ONE OR TWO GENERATIONS

In a posting dated October 17, Jameel quotes a member of Knesset who has a novel proposal.

"Any person who attempts to influence a minor, to become more religiously observant of Judaism,(להחזיר בתשובה) will be subject to arrest and imprisonment for 6 months."

The speaker was Chaim Oron of Meretz


The full posting by Jameel is here:
http://muqata.blogspot.com/2006/10/meretz-mk-targets-out-reach-judasim.html

Chardal calls it a perverted proposal. See here:
http://chardal.blogspot.com/2006/10/excerpts-from-secular-bible.html


Given that it would also put anyone who seeks to circumcise their son, or raise their children to be Jewish, and anybody who attends a bar or bas mitzvah, in a quandary, and given that if such a law were put into effect there would eventually be no Jews in Israel, one has to wonder what the heck mr. Chaim Oron (of Meretz) was smoking.


It says in the Shma Yisroel (BaMidbar, Parshas Naso, Possook 6:7) "Ve dibarta bam be shivteicha, be beiseicha, u ve lechteicha ba derech, u ve shachbeicha u ve kumecha" – And you shall speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and get up.

Reciting the Shema and the blessings fulfills the commandment to meditate on the laws ‘day and night’, as is written (Joshua 1:8): "Lo yamo'ush sefer ha Torah haze mi picha, ve hagita bo yomam va leila le maan tishmor la'ashoot ke chol ha katuv bo ki az tatsliach et derachecha ve az taskil" (Let not leave from your mouth this book of laws, but that you consider it day and night, that you may obey all that is written in it, and make your travails prosperous, and succeed.).

This is also said in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:7 "Ve shinantam le bneicha, ve dibarta bam be shivteicha b'veiteicha, u velechteicha va derech, u veshachbeicha u vekumeicha"
(And you will teach them diligently to your children, and discuss them when you sit in your home, and when you walk on the road, and when lie down and when you get up).


It should be obvious that without the verbal component, much that is essential to Judaism is missing. Without discussion, explanation, and debate, there is no Judaism.

In what way can one have Judaism without "attempts to influence a minor to become more religiously observant of Judaism"?

Stringencies and observances we can debate about, belief and what is believed we can debate about, secular versus ultra-frum we can debate about -- but if we cannot even debate, there is no Judaism. Knowledge is not absorbed by silent osmosis, Judaism is not a passive state.


Which mr. Chaim Oron realizes.


I will not call mr. Oron a self-hating Jew for two reasons.
The first is that es past nit for me to do so, and the second is that he isn't a self-hating Jew.
He is a Jew-hating Jew.

He's no-doubt pleased as punch with himself.

It's the rest of you he can't stand.