The Source of Anti-Semitism from a Torah Perspective (MS Word format)The Source of Anti-Semitism from a Torah Perspective: Part IThe Source of Anti-Semitism from a Torah Perspective: Part III

E. Ethics of Masters and Ethics of Slaves

In Orot, Rav Kook expands upon the hatred towards Israel. He first points out, by way of example, that in animals the natural forces, which safeguard the preservation of the species, are very apparent. Therefore, animal instincts are very developed, and every animal that is born, is equipped already from its youth with a natural ability to protect itself and to deal with potential predators. Conversely, in man, who possesses intelligence, the instincts are not fully developed, and therefore he does not know how to protect himself from predators until he acquires sufficient experience and his mind develops.

Society as a whole, however, is better protected by natural abilities, just as by individual animals. Therefore, in relations between nations and religions, the workings of the inner, instinctive, awareness are more apparent. Based on this Rav Kook zt"l extrapolates to the special issue that we are dealing with, the hatred toward the Jewish nation:[1]

??????? ?????? ??????, ??????, ?? ?????? ????? ?????, ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?????, ???? ???? ???????÷????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ???'.

??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ??????. ????? ?÷??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??????, ????? ????? ?????????. ??? ??÷? ????? ??????, ????? ??? ÷?????? ????, ???? ???? ?????, ????? ?? ???? ??????? ???????, ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ???? ???"?, ??? ?÷?????? ???????? ??????? ??????. ?÷ ???? ??? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ???????? ????? ??????, ???? ?????????, ??÷?? ??? ???? ?????, ?????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ????????÷????? ??? ?÷??? ?????, ????? ??? ???????, ?????, ????? ?? ??? ?? ???? ????.

He explains that a war of survival is taking place here. The nations of the world understand that the more that the teachings of Israel's Torah spread, the more they will be constricted. We are a nuisance for them. Israel's existence reveals the Divine truth, which they recognize in their heart of hearts, yet their character does not allow them to live according to this standard. Therefore they declare an all-out war against the nation that forces them to live not according to their barbaric qualities. Through their bloody wars they find relief from the ethical constraints placed upon them, as he writes:[2]

?????? ??????? ??? ?? ?????? ????????, ????? ???? ?? ?????, ???÷? ?? ???, ????? ???? ????, ????, ????? ?÷??????, ????? ????÷? ????????. ??? ?????? ??????????? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ????????, ??????? ???? ????? ????? ???÷÷ ???? ???.

Am Yisrael does not only preach for charity and justice, for a more ethical life, for the connection of actual practice with Divine ideals. They live a Divine life and fulfill it. They show the world that this is possible in practice. This is meaning of the great jealousy and hatred towards them.

The chronicle of the city of Strasburg from the 13th century, which describes the slaughter of the Jews in the time of the Black Plague, does not limit the explanation of the slaughter to rumors that the Jews poisoned the wells, but adds, "The Jews angered the inhabitants with the charitable gifts that they would give to the poor Christians."[3]

The Rambam writes in Iggeret Teiman:[4]

???, ???? ??? ???? ?' ??????? ????? ??? ?"? ???? ?? ??????? ??????? ????????, ?????? ???? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???'. ????? ???? ???? ????? ???????? ????÷????, ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ???????? ????????, ???' "??? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??÷?? ??????? ???÷??", ÷????? ????? ?"? ???? ?? ???? ÷??? ?????, ?????? ?????? ??????, ????? ????? ???? ?????, ?????? ????? ??', ?????? ????? ???, ??-???? ??? ??? ??? ???

Since it is impossible to fight G-d, the war is directed towards that nation which represents G-d. The justification given for this hatred is that the ethical theory that the Jews instilled in mankind, which spread through the nations over time, runs counter to the nature of the nations, and forces man to act in an unnatural manner in order to conform to Jewish ethics.

One of the philosophers who explained the negative attitude that exists towards the Jews is the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, whose philosophy the Nazis utilized to explain their Satanical plan against the Jews. "Nietzsche is the boldest and most consistent expression of the anti-G-d and anti-ethical culture of Germany, of the new Europe."

According to him, the basis of ethics is man's aspiration for the realization of his life's desire. The healthy instinct of all creatures, including man, is to strengthen his natural life forces over other creatures. This is a constant war between creatures; between one animal and another, between men, between nations, and between countries. It is a natural law of war for control and conquest. This law is the only ethical standard. However, mankind quickly turned away from this natural path, and established "idols" called mercy, compassion, conscience, and morality. All of these negate natural law. How did this happen, and how did the "immoral" ethics take control over the young, strong European nations, who were of healthy instincts? The slaves are those who placed this burden upon us.

