Editor Note:
For centuries in polite society, it has been considered anti-Jewish
to tell what Judaism’s Talmud and Kabbalah plainly and repeatedly
teach—that pious Jews have a duty to kill or assist the deaths
of Gentiles, especially those who resist the goals of Judaism.
Increasingly today, dozens of ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Israel, even
members of Knesset, boldly assert that killing Palestinian Gentiles,
even their babies, must be upheld as divine law. Yet last Sunday’s
sermon by a powerful Israeli rabbi wanted even more—the deaths
of everyone worldwide who opposes Israel. “May our enemies and
haters end. Abu Mazen [Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas] and all these
evil people should perish from this earth. God should strike them and
these Palestinians—evil haters of Israel—with a plague."
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef founded the Shas party which is part of the prime
minister’s coalition government. ABC
News calls
him “the
spiritual leader of one of Israel’s leading parties.”
Yosef’s ruthless words didn’t only target Arabs, but anyone
around the world who criticizes Zionism. "May all the nasty people
who hate Israel vanish from our world,” he said, “May God
strike them down with the plague, along with all Palestinians who persecute
Israel." If Yosef had his way, Israel critics like Rev. Ted Pike,
Norman Finkelstein, Nathaniel Kapner and the Israel Lobby authors
would become victims of Israeli targeted assassinations, their voices
of warning silenced forever.
As our last article mentioned, Orthodox extremism in Israel is increasingly
mainstreamed; this is further evidence of that trend. Rabbi Yosef is
so powerful and well known that his remarks merited a response from
Netanyahu’s office as well as the US State Department, which
both distanced themselves.
It is thus timely that we reprint Rev. Ted Pike’s 2006 article, “The
Talmud: Scalpel that Bleeds the Mideast.”
THE TALMUD: SCALPEL THAT BLEEDS THE MIDEAST
By Rev. Ted Pike
13 Jan 06
In the Old Testament, God required the Hebrews to drive the wicked
Canaanites from His promised land. Canaanite culture was saturated
with infant sacrifice, ritual murder, sexual perversion, idolatry
and occultism. God knew that a policy of zero tolerance toward Canaanite
evil was the only way Hebrew monotheism would survive. Only then
could it prepare a place for Jesus Christ, Savior of all who would
trust in Him.
But although God authorized harsh measures against pagan religions,
the Old Testament is devoid of racism: the conviction that other peoples
are inherently evil, degenerate, or subhuman. King David, notably,
descended from a Jew, Boaz, and Ruth, a godly Gentile. David included
righteous Gentiles in his army, such as Uriah the Hittite. Also, David
was close friends with the Sidonian king Hiram, who largely built Solomon’s
temple. Gentile converts like Rahab were welcomed into the Hebrew community.
Pharisees Bring Racism to Israel
Racism did not enter Judaism until the Scribes and Pharisees, who
migrated to Judea from Babylon several centuries before Christ. They
infused Jewish religion and culture with the idea that Gentiles are
morally inferior and polluting on the basis of race. The Old Testament
makes no such claim, warning only against the influence of Gentile
idolatry on the Hebrews. The Pharisees introduced a racial superiority
into Judaism unheard of in the Old Testament.
As a result, Jews in Christ’s time were deeply racist, convinced
of their intrinsic superiority to the Gentile “dogs.”(1) The
good Jew did not even talk to a Samaritan.(2) If a Gentile was
beaten, robbed and thrown into a ditch, a godly Jew, fearful of becoming “unclean,” would
pass by on the other side of the road.(3)
Talmud Enshrines Racism
Unfortunately, the racist revolution of the Pharisees became embodied
in the Babylonian Talmud, the vast, rambling compendium of Pharisaic
law. Today the Talmud and its mystical companion, the Zohar or Cabala,
are the greatest spiritual, ethical, and legal guides for observant
Jews. They are of much greater authority to such Jews than the Old
Testament.
Popular Jewish writer Herman Wouk comments on the Talmud’s
preeminence over all branches of Judaism: “The Talmud is to this
day the circulating heart’s blood of the Jewish religion. Whatever
laws, customs, or ceremonies we observe -- whether we are orthodox
or conservative or reform or merely spasmodic sentimentalists -- we
follow the Talmud. It is our common law.”(4)
Racism in Israel
The world is baffled why, in Israel today, the once persecuted Jews
have become persecutors. Highly educated religious Jews, especially
in the government and among the ultra Orthodox West Bank settlers,
now treat the Palestinians much worse than they would treat any animal.
