FRENCH ANTI-SEMITISM
AND
OBSERVING JUDAISM
____

E:
hi!
SimShalom :
Hi, how are you, good to hear from you!
E:
thanks!
E:
i'm fine and you?
SimShalom :
Good thank you,
E :
are you jew?
SimShalom :
Yes I am definitely!
SimShalom :
well as long as a person tries whatever they can do is important...but oif you are working hard it is the best reason to have the rest of Shabbat
E:
where do you teach?
SimShalom :
In a small institute informal private classes in New York..
E :
a jewish class or not?
SimShalom :
yes it is Jewish, all levels. Some beginners , and then intermediate, and also advanced
E:
do you think current war is a danger for us?
E :
because in france people say that jews are the ones who demanded war
E :
in france people don't like the Jews
SimShalom :
no, the current war is almost over, in today's news they said that there is already a free Iraqi government starting in Basra...soon it will be quiet..
E :
in france most of people are with hussein end not with usa. they are so stupid
SimShalom :
it is not logical.
How did Jews "demand" war, there is no such thing. Which "Jews"? The people who say this are just Anti-Semites and they anything they want against the Jewish people because it is they who hate Jews. Jews do NOT hate anybody.
E :
I do agree with you...
E :
I wanted to know if you could help me i have few questions
SimShalom :
In 1991 Saddam attacked Kuwait he killed thousands of Kuwaitis. In 1980 Saddam attacked Iran more that one million soldiers of Iran and Iraq and civilians died. Is that also the fault of the Jews? Mon Ami?
SimShalom :
ok go ahead
E :
I know but french people just hate jews. I don't know why...
E :
so my questions
E :
the first is:
why should we follow the rules that have been written by human and not by god (for example meat and milk)
SimShalom :
why? because they were friends of the Nazis during World War Two. The French Vichy government and people helped the Germans to kill the Jews. They are "in love" with the Arabs, maybe they have too much sex with the Arabs and this makes them hate the people that the Arabs hate...it is not logical
E :
I mean for meat and milk it's just written that we have to separate milk and meat but why did human beings told that we have to wait 6 hours between milk and meat?
SimShalom :
You are assuming that the statement you are making is a "fact".
How do you know that it was "humans" who made up or "wrote" the Torah? The rabbis of the Talmud added the idea of waiting...but the Commandment ('Mitzva") comes from the Torah and it is not to cook, eat, or have a benefit from meat and milk mixed together
SimShalom :
The rabbis add "fences" called "seyagim" in Hebrew to help us keep away from making mistakes
SimShalom :
so they added 6 hours as it is enough time for meat to digest in the stomach
E :
yes but even though i follow most of these rules. I have trouble to understand how rabbis as close as god they would be could modify god's tora
E :
because in fact when people eat meat and milk without waiting hours they don't sin I think
SimShalom :
When you study Talmud with a good teacher then you learn what is from the Torah , called DeOraitya, and what is Derbanan. The Torah gave the power to the scholars of the Torah to make rules so that the mitsvot - commandments of the Torah will be protected
E:
so this would mean that we are all stupids and that none of us could fight the yetser ara?
SimShalom :
There are different customs. The Dutch Jews, mostly from OLD Sefardim have a custom to wait only ONE hour.
Really from the point of view of the Torah, yes, as long as you do not eat them together...But the Rabbis tried to help so that we can be sure not to make mistakes...since people are not always careful
E :
ok thanks
SimShalom :
Stupid? No! On the contrary, we are clever and we give extra protection as a "insurance policy" against mistakes.
E :
but being above the law isn't it being against the law?
E :
I feel like it would mean that the laws are too weak and that extra protections modify the actual law and make it useless
SimShalom :
Who is "above the law"? Without the rabbis we do not know what the law is at all. For example, Christians also have the 'Old Testament" of the Bible, they may read about " not to cook a kid in its mother's milk" but they have absolutely no idea what it means. Because without the rabbis , especially the old rabbis of the Oral Law the Torah Sheb ebal Peh, there is no Judaism at all.
E:
it's sure but I just think we should'nt modify it. It's like the use of electricity during shabbat can it really be compared with the use of fire which is forbidden?
SimShalom :
Remember we are dealing with a very old system of laws. The Torah was given over 3,300 years ago, and it has taken a lot of dedication an devotion to keep that Torah. Many mistakes could have happened in different times and in different places, and whenever the rabbis see that there is a problem that the original Torah will break down or be forgotten they have the authority to make "takanot" added laws to protect the laws of the Torah. It is similar is secular law.
E :
secular ? i don't know this word
SimShalom :
electricity is not fire. However the rabbis do not allow it as it is similar to a fire and could lead to a person making a mistake and put on a real fire, so they are actually doing us a favor and protecting us.
SimShalom :
secular, means "not religious" like in the courts of France or the USA
E:
is it really a favor? indeed because of that a lot of people who wouldn't use fire are not shomerim shabbat because they don't understand why electricity is forbidden
SimShalom :
that is not the reason they are not shomrei shabbat.
People do not keep shabbat because they have to work to make MORE MONEY for themselves and so they "blame" the shabbat...they are like the French antisemites who blame the Jews for their own problems
and then most people do not keep shabbat because nobody tried to teach them and give a good example and taste of what Shabbat means and is all about
E:
i disagree
SimShalom :
ok, so tell me why people toady do not keep shabbat?
E:
indeed i know a lot of jews who do not work shabbat and who think that following rabbi's interdiction is useless.
E :
but i admit that a lot of people prefer working shabbat to make money to have the rest of shabbat
SimShalom :
ok, so they are like Reform Jews or like Karaite Jews. But they are no longer following the Torah correctly
SimShalom :
The Torah was given with a RABBI, it comes together. The Torah was given with MOSHE RABBEINU , meaning Moses our RABBI, he teaches us what the Torah means, and all rabbis are supposed to follow in a direct line from Moshe, even tho many are not great people unfortunately
SimShalom :
But the great rabbis of the Mishna and Talmud and of the great Yeshivot all try to follow in the footsteps of Moshe
E :
if we were all great life would be so sad don't you think?
SimShalom :
what "great life" do you mean? It does not matter if life is "great' or life is terrible", in ALL situations the Torah and what the rabbis teach is the same...the Torah does not change according to different seasons and time
E:
fortunately it doesn't change! I meant if we were all great, life would be sad
SimShalom :
Yes...
I must go take care of something..great talking to you...and hopefully we can do it again!
All the best, and have a happy Pesach

E:
thnks it was a pleasure for me too
hag pessah cacher vesameah'
SimShalom :
Chag Kasher VeSameah !
Leshana Habaah BeYerushalayim!

- posted by Izak @ 7:15 PM