There are two ethical codes: the ethics of the aristocratic masters, who conquer and rule, and the ethics of the slaves, the masses, the flock, and the rabble.

All the great cultures, beginning with the Egyptian-Assyrian civilization, until the Greco-Roman, were created by the victorious masters, by exploiting the conquered, subjugated, nations -- the slaves. The masters trample the slaves; they relate to them with disregard and contempt. This is the ethical code of the superior person.

In contrast, the ethics of the slaves is the result of the victory of the mighty over the weak. The haughtiness of the rulers and their stormy life is barbarism and cruelty in their eyes. The ethics of the slaves is the ethics of the flock who protect themselves against the mighty conqueror. Therefore, it preaches feelings of brotherhood, solidarity, and love of the other.

The ethics of the slaves is the stumbling block of the racial perfection of the human species, and this ethic the Jewish nation placed on mankind. For generation upon generation the war continued between Rome, the birthplace of the capturer-masters, and Judah, the birthplace of the Jewish ethics, and Judah emerged victorious. Europe has to shake itself and free itself from the shackles of the Jewish ethics, and to return to the healthy, idolatrous ethics of ancient Rome. This was the great call of Nietzsche.[5]

Obviously, this theory has no basis. Judaism brought this "ethics of the slaves" to the world when it was at the peak of its power, in the status of masters. "?? ????? ????? ????, ???? ???? ?????? ???, ????? ?? ????? ????. ???? ????? ????? ????".[6] Thus, Rachav said to the two spies:[7]

????? ?? ??? ?' ??? ?? ????, ??? ???? ?????? ?????, ??? ????? ?? ????? ???? ??????. ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?' ?? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????, ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ???'. ????? ???? ????? ??? ÷?? ??? ??? ???? ??????. ?? ?' ?‑????? ??? ?-???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????.

I know that Hashem has given you the land, and that fear of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have dissolved because of you; for we have heard how Hashem dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds for you when you went forth from Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were across the Jordan ... We heard and our hearts melted -- no spirit remained in any man because of you -- for Hashem, your G-d, He is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below.

A nation such as this does not need the ethics of the slaves to protect itself from its masters. However, it is convenient for the nations of the worlds to justify the Jews' morality, and their immorality, with this claim.

A Protestant priest once said to a Jewish friend after the Six-Day War:

The ancient awareness that the Jews have above-average abilities causes a measure of dissatisfaction towards them. Many found emotional compensation to this frustrating feeling in the fact that the Jews are weak, and that their weakness is what spurs their talents and explains their humanism. After the establishment of the State of Israel, they discovered that the Jews are not only capable, but also strong, without ceasing from being capable.

Now you come and prove that your strength does not damage your ethical standard. In other words, that the Jewish state is capable of acting towards enemies in a way that a Christian state is not capable of. If this is true, there is an objection here against Christianity as the vision of civilization.[8]

The claims against the Jewish morality, that it is something intolerable, is not something new, but already existed long ago in the ancient world. In the book, "The Brothers of the Heroes of Praise," which is a historical work on the Hasmonean rebellion, there is a story about a letter of a Roman Senator that was sent by the Senate in Rome to Israel with the goal of verifying whether Judah was worthy of being an ally of Rome. The Senator expresses in his letter the disregard and scorn that he feels towards the Jews, because they are, "immersed in reading, preaching and analyzing, so that it is impossible for them to have a religion of cultured, aristocratic people." All this is because they have inane and senseless laws, such as the mitzvah to rest of the seventh day, to free the slaves after six years of work, and, in general, because of the small number of slaves in it. In Rome there are twenty-three slaves for every free citizen, whereas in Judah it is the opposite, one slave for every twenty-three free men. His conclusion is, "The question of the Jews is not merely a local problem." He concludes his letter as follows:

The Jews are never to be trusted, and there can be no bridge of understanding between them and the Western world. All of our assumptions about man's freedom and his honor are foreign to them ... The Jews, by their very existence pose a threat to Rome, since they object to the most fundamental basis of Western culture, to a free household of slaves ... Even if they are few, even if they suffice with their small land, we must not ignore their danger. The world cannot contain Rome and Judah together.[9]

F. The War Against G-d and His Messiah

This feeling, that Israel represents a Divine ethics so contrary to natural ethics, is what stands at the base of the opposition and the struggle against Judaism. It creeps in the subconscious, and the "healthy" instinct of the nations motivates them to set out on a defensive war against the Jews.

However, in our generation, what was until now an instinctive, inner awareness, turned into a systematic ideology. Hitler was the one who burst the barrier and explained this in public.

