Someone out there loves us more than we will know (wo wo wo).
For all the attacks against Israel in the International forum, it’s refreshing when we hear about or meet people who actually and honestly like Jews and Israel.
It’s refreshing that the South Koreans admire and respect the Jewish people to the point where they want to emulate us on certain levels, even if it only to achieve success in areas important to them.
From ‘Lo Lishma’…
I recently had the opportunity to sit with a group of U.S. Evangelical Christians who were visiting Israel.
Here are people that genuinely love the Jewish people – especially the religious settlers. :)
And what is most interesting is that most of them had never actually met with or talked to a Jew in their entire life (sort of like the South Koreans) until this trip to Israel.
This wasn’t an interfaith meeting where we discussed and compared religions. This was a meeting where they got to meet with "God’s people", the Jews they so admire from the Bible and freely ask us questions and learn more about Jews and Judaism.
Is there an apocalyptic undertone to their love? Perhaps, we didn’t get into their religious beliefs, but it was clear from their questions that they are very concerned for the safety and survival of the Jewish people.
And there are millions of these people who actually love the Jews networked together around the United States.
Millions? Tens of millions!
Their half-million pro-Israel Christian lobby makes Aipac’s 80,000 members look positively microscopic.
From the feedback I got from their tour guide, this opportunity they had of meeting religious Jews, freely getting to ask us questions and learn about our lives and Judaism was nothing short of “transformational”.
And there were things they said that shocked me too.
I asked them what impressed them most about the Jews they’ve met and Israel.
The answer was unanimous, our “unity”, our caring for one another.
I didn’t know what to say to an answer like that.
I thought it over, and perhaps there is truth to it. We get so involved in the particulars, but perhaps to the outsider they don’t see those differences, and instead see us all working towards the same overall goal.
On the other hand, they may simply be unaware of what really goes on.
I’ve always wondered about something.
We Jews are supposed to be a “light unto the nations”. Yet how are we supposed to do that locked up in our own communities and lives. Jewish outreach to non-Jews is rather limited. Are we simply supposed to set an example from afar?
How many people get to actually influence other nations, and share the light of Torah and teach our message to the world?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we Jews are supposed to fulfill this task.
Perhaps this is both the answer and the opportunity?
Visiting Israel?
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It may not be the most complex sugya in the Talmud, but it does accurately portray the Talmudic discussion.
