Israel and Humanity - Beauty morality of Judaism

 Share 

VI.

Moral beauty of Judaism.

After all the above we can say generally that Judaism has taught and practiced civil and political equality between men, whether Jews, Gentiles proselytes or simple. Also, we noted with great reason that, while dominated throughout the pagan worship exclusive force, Judea was the first to give an example of respect for human rights: "On one side in the immensity of the Roman Empire, selfishness and supreme faith in the strength of the other countries in a microscopic and barely known, the belief in human dignity will recognize from master other than God: this is the striking contrast that presents history in the early years of our era ". And Mr. Lawrence noted here that Christianity preaches only religious equality, he never thought to get it in the civil and political order and thus beyond the Mosaic doctrine on this point Christian.

But when it comes to exactly grasp the idea that Judaism has made to mankind, it is not enough to examine the Act is only the appearance, it must also be taken into account the moral, or because it is also an important expression of Jewish thought, or because, in the dualism of law and morality, we can guess precisely effort has been made the Jewish mind to evade the limits and barriers imposed on him by circumstances. However, in practice the rules of morality set by the doctors of the Synagogue universalist trends are even more apparent than in the written law. This is not the place to undertake a detailed examination it is a field where the harvest is so abundant that it is enough to glean further sheaves to form impressive. We will confine ourselves to pick a few ears to complete our study on the relationship of Jew and Gentile.

For example, although the non-Jew does not have to worry about how the animal was killed he eats, the Jewish Rabbis urge him not to sell as meat from an animal killed by rite when she has not been . It must also be careful not to gain his confidence under false pretenses of friendship and, as the Talmud says, steal the good opinion of our fellow . This is not all it should still do him good. It is therefore not prevent overseas to come pick it up with the widow and orphan Jews that fall from the hands of the reapers, and he will share with them the forgotten crop products and the angle of the field reserved for the poor . In general, it is ordered to support the poor of the Gentiles, to treat their sick and bury their dead as if they were Jews, for the sake of peace ".

We do not believe that there is in these precepts a measure of convenience or political rather than a moral duty, as one might be tempted to suppose. The advice is given without any consideration of time and place, and the examples that are cited in support relate to periods when Israel enjoyed a full national independence it is the dead of the army of Gog which must be given a burial ; is David burying his enemies and sends messengers to Hanun, made of Nahash, king Ammon, to bring law condolences on the death of his father is R. Meir which does the same for Abnimos Aggardi, which is probably another qu'Oenomaus of Gadara, Neopythagorean philosopher. And this completes the proof that the real intention of the doctors is the proposed new design, love of peace, which is reduced as other circumstances, when it comes to relations between Jews and even rules shall preside at religious worship .

Anyway we think we have established, either by examination of specific laws concerning the two classes of proselytes permitted by Mosaic and Tradition in everything that we said to the precepts of Jewish relations with Gentiles without distinction of religion, Judaism, despite the strict form of ethnic and national cult, left no deal with other peoples, that his teaching embraces all humanity, in a word of Revelation which they possess a universal character. It is now time to consider the second aspect of the divine law, that this Noachism constituting, according to the Hebrew conception, religion of all those who by birth or voluntary affiliation, do not belong to the Congregation of Israel.