A German author, Hermann Rauschning, who was one of Hitler's first helpers, and who abandoned him after he realized his Satanical plans, published a book called, "Conversations with Hitler" (first published in the U.S. in 1940 as "The Voice of Destruction") in which he laid out the man's worldview, as he came to know it after many discussions with him. The book caused a shock and a storm in public opinion, and was very influential in mobilizing public opinion against the Nazi danger. "If Hitler is victorious -- he warned -- it seems to me that there is no one who can estimate even slightly, the nature of the world revolution that will occur then. Something will happen then, the likes of which have not been in the history of mankind. All of the foundations of order throughout the world will be destroyed."

Hitler sought a world revolution, but the goal was mainly the destruction of the Jews, because he thought that they were the prime culprits in the old order.

For our nation this is a critical decision, whether they will grasp the Christo-Jewish faith and its tender ethics of mercy, or the strong belief -- the belief of the mighty in the god that is in nature, in the god that is in us, that is in our destiny and our blood.

A person must sense distrust towards the spirit and conscience, and give trust to his instincts.

Providence destined us to be the greatest liberators of mankind. I am liberating the people from the bonds of the spirit, which turned into a goal unto itself; from the sordid and demeaning tortures of a false vision called conscience and morality.

Were it not for the Jew, a person could live naturally, like other animals. Now man must evaluate his ways before every act that he does. Is it allowed or not? If it should be forbidden, and the person refrains from doing it, he has stolen from himself this pleasure. And if he goes against the ethics, he causes himself pangs of conscience. These emotional torments, which were caused by the Jewish ethics, must be stopped, by the eradication of the Jews from the world.

Israel, the historical nation of the G-d of the spirit, must thus sense in its heart a deep hatred toward the German nation, the new chosen nation, which serves the god of nature, the new Baal. There cannot be peace between these two Forces. Two worlds stand opposite each other, the man of G-d and the man of the Satan. The Jew is mankind's adversary, mankind's enemy. The Jew is the creation of another G-d; it is nothing other than a growth from another root of man. The Aryan and the Jew -- if I set them up one opposite another, and I call one by a certain name, I must call the other by another name.

In this way Hitler explained to Rauschning the goal of the war that he instigated:

See how we will succeed through war alone to overturn in a short time, throughout the entire world, all of the concepts and values of man. However, this is not sufficient. This is just the beginning of my war for control of the world, a merciless war, because the war for control of the world is fought only between us, between the two camps alone, the war of the Germans against the Jews. Everything else is nothing other than deceptive appearance. Even if we were to expel the Jew from Germany, he continues to be our enemy throughout the world.

We are standing on the threshold of a major revolution in the concepts of morality and in the spiritual outlook of man.

These words were said in public with shouts, they were fiery addresses, printed and published openly throughout the world, but they did not cause the craze that swept Germany, and later on, all of Europe. They only revealed the instinctive recognition that nested in the masses, who follow after their feelings, but didn't know how to define it. The hatred is not directed only towards the Jews who are foreign, different, adhering to the mitzvot of their Torah, "Even that Jew who betrayed his fathers, did he not serve always and in every place the agent of the spirit, which takes greatness for itself?" "Even this hated Christianity, with its Messianic belief, its moral teachings, the sense of conscience and the concept of sin -- does it not flow from Judaism?"

Thus, the war is not against the people, but against the spirit of Judaism, which flutters even in the heart of Jews who seem to have no connection with Judaism. "We are coming to the end of the senseless way of mankind. The Tablets of Mt. Sinai have lost their value. Conscience is merely a Jewish invention. It is the same as circumcision, a mutilation of man."[10]

We now return to what we began with, "You are My witnesses -- the Word of Hashem -- and I am G-d." If you are My witnesses I am G-d, and if you are not My witnesses, I am not, as it were, G-d. The hatred of the Creator of the world passes by the ancient nation, because we are the key for G-d's entrance into His palace. If we will not exist, then He, too, will not be in the world.

"To you I raised my eyes, Who sits in the heavens" -- were it not for me, you would not sit it in the heavens."[11]

Similarly, the Midrash says:[12]

"????? ????? ????? ÷???" -- ????? ??????? ??? ?÷? ?????. ??? ??? ?÷?? ?????? ?? ?÷?? ??? ????. "????? ÷????" ??? ???? ??? ??? "????? ÷???", ???? ??? ?? ?÷? ???? ?????, ????? ÷? ??? ?÷?"?, ???' "?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ???".