In his film, "Gaza
Strip," veteran filmmaker James Longley graphically
documents how the Israeli military shoots Arab children through the
head for the crime of throwing stones. While filming, Israeli
helicopters dropped canisters of debilitating nerve gas on the inhabitants
of Gaza. Like the Soviets once did in Afghanistan, Israeli troops left
booby-trapped toys on the ground in order to blow up curious children.
The explanation for such behavior is found in the Talmud. The Talmud
teaches the superiority and divine right of Jews over Gentiles: the
Jew is holy because of God’s racial covenant with Israel. According
to the Talmud, Gentiles are unclean because, unlike Jews, they were
not present at Mt. Sinai. By standing on the mount, the Jews were perpetually
cleansed from lustful thoughts.(5)
In its article on “Gentile,” the authoritative Jewish
Encyclopedia summarizes the Talmud’s view of Jewish moral superiority. “The
Talmud comments on the untruthfulness of Gentiles ... and contrasts
it with the reputation of a Jew: ‘The remnant of Israel shall
not do iniquity nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be
found in their mouth.’”(6) “The Talmudic writers,” this
article continues, “say that ‘ ... only Israelites are
men’ ... Gentiles they classed not as men but as barbarians.”(7) Rabbi
Johanan ben Zakki says that if anyone teaches the Talmud to a Gentile, “such
a person deserves death.”(8) Judah ben Illai recommends
the daily recital of the benediction: “Blessed be thou ... who
has not made me a goi [or Gentile].”(9) Jews are so holy,
the Talmud says, “he who smites an Israelite on the cheek is
as though he has thus assaulted the divine presence.”(10)
Talmud Dehumanizes Arabs
Humanity is shocked by how the Israeli military criminalizes Arab
youth, often shooting them down as if they were subhuman. Yet this
is exactly how the Talmud teaches Jews to regard Gentile children. “The
Talmud outlawed the issue [or children] of a Gentile as that of a beast.”(11)
During the intifada uprising in Gaza in 1988, the world was horrified
when Israeli soldiers buried alive four Palestinian youths. Yet the
Talmud sanctions Jewish murder of Gentiles. The Talmud says “if
a Jew throws his neighbor into a pit that contains a ladder, then hastens
to remove the ladder, he is not liable for the death of his neighbor.”(12)
The Jew is also permitted to roll a large stone over the pit opening,
guaranteeing the victim will not survive.
According to the Talmud, “those who deny the Torah and the
prophets of Israel, the law is that they should be killed and those
who have the power of life and death should have them killed, and if
this cannot be done, they should be led to their death by deceptive
methods.”(13)
The Talmud’s homicidal hatred of Gentiles leaps from its pages.
The Jewish Encyclopedia quotes one of the Talmud’s most respectable
rabbis, Simeon ben-Yohai: “The best among the Gentiles deserves
to be killed.”(14)
How Relevant is Talmud to Jews Today?
How relevant to Jews today is such medieval bloodlust?
The majority of Jews in America have probably never read the Talmud
or even heard of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai. For most of assimilated American
Jewry, Judaism involves support of Israel and left-wing causes, but
possesses a largely social, not spiritual, obligation.(15)
But in New York and especially Israel, it is very different. Today
in Israel, during the annual festival of Lag Ba Omar, tens of thousands
of orthodox Jews assemble in Meron, the traditional burial place of
Simeon ben Yohai, where they honor his memory through song, dance,
and exhortation. The prestigious Encyclopedia Judaica describes ben
Yohai as one of the giants of Judaism for all time.(16)
Far from being outdated, ben Yohai’s call to slaughter the “best
of the Gentiles” is the Talmudic text that authorizes Israel’s
policy of killing innocent Arabs, including children. A government
manual for modern Israeli soldiers includes a summary of Ben Yohai’s
teaching: “In war when our forces storm the enemy, they are allowed
and even enjoined by the Halakah to kill even good civilians, that
is civilians who are ostensibly good.”(17)
The Talmud clearly does more than dehumanize Palestinians. It also
dehumanizes the educated and religious Jews who are guided by its homicidal
racism. The Talmud is the scalpel that makes the Mideast bleed.
