Hanukah Question : Should Jews Obey Other Leaders?
May I share a short thougt with you: I think Chanucah is also about "miracles", that is to say about Divine Law. We shouldn't confuse The Divine Law with man-made so called "laws" or elevate man-made temporary rulings to law status. With other, very strong words: we should be loyal to our faith in G-d, not to our elected or imposed leaders. What do you think?

SIMSHALOM Replies:

Yes, what you say is basically correct, although I would add that man-made laws are not "minor" and are in a way just as important as other Divine "spiritual" laws.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avot says that even GENTILES MUST set up courts of law and a Jew is forbidden to live in a place where there are no courts, it is in fact part of the SEVEN NOAHIDE LAWS for non-Jews to have a legal system.

Now obviously it must be a just system and not corrupt. But if it is done correctly, as in most democracies with good constitutions, legal systems, and courts, and good judges, lawyers, prosecutors and defenders, then THIS TOO is what God wants, it also "Divine", as long as it is in HARMONY with Hashem's Holy Divine Laws as expressed through the Torah, and are in harmony with the "invisible" Spiritual Laws that govern the entire Creation/Universe.

The mishna in Pirkei Avot also says that as Jews we are OBLIGATED to PRAY for the welfare of the secular (even non Jewish) government, because if not for the fear of the government's power people would "eat each up alive".

So having and supporting a GOOD and normal government is part of being a good Torah Jew. And to rebel against this is to actually be in danger of rebelling against the Divine Will of God.

Of course, this is as long as nothing is done to interfere with the Torah life of a Jew. If However the government is Anti-Semitic and makes bad and twisted laws to destroy Jews and Judaism then we are obligated NOT to follow these laws as they are regarded like "Laws of Sodom and Gomorrah" ("Hilchot Sodom"), and we can ignore them and if need be fight against them, and if they want us to give up our religion, like the "laws" of the Spanish Inquisition, then we are actually required to DIE and give up our lives and be killed for Kiddush Hashem because God does not want Jews to break the Torah.

So we should always pray for a good secular governments that will be good to the Jews and let them observe and study the Torah freely, which is true in almost all Western Democracies (the problem is that today they are making pro-homosexual laws that create a new challenge that maybe the whole system now becomes like the "laws of Sodom" again, it's a tough situation, and a rabbi's advice would be helpful.)

It actually goes even further, this ties in with Hanukah in a way, that Jews LOST the capacity to have "absolute power" over themselves from the time that the First Temple was destroyed 2,500 years ago.

When the Jewish Kings were removed from power it means we lost the power to rule ourselves and we are under the authority of the goyim which we must respect and obey because this is the will of Hashem.

After Babylonia came Persia and the King then was Achashverosh and even though Esther becomes his Queen , but we Jews are still considered to be his subjects living in his empire and we must obey his laws as this is what Hashem wants from us.

This is the meaning of being in "Galut" exile, and the rabbis actually have a principle called "Akati Tachat Achashverosh anan"- "We are STILL under Achashverosh"...until Mashiach comes and he will be a King, appointed by Hashem, who will take back the power that the goyim have right now and return it to us a "free" Jews.

The State of Israel is NOT free because it CANNOT do whatever it wants. They must still obey the wishes of the United States, and many other countries:"World Opinion", because we, as Jews still living under the control of the nations of the world have still not obtained our final freedom yet. That can only happen when Mashiach comes, and then we , and the entire world will live under Torah law ONLY.

There will not be any other kind of "legal system" , the world will be under the revealed authority of the Jewish God, as expressed through His Torah and His teachers the TRUE rabbis, teachers, judges and perhaps even prophets who will be there.

Hope this does not shock you too much! :- )

- posted by Izak @ 10:07 PM