7 June, 2024 10:40

The jewish concept of wisdom [chach"mah]

— is fundamentally around the question

"What is this", as described by the sources and then later organized in the Tanya [and in probably thousands of other books.

The beginning of Wisdom [asking "what is this] the sources continue first starts with fear of God.

The sheer facts of the world as we see it [and have seen it] demand questions.

So it with a tremendous amount of sadness that I found myself in some places called Yeshivas [and] [some] so called dati people who simply either discouraged questions, made fun of people who asked, [or] perhaps worst of all….stopped asking questions entirely.

There has crept into a large portion of shomer shabbot neighborhoods, shuls, etc a shunning of seekers / of questions.

Shouted down as being woke, making fun of, shaming people with bachelor of arts degrees….the embrace of the cult of Fox talking heads [and similar].

Only very specific [but entirely vague] "good for Israel" is promoted, …. as who even decides this? And anyone who dares to ask questions is screamed at, told to go back on their meds … etc.

Without questions, there is not a mishnah, or gemorrah. Without questions we end in the same place as the radicalized Islamic terrorists who hang people, throw girls down wells, cut peoples hands off etc.

Once, for a brief period, known as the Golden Age in Spain… there were "tolerant" muslim rulers. Poetry, music, algebra, astronomy…music… but came along [both] the anvil of Catholic church, and from Northern Africa, a virulant militaristic form of Islam that quested to "purify" the infidels.

[— they killed their own, and drove out anyone who survived].

Rambam ended up in Egypt due to this…again at the mercy of a somewhat tolernant Muslim ruler….

In more closer to now times, it seems that radical Islam [not asking questions] has become dominant in the 2 main sects.

……but with slightly over 1 billion adherants across from Indonesia, SE Asia, to the Saudi penisula, etc, it is not easy to make a sweeping claim…. but the screaming, dumbed down headlines all promote fear… "Europe is next". Etx. And indeed there are massive neighborhoods in Paris, and other places almost 100% muslim….

The everyday Israeli, the ones playing paddle ball in their string bikins, this what they fear will happen to Judaism in Israel.

And they are the vast majority. Sure they might in large numbers say tehillam, put on tephilan, go to the mikva, light shabbot candles…. but do not dare touch the beach.

I was driving to a mechanic shop, and the directions put me along the stretch of road right next to the ocean. It was also going to be Gay Pride day in Tel Aviv…. [at 1700 the parade would start]. As I drove sitting in beachfront traffic with all the worlds embassys sitting across from the beach…. I came across the thoughts I am sharing.

What would a "tshuva" movement look like in the modern times? Sure, I was in a small % 1990s movement that hit the US, and some souls still trickle into yeshivas…. but not what it was in the 80s/90s.

Chabad…. lost their leader; the other Chassidic groups leaders died,

Rav Moshe, the Rav, main rav of Boston and Yeshiva Uni, gone…

Rav Ovyida Yosef gone.

A massive vaccum of leadership over the last 20 or so years….our Am is adrift….clinging to anyone with a microphone who might say one or two nice things about Israel. Chasing down and firing anyone who dares roll their eyes while on TV, yet get upset when anti-semites talk about us controlling the media

We had something like 5 elections over a short period, throwing billions of shekels to see less and less people actually voting.. the sudden rise of … God forbid different aspects of "dati leumi". The mainstream with Naftali Bennet, and the so-called radicals of Ben Gvir and company.

But … is not Ben Gvir just saying what our faith teaches? [[Not the part of everyone having a gun]]. But is there not verses against homosexuals? Does he not — just like all the datiim, does he not pray for the return of the King, the Sanhedrin?

What makes him so different than me? And more importantly — to the mass 70% out there with shirts off, and bikinis, they are more worried about him [and so called Harediim] making them put clothes on, or as some dumbed down slogans… turning Israel into Iran.

Does any dati person really pray for a return to Iran? — meaning, burkas, women needing permission to do anything, multiple wives, …chopping off of hands…this is a "real" fear. Yeh yeh yeh sure it seems our oral traditions would not allow us to slide that far. Or would it?

The direct path to the tyranny and abuse we see historically was when books were burned, only select few could read, .. and vote?? That was for white male property owners originally. Blacks were 1/8th of a human. This is "christianity" without questions

Where does dati judaism go if the trend[s] continue of dumbing down everything to a singular binary opinion of what [or] whom is deemed "good" for Israel? Screaming and shouting slogans at each other…on Yom Kippur no less….

Where is our Am without Questions?

As Hillel would say, opening with a question[!] If not not now, when??