There it says, in the continuation of the chapter: "?? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????, ???? ??? ??????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???. ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??????" ("Against your people they plot deviously, they take counsel against those sheltered by You. They said, "Come, let us cut them off from nationhood, so Israel's name will not be remembered any longer!" For they take counsel together unanimously, they strike a covenant against You.")[13]

The Midrash says about this, "So long as Israel exist, He is called the G-d of Israel. If Israel were to be uprooted, "G-d of whom" would he be called?"[14]

The poet of Tehillim describes the attitude toward Israel as follows: "??? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ??÷, ?????? ???? ??? ??????? ????? ??? -- ?? ?' ??? ?????. ???÷? ?? ????????? ??????? ???? ???????" ("Why do nations gather, and regimes talk in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the princes conspire secretly, against Hashem and against his anointed: 'Let us cut their cords and let us cast off their ropes from ourselves.'").[15] The Midrash says about this:[16]

??? ???: ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ?÷??? ????? ????? ??????, ????? ??? ?????. ????, ??? ?????: "???? ????? ????? ???? ?? ÷??????"[17]. ??? ????? ??????, ??????? ???? ????? ?????, ??? ????? "???? ????? ?? ?????"[18], ????? ????? ????? "?-???? ??? ????? ??????"[19].

They are not able [to fight You], so they leave You and attack us.

This is what quoted earlier from the Rambam, "They want to wage war against Hashem, and to fight with Him, but He is G-d, so who can fight against Him?"[20] Similarly, the Rambam writes on the pasuk, "???? ?÷? ???? ??????? ????" ("I shall return vengeance upon My enemies") that the other nations harm Israel because of their hatred towards G-d, and therefore it is upon Him to take vengeance from them:[21]

????? ?? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ?÷?"?, ?? ?? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?"? ???, ?÷ ????? ??? ???? ???????. ?????? ?? ?÷?"? ?????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???, ??? ????? ???????, ?????? ?"? ???? ?????? ???? ??÷???????, ?????? ????? "?? ???? ?????? ?? ????", ?? ?? ?????? ?? ?÷?"? ???? ??? ?? ????? ????, ??? ???? ???????, ????? ???÷? ???.

After Hitler's failure, many successors arose. This time, ironically, the claim was about the unethical conduct of the Jews. In addition to the Muslim hate, many terrorists throughout the world banded together in their war against the State of Israel, which represents today the Jewish State. The United Nation also cooperates. There is no other country in the world whose name and affairs has come up so many times for discussion in the United Nations Assembly and in the Security Council. There is no other nation that merited as many condemnations as the State of Israel. The goal is, once again, self-protection against the morality of Judaism, but this time in a different way. It attempts to prove that Israel, which preaches ethics, is itself a partner in crime.

A few years ago, when the majority of the United Nations voted in favor of the resolution that Zionism is racism, an English editor by the name of Paul Johnson wrote that the United Nations has become one of the most corrupt institutions in the history of human institutions. In his article, he pointed to the phenomenon that events that do not receive any attention in other nations receive severe condemnations when they occur in Israel. He writes:

For example, let us just mention Iraq, which just completed the murder and expulsion of more than 300,000 Kurds for purely ethnic reasons.

Some of these nations truly hate Israel, since Israel is an idealistic democratic nation, which is the closest to a free Socialist country in the entire world. Her nation and government honor human life deeply, and despite all of the possible provocations, they have refused for more than twenty-five years to execute even one terrorist that they have captured.

Israel is a state that has an ancient culture, but is full of life and flourishing technology. The national qualities that Israel earned in its short period of existence serve as a constant condemnation to most of the new nations, whose representatives strut like peacocks in the hall of the United Nations building.

Because of this they are jealous of Israel, hate it, and attempt to destroy it. The destruction of Israel has been for a long time the most important goal of international terrorism. The thinking is that if terror succeeds in breaking Israel, then the other cultured nations will be open to its assault.

This view of a non-Jewish intellectual, who concluded that the state of Israel is what preserves Western culture, is most interesting. The removal of Israel will undermine the ethical basis of the world, and will allow the ethics of the masters to take control over world culture.

[1] ????? ????? ?"?.

[2] ????? ??' ??.

[3] ?? ???? ?????, ???? ??' 42.

[4] ????? ????"?, ???? ??? ÷?÷, ??' ÷??.

[5] ??? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??????, '?????' ???? ????? ??"?.

[6] ???? ??, ??.

[7] ????? ?, ?-??.

[8] ?????? ?????, ????? ????? ??????????, ??' 88.

[9] ???? ???????, ?????? ???? ????, ??' 13.

[10] ????? ?? ?????, ??' 205-193.

[11] ???? ??, ?.

[12] ???? ??, ?; ??????.

[13] ????? ??.

[14] ??÷?? ?????? ??.

[15] ????? ?.

[16] ???? ??? ??, ?.

[17] ????? ??, ?.

[18] ?? ??, ??.

[19] ?? ??, ?.

[20] ???? ???? 32.

[21] ????? ??, ??.

Do you have a comment or question on the shiur?
Comment below and we'll join the discussion