Thursday, March 31, 2011

They love us more than we will know

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?


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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You could always go out on shlichut and spread light all over the world....:):):):):)

Anonymous said...

when the nations of the world see events such as public menorah lightings in the kremlin, near the eiffel tower, and in almost every part of the world and other similar events, we are already accomplishing this......and there are a growing number of websites such as lazerbrody who reach out to the noahides and have an ever growing measure of success. But rest assured that my heart is filled with unlimited gratitude for the work you do in your daled amos because if it wasn't for you and yours holding on to our land, our yerusha, all else would be dim, too. Hashem should grant you and all Am Yisroel together the final victory, where we won't have to fight for our land, but will all serve Hashem and learn His wondrous Torah in peace, together.

Danny Hershtal said...

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
A light unto the nations, as a nation! We need people to see Israel as a successful nation based on its just laws (ie of the Torah). As last week's Haftara stated, lighting Hanukka candles at the eiffel tower is a Hilul HASHEM: That the Jews are not all in their land!
The blessing to Avraham was clearly that his nation would cause blessing to the Earth, not his random descendents in one place or another!

bracha said...

Re: Being a LIght Unto the Nations.
There is a some-what new blog 'out there' for Gentiles: Creed of Noah.
I have read some of her comment on www.Shiratdevorahblogspot.com.

Also, I believe that setting a fine EXAMPLE by those of us living amongs the gentiles in the Diaspora have an excellent opportunity to thus 'spread the light'! Bracha

HolyCityPrayer said...

I have been doing this for a while now
www.root-source.com

HolyCityPrayer said...

btw, who is this lo lishma? can't find the source

Anonymous said...

if you look at today's arutz7 news, there is a beautiful story about chabad shluchim remaining in tokyo (in spite of radiation worries) and working around the clock to help survivors and pass out truckloads of food. One Japanese woman started to cry when they refused to take money for the food and was told it was a chesed -- no charge.. Another part of the story talked about the mayor and townsfolk coming out and bowing down in greeting....Unfortunately, there are still Jewish neshamos around the world, even though a growing number of us have been blessed to come live in the land of Yisroel. According to the Rambam, before the Beis HaMikdash is built for eternity, there is a step before that -- refining what is left of the world so that "all mankind shall serve Hashem as one...." With blessings for a Shabbat Shalom..

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