dawns on me that today proportionally Jewish antipathy for Catholics far outweighs Catholic antipathy toward Jews.
The lecture hall was packed, but that has never stopped me from asking questions of a lecturer during the Q&A. For some reason, upon which I had to reflect, I could not bring myself to voice my questions in this overwhelmingly Jewish audience. Why was that?
Two parables came to mind, first:
"Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.' But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, 'Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.' But He answered and said, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!' And He answered and said, 'It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' But she said, 'Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus said to her, 'O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed at once." (Matthew 15:21-28; cf. Mark 7:24-30).
Note the woman is an outsider, not a Jew. Her importuning is an impertinence. Jesus's first and second reaction to her is culturally Jewish. 1. Ignore her. 2. Liken her status to a dog. But note her persistence, Jesus relents and gives this dog her wish. Most Christians today are not Jewish. When Jesus was likening the woman to a dog, He was speaking to most Christians today. And in turn, most Christians today persist as the woman did. Faith matters.
Second, a Jewish fellow approaches Jesus.
Mark 10:17-27
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Rich Young Ruler
17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “[b]Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
In both instances the person addressing Jesus bows before him. Now in this case Jesus immediately and directly offers his best/most to the Jewish lad, in contrast to his treatment of the Canaanite woman. First Jesus confirms by allusion what the lad recognizes in Jesus and demonstrates by his bow. The lad boasts he keeps the commandments, and Jesus is moved by love for the commandment keeper, so Jesus offered more: give up your power and riches, and follow me.
The apostles were astonished at the idea that a rich man may find difficulty entering heaven. This does not address the common enough phenomena of people giving up all of their riches to benefit others. That happens among the religious and atheist alike, so no big deal. But among those who do not exercise the option of giving all away, there is little chance of them of getting into heaven? Now there is a challenging idea.
Pope John Paul II addressed this parable and suggested it was the "follow me" that saddened the lad, not the "give up the riches." To be exalted by giving everything away is one thing, but to give everything away to be a mere follower, that would be a waste of one's wealth.
Now my question had to do with why, if there are many Jews who see the holocaust as just another in a series of events well recorded in history in which Jews who reject God suffer terrible consequences, and other Jews well chronicle the facts on the ground, why has no one integrated the two?
The lecturer opened with a cartoon of many disputing Jews banded together, an image of the reality of inter-war Poland. A questioner in the audience inquired as to how religious Jews reconciled right wing policies with their religious observance. Not a tough question, the answer is universal. The movement was a great place to meet girls. Who cares about the philosophy?
It seems there are those who write brilliantly on the facts on the ground. And those who write brilliantly from a theological perspective. But within Judaism culturally they talk past each other.
And culturally, an outsider who asks is going to get treated like the Jesus treated the Canaanite woman, sans the miracle. Jews might ask, and will get well received, like Jesus treated the rich lad.
The question a Christian would ask in all earnestness of a Jew must sound impertinent to the Jew. I think that is why I hesitated to ask my question. Why when I ask such questions in earnest of Moslems or Chinese or any other culture alien to mine the question is taken as earnest? I have no fear of giving offense to any of them.
I am painting with a very broad stroke, and I am sure in time I will come across a Jewish scholar who shares my inquiries and accepts my earnestness. I would not doubt they have a harder time than I do, like the orthodox Jews walking down Pico on Friday, large families stretched behind the patriarch, who get verbally abused by passing liberals.
Perhaps the problem is Jesus. He blessed the Canaanite woman and left the Jewish lad sad. I am a Canaanite woman.
Please feel free to share this post with three of your friends.
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