Monday, September 02, 2013

JewishIsrael and Thais

In one of the comments on my post protesting the misinformation regarding claims made in connection with HaYovel and a supposed Jewish-Christian center in Samaria (what JewishIsrael considers part of "a wanton and reckless [relationship] which is currently being pursued by Shomron leadership), as well as a poster campaign against their volunteering efforts in the Samarian vineyards, Elllen Horowitz of JewishIsrael writes


We interviewed several farmers and posted a number of other alternatives...Thai workers have an excellent reputation here [on the Golan].

Wait, Thais?

From Thailand?

Aren't they Buddhists?

Are Buddhists less or more idolators than Christian?


Many of the Buddhist practices and world-concepts are in direct opposition to the Torah concept of singular Divine providence...Even if the intellectual Buddhist conceives of these notions in a highly abstract fashion, they are still the notions of idolatry against which our father Abraham struggled. For a Jew to burn incense in front of a statue is horrifying, no matter what he will say are his inner intents. Similarly, the proclamation, "In Buddha I find refuge" is a catastrophe for the Jewish soul.

On the other hand, the mental rigor and personal discipline of these practices have proven of great benefit to many in their praying and meditation (both of which are organic to Judaism)...As for those who were born into Buddhist culture, I believe that they will find a particular path within the framework of the Noahide guidelines that leads them to the truth within their own heritage..

and this

For traditionally religious Jews, engaging in Buddhist practices is a violation of the prohibition against avodah zarah, idol worship, and Jews who become Buddhists are apostates. Jewish groups--ranging from Jews for Judaism to Chabad-Lubavitch and Hillel--spend considerable time and energy trying to convince Jews attracted to Buddhism (and other non-Jewish paths) that whatever they are seeking can be found within Judaism. 

There is this viewpoint:

...Buddhism is -- in its essence and purpose -- the diametric opposite of Judaism...The goal of Buddhism is to escape the wheel of birth and death...the only effective way to escape this world is by attaining nirvana, a transcendental state of consciousness which serves as an exit pass from the wheel of birth and death...Judaism, by contrast, is a path of total engagement with this world....

...Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism all mandate celibacy as the highest path, because indulging in sex means giving in to the lower self. All the serious Bhu-Jews living in Dharamsala have renounced sex.   Torah, by contrast, takes sexuality and examines it, regulates it, prohibits it in certain relationships, and ultimately sanctifies it in marriage as the most potent way to unite with God in this world...I should note here that Indian (both Hindu and Buddhist) Tantric tradition utilizes the energy