Jewish Cabala Says Jews are Divine
The mystical Zohar, or Cabala, like the Talmud, is considered by
orthodox Jews to be inspired by God and equal in authority to the Talmud.
Many ultra-orthodox Jews, such as predominate in Israel today, consider
it of even greater authority. In the Zohar, the idea is everywhere
repeated that Jews are divine, holy beings, essential for the very
existence of the world. Gentiles, however, are demonic and less than
human. The Zohar says, “‘Living soul’ refers to Israel,
who have living souls from above, and ‘cattle and creeping thing’ and ‘beast
of the earth’ to the other peoples who are not ‘living
soul.’”(18) The Zohar continues: “The ‘ass’ means
non-Jew, who is to be redeemed by the offering of the lamb, which is
the dispersed house of Israel. But if he refuses to be redeemed, then
break his skull ... they should be taken out of the book of the living.”(19)
According to the Zohar, God rewards Jews for slaughtering those whom
Israel regards as idolaters. “In the palaces of the fourth heaven
are those who lamented over Sion and Jerusalem, and all those who destroyed
idolatrous nations and those who killed off people who worshipped idols
are clothed in purple garments so they may be recognized and honored.”(20)
Only by the overthrow of the Gentiles, the Zohar asserts, can Israel
regain its predestined position as God’s shekinah glory on earth.(21)
The Zohar calls Gentiles “Amalekites.” In a passage typical
of many, it says: “They caused the destruction of the temple
... so when God reveals Himself, they will be wiped off the earth ...
But withal redemption will not be complete until Amalek will be exterminated.”(22) Today
the religious and military establishment of Israel commonly refers
to Palestinians as Amalekites. Until final conquest of the Gentiles,
the Zohar says Israel can use any means necessary to assure victory.(23)
Jewish Response to Criticism of Talmud and
Cabalah
How do Jewish authorities today respond to accusations of racism
within Judaism’s most sacred literature? Deceptively. Yet they
do so with a clear conscience because the Talmud teaches, “it
is permitted to deceive a goi [Gentile].”(24) Every year,
on the eve of Yom Kippur, religious Jews recite the Kol Nidre prayer,
which absolves them of any obligation to tell the truth to Gentiles
in the following year.(25)
In response to criticism, rabbis usually inform Gentiles that the
Talmud is divided into two categories: the Haggada, anecdotal teachings
that are non-binding on Jews; and the Halakah, Talmudic law. They claim
that those passages “anti-Semites” hold against them are
actually Haggada, aberrations which are untypical of the Talmud’s
true love and generosity toward all races and religions.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
What is Binding on Jews Today?
The surest way to determine whether a Talmudic text is Halakah is
to read the original Talmud(26) and find out if it is endorsed by the
Mishnah, the definitive oral law of the Pharisees. Or one may consult
the authoritative Jewish Encyclopedia, available as a reference in
most metropolitan libraries. Published in 1905, before ecumenical “brotherhood” between
Christians and Jews excluded truth about Judaism, the Jewish Encyclopedia
frankly tells us what the Talmud has historically taught Jews to believe.
In its articles on “Authority,” “Gentile,” “Jesus,” “Christianity,” “Talmud,” and “Cabala,” it
confirms that every Talmudic assertion or passage that I have included
in this article reflects Halakah, or Talmudic law.
Do all synagogue-attending Jews in America adhere to objectionable
Halakic teachings within the Talmud? Of course not. Yet Orthodox rabbinic
authorities, especially in Israel, say true Jews will honor every part
of the holy, infallible Talmud.
Jewish Bigots want to End “Intolerance”
Considering the racist underpinnings of the Talmud and Zohar, it
is astonishing that Jewish “civil liberties” fronts posture
as attempting to end racism. ADL/B’nai B’rith, the Southern
Poverty Law Center, People for the American Way, and the ACLU are organizations
entirely or largely dominated by Jews.
These groups never object to racism within Judaism. Instead, they
vilify the “intolerance,” “homophobia,” or “anti-Semitism” of
a largely Christian society. Such bigotry, they claim, is ample pretext
to attempt to alter Christians’ behavior, stressing “respect
for diversity” and even enactment of anti-hate laws worldwide.
