Our next festivity is Hanuka, which celebrates the Jewish fundamentalists's victory against the Greeks and the Jews that had adopted the Greek, that is, universal non-ethnic Western civilization. The candles are for the miracle of continued candle-light when the oil had been consumed. In my home we follow old-time religion and use olive oil instead of candles. Jews in the Galuth are unaware of the meaning of the festivity, they would reject Maccabean ethno-fanatic extremism and condemn their destruction of the symbols of Western civilization such as science schools and youth sports clubs.
9 comments:
Of course, the story doesn't end there, does it J? The same fanatic impulse resulted in the Zealots described by Flavius Josephus. They played quite a role in bringing about the Jewish Wars that the Jewish side lost with catastrophic cost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealotry
1. Had the Jews not had that "fanatic impulse" (in other words, absolute faith in Judaism,) they would have ceased to exist either under the Greek or the Roman occupation, as did all other nations (show me an Etruscan today.)
2. The cost of losing the war to the Romans was, indeed, catastrophic, both immediately and in the long term. It is possible that had the zealots been less zealous and kinder to the collaborators (those more moderate in their views,) the Second Temple would still be standing. However, this catastrophe was not without upsides. The Talmud points out that G-d desires repentance and prayer as much or more than animal sacrifices, and in the absence of the latter, there is no option but the former. The dispersal of the Jewish people made us more resilient.
"The dispersal of the Jewish people made us more resilient."
I happen to agree, but that would suggest that both you and the Talmud are against the final aim of the Zionist project to end the Diaspora?
The Talmud is for it, just not with its current secular ideology. I personally hope that the people currently living in Israel will merit the Messianic age.
I think they will be waiting for that forever since I find the evidence for God's existence lacking, but I'll never convince you (and vice versa).
Treating everything as a matter of survival, as life or death, turns you into a psychopath. An admirable path to take.
What do you think evolution is? What do you think history is? We are only here because of life and death processes taking place on all scales simultaneously. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go set some kittens on fire.
It reminds me that creepy pick up line:
"Do I really want to set kittens on fire or is your beauty driving me insane?"
Does that one work?
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