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  1. @ CuriousAmerican:

    Wrong answer! This is the perversion of Tenach which you ascribe to?!

    A convert is no longer a stranger. The stranger is the gentile.

    You interpretation is racist.

    It seems to me you throw that racist charge quite freely and without much thought. Certainly with little or no knoledge of Judaism and no knowledge of Hebrew.

    Exodus 23:9: And ger, [him] you shall not oppress—you, too, know the soul of ger, for you were gerim in the land of Egypt.
    Exodus 23:31: And I will set your limits from Reed (“Red”) Sea to Philistine (“Mediterranean”) Sea, and from steppe (“Sinai Desert”) to the river (Euphrates), for I will give in your hand the yeshvei [of] the land, and you shall displace them (gerashtamo) from yourself.

    What is the difference between yeshvei and gerim, those who must be displaced and those who must not be oppressed? The root i-sh-v means, “to stay, as in settlement.” Thus the yeshvei are the natives. The natives must be driven out because their hostility is inherently implacable: they, and even their remote descendants, will always remember that Jews took away their land. This is not an issue of land ownership, but of sovereignty: the country may have belonged to the Canaanites or the Palestinian Arabs, but now the state is Jewish. Modern Jewish rulers believe that Arabs will ignore the insult in return for generous aid, but the Torah’s author was infinitely wiser: if Jews want to be sovereign on this land, they must cleanse it of yeshvei.

    The Torah, particularly the section of Laws (Exodus 23 is a part of it), is not laid down in chronological order. Exodus 23:9 deals with a time later than 23:31. How do we know that? Exodus 23:10 speaks of Shmita, seventh-year rest for agricultural land. Settled agriculture was the last stage in the Jewish conquest of Canaan, after the land was taken from its original inhabitants. So gerim appear after yeshvei are displaced.

    Who are gerim? They are not natives, as the natives had been exterminated or evicted already (yes, Jews are not nice). In the Biblical Hebrew, the cognate gur has an unquestionable sense of meaning, “to huddle together, to reside timidly.” That sense is very far from the toneless Modern Hebrew, to live. Even in the most aggressive sense, Psalm 56:6-7: “… all their thoughts are against me for evil. They iaguru secretly (or, from north – the left side in ancient coordinates)…” Likewise Psalm 140:3-4: “Who think evil things in their heart, every day iaguru conflicts. They sharpened their tongue like a serpent.” main theme about gerim is timidity, submissiveness.

    In modern terms, gerim must absolutely accept Jewish sovereignty. In ancient Judea, gerim were not oppressed, but neither did they have political rights. It is in this sense that the Torah speaks about Jews: “… for you were gerim in the land of Egypt.” Whether the Jews were slaves or ate meat from full pots, they lacked political rights in Egypt.

    Rabbis traditionally had an even stricter understanding of gerim, as converts to Judaism. Such reading is semantically (though not etymologically) correct, as foreign religions were banned in Judea, and resident aliens had to practice Judaism. In particular, not even slaves or gerim were allowed to work on Sabbath, erect altars, worship idols, sacrifice to foreign deities, or drink blood; they adhered to the restrictions of Pesach and Yom Kippur. They submitted to the laws given to Jews on the Sinai, and acted like Jews in all practical matters except marriage.

    The terms ger and i-sh-v converge in some situations, as when Abraham pleads with the tribe of Heth to allow him to bury his wife, who died in Kiryat Arba (in our days, the place of notorious Jewish settlement which “took the Arab land”). Genesis 23:4: “I am a ger and toshav with you.” Abraham, a great legal mind, is precise here: he is a submissive resident (ger) now, but will settle (toshav) this land. So Abraham insists on buying a cave for the burial instead of accepting the offer to receive it free. Israel abandoned that cave, Mearat a-Mahpela, to Arab jurisdiction.

    Even toshav, a status higher than ger, relates inferiority. He is not allowed to partake of Pesach sacrifices (Exodus 12:45) unless he converts to Judaism and circumcises (12:48). He is just a bit higher than a slave (Leviticus 25:35, 40). His right to live in the Land of Israel is unquestioned, but his status is far below that of a Jewish freeman.
    There is not a single instance in the Bible where ger lacks a clear sense of submissiveness.

    Long before Christians adopted this commandment as their major tenet, Jews were told, “You shall love your fellow [man] just as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Not to the extent that you love yourself, but in the way you do. Your love for your fellow man should be in the likeness (cmo) of your love for yourself. An alternative reading is that you should love a man who is like you, your fellow man.

    The critical difference between us and the Christians is whom we consider a fellow man. Modern Christians unrealistically pronounce all people fellows, and surely fail to treat them as such. What is the love enjoined to our fellows? The context clarifies: “You shall not oppress your fellow” (19:13), “You shall not hate your brother” (19:17), and the 19:18: “You shall neither take revenge, nor restrain [yourself to take revenge later] at the children of your nation.” This, by the way, refutes the claims that human vengeance is prohibited in Judaism, that it is reserved for the power of G-d only. Revenge is prohibited only against fellow Jews, on the double presumption of their general goodwill and efficient law enforcement. In such a society, revenge on the personal level was superfluous. But taking revenge on the enemies of Jews (even their distant offspring) is not merely a right, but an often-reiterated obligation: “a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8).

    The prescribed love for one’s fellow is the absence of hatred, vengeance, oppression, and jealousy. While gerim must not be oppressed, fellows must also not be hated. The Torah prescribes, “The ger who resides among you in your land shall be for you like a native, and you shall love him just as you love yourself” (Leviticus 19:34). You cannot be more compassionate than that. But why does the Torah, so short on words, reiterate, “in your land”? So that the ger absolutely recognizes the land as ours. And indeed the parallel Exodus 12:48: “And if a ger will reside with you, and will keep the Pesach to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised… he shall be like the native…” In order to be like a Jew, ger must be like a Jew: he must circumcise, keep Jewish customs, and to all purposes become a Jew. Then, sure enough, we must love him just as we love any Jew, including ourselves.

    To summarize: Where it says, “You shall not oppress strangers,” the Torah enjoins us against arbitrarily taking the life or property of the submissive resident aliens who are loyal to Judaism. Where it says, “You shall love your fellow just as yourself,” the Torah enjoins a positive attitude toward one’s compatriots, toward like-minded people only

  2. Are the Palestinians at the Olympics, today?

    The Munich Massacre was planned by Mohammed Abu Daoud who was upset that Palestine was not allowed to participate at the 1972 games.

    But why may I ask … is 40 years a big thing? Aren’t the celebrations 10, 25, and 50, not 40?

  3. @ yamit82:
    What stranger are Jews required to LOVE and treat JUSTLY? Ans: Converts to Judaism

    Wrong answer! This is the perversion of Tenach which you ascribe to?!

    A convert is no longer a stranger. The stranger is the gentile.

    You interpretation is racist.

  4. I am beginning to believe being a Christian (who loves Israel and the USA) is much more intelligent than being a Jew anymore. Trento is smarter than the two Obamist jerks and their pals put together.

  5. What stranger are Jews required to LOVE and treat JUSTLY? Ans: Converts to Judaism

    I love it when ignorant Jews quote Talmud and Tanach.
    Stupid Jewish liberal: Mark Alan Siegel, Palm Beach Democratic county Chairman.

    “A wise man’s mind [tends] to his Right, while a fool’s mind [tends] to his Left. Even on the road, as the fool walks, he lacks sense and proclaims to all that he is a fool.” (Ecclesiastes 10:2-3)