Many proponents of the Jewish religion often appear insular and introverted. They seem to possess an air of superiority arising from the decidedly non-Jewish notion of the Jews being G-d's 'Chosen People'; a phraseology remarkably absent from traditional Jewish texts. It is my belief that this mistaken perception is a result of a type of religious fanaticism which, possibly found in other faiths, is totally foreign to Judaism. The truth of the matter is that both a national and universal outlook can be found within Jewish writings.
First, a little background is necessary. Judaism is unique from other religions in that it is based on the idea of a covenant (bris) – a working agreement between two parties. G-d made two covenants with the Jewish people, one with Abraham and another at Mt. Sinai. However, prior to this, He made a covenant with Noah, applicable to all mankind. In this, He set out seven basic laws (from which many more may be derived) as to how man should live his life. The laws, commonly referred to as the Noahide laws, are a prohibition from murder, idolatry, sexual immorality, theft, eating the limb from a living animal and cursing G-d and the positive instruction to establish a court justice system.
Consequently, Judaism, unlike many other religions, does not require one to be a Jew in order to be a recipient of reward (or to be saved from eternal damnation). This is clearly stated in the tosefta: “the righteous of the nations have a share in the world to come”. Who is considered to be amongst the “righteous of the nations”? All who accept upon themselves the Noahide laws and adhere to them. In fact, the Talmud states that “A non-Jew who engages in Torah [the seven laws] is compared to the high priest.”
So what of today's Gentiles? In particular, how do we view the adherents to the major religions of our time?
The sources that I have brought to this point have basically found universal acceptance in today's Judaism. However, my aim in what follows is to show a legitimate view within the Torah landscape; it should be known that there are other opinions on the matter.
The Meiri (1249-1310) writes:
“All who hold to the seven Mitzvot are treated equally in the law with us and there is no favouritism for us. It goes without saying that this is so for the nations who are disciplined in the ways of religions or civilization.”
If the Meiri had such a favourable opinion of the nations in the 13th century, I find it obvious that the nations of today, who grant rights and freedoms that have never been seen before, should certainly be regarded as favourably. However, there is no need to take it from me, as the Maharatz Chayes (1805-1855) has explicitly stated:
“The seven Mitzvot are the natural laws which both Christians and Mohommedans apply in their courts.”
Similarly, Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin a modern day authority (1881-1973) claims that:
“The overwhelming majority [of people today] are in the category of a resident alien [an even higher category than a Noahide].”
The question as to the level of our involvement in the wider world still needs answering. I posed this question while in yeshiva to Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, one of the world's leading halachick decisors. He told me that Moses stopped a fight between a Jew and an Egyptian, he stopped a fight between two Jews and he also stopped a fight between two non-Jews. The issues of broader society are clearly something in which we must participate. He obviously didn't tell me the exact balance one should have between internal and external issues.
Maimonides (1135-1204) deals directly with this question, he states:
“It appears to me that in regard to respect and honour and also, in regard to charity, a resident alien is to be treated as a Jew … our Sages commanded us to visit the Gentiles when ill, to bury their dead in addition to the Jewish dead, and support their poor in addition to the Jewish poor, for the sake of peace. For behold, it is said: (Psalms 145:9) 'God is good to all and His mercies extend over all His works,' and it is further stated (Proverbs 3:17) : 'Its [the Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are those of peace.'”
In conclusion, the introverted ways of many Jews appear to be in contradiction with traditional Jewish sources. While not sacrificing our unique and rich identity and culture we should still play an active role in the bettering of society. To ignore the large problems, especially in this country, that do not necessarily plague the Jewish community, would simply be wrong, in my opinion.
Dani Freiduis writes in personal capacity his views do not necessarily reflect those of SAUJS or its members.