What chutzpah -- that the original racists, the followers of the
Pharisees, should set themselves up to cleanse the world of racism!
Such audacity and illusion should remind us of the continuing
relevance of the words of Jesus, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs which on the outside
appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men’s bones
and all uncleanness.”(27)
Gullible Christians
Christians and conservatives are eager to believe that Judaism is
as benign in its intentions as any other religion, and that the assurances
of its apologists may be taken at face value. The truth is that there
are very good reasons why Jewish leadership and even much of Jewish
laity are conspicuously engaged in anti-Christian activism, litigation,
and legislation. Take notice next time you hear or read of the latest
lawsuit against Christmas symbols, prayer in schools, Biblical creationism,
etc. Almost invariably, you will find the names of Jewish lawyers,
organizations, or even Jewish parents or students as initiators of
such litigation. Jewish anti-Christian activism exists today because,
thousands of years ago, the Pharisees violently opposed Christ and
persuaded most Jews to follow them. Such antagonism to the gospel is
only increasing.
Today there exists a rift between Orthodox Judaism, the position
of a minority of world Jewry and the state of Israel, versus Reform
Judaism ("secular" Judaism), a much larger segment epitomized
by ADL/ B’nai B’rith. Yet both venerate Talmud and Cabala,
and jealously guard their secrets from the prying eyes of Gentiles.
For this reason, lovers of religious freedom and Christian civilization
should be suspicious of what the modern descendents of the Pharisees
tell us about their hugely secretive religion. The warning of Jesus,
echoing through the millennia, should ring in our ears: “Beware
of the leaven [teaching] of the Pharisees.”(28)
End Notes:
1. Mark 7:27
2. John 4:9
3. Luke 10:31
4. Herman Wouk, This is My God , serialized in New
York Herald-Tribune , 1959
5. The Talmud says, “When the serpent came into Eve, he infused
filthy lust in her ... when Israel stood on Sinai, that lust was eliminated
...” Abodah Zarah, 22b
6. “Gentile,” p. 621
7. Ibid, p. 617
8. Sanhedrin 59a, Hagigah 13a
9. “Gentile,” p. 617
10. Sanhedrin 58b
11. “Gentile,” p. 620
12. Sanhedrin 76b, Abodah Zarah 26b
13. Choschen Hammishpat 156 Haggah
14. Abodah Zarah 26b (This inflammatory statement is censored from
the Soncino Talmud, but is cited in the Jewish Encyclopedia’s
article, “Gentile,” p. 617.)
15. The latest survey by the American Jewish Committee (Dec. 21,
2005) shows that 29% of U.S. Jews are Reform in affiliation. Since
ADL/B’nai B’rith are primarily Reform in constituency,
such provide enormous support for their anti-Christian, pro-hate law
agenda. This poll shows 32% belong to Conservative Judaism, and only
10% are Orthodox. The high figure of Reform support contradicts the
popular notion that ADL/B’nai B’rith represents a tiny
left-wing minority.
16. “Simeon ben Yohai,” Encyclopedia Judaica
17. Booklet published by the chaplain of the Israeli army, Central
Region Command. Quoted in Dr. Israel Shahak’s Jewish History , Jewish
Religion , p. 76
18. Bereshith 47a (This format is according to the Soncino translation.)
19. II 43a (This format is according to the original Mantuan edition
of the Zohar.)
20. I 38b, 39a
21. I 160a
22. Bereshith, 25b
23. I 160a
24. Baba Kama 113b
25. Nedarim 68
26. Unfortunately, the authorized Soncino translations of both Talmud
and Zohar omit extremely volatile passages. The original texts may
be accessed in the Judaic section of the Library of Congress. I have
had passages from the original Mantuan edition of the Zohar translated
from the Aramaic.
27. Matthew 23:27
28. Luke 12:1
[Article adapted from Ted Pike's video documentary, "Why the
MidEast Bleeds"]
For a preview of "Why the Mid-East Bleeds," come
to Truthtellers.org.
This 82-minute video is available in DVD (or VHS) at $24.90
post-paid.
Order
online at Truthtellers.org, by phone 503-631-3808, or
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