I find slavery abhorrent but who cares about my feelings. I get my values from Judaism. The Torah (both in its written and oral forms) allowed slavery. From the Orthodox Jewish perspective, the Torah comes from God. So if I want to proclaim slavery abhorrent, then I am saying I am more moral than the Torah, the Bible, than Aristotle, than God?
Torah also makes allowances for raping women in war time. Isn’t that horrible?
I think that’s easy to say if you are like me and have never fought in a war. I suspect that one you have gone to war, it is much more understandable how in the heat of battle, men take women.
“But isn’t that contrary to the spirit of hasidus (Hasidic thought)?” I was challenged by a hasid the other day.
I replied: “If there had been a Jewish state, hasidus would have been different. Jewish law would have been different. By not having a state for almost 2000 years, Jews and Judaism had many luxuries not possible with a state. When you have a land to defend and maintain, you can’t spend as much time in mystical contemplation and minute ritual. You have work to do. You might very well have thousands of people to kill. You might be called to defend your land and your people and your family with your life. When you’re fighting for your life, I suspect your concerns become much more immediate and practical and less philosophical and mystical.”
Hasidim and democracy are often at odds because so many Hasidim abuse welfare, try to corrupt the government, run scams on outsiders, and often contribute little to the wider society. The Hasidim and Haredim in Israel, by and large, are as much of a drag on that country as the American Haredim are on their country. If people such as the Hasidim (outside of Chabad) want to turn their backs on the wider society, then wider society has the right and obligation to turn their backs on them. If I ran America, I would mandate no welfare and government assistance for minority groups who don’t contribute at least as much as they take from the wider society. They have to support their own. Why should America subsidize people who don’t follow the law, and don’t learn proper English and job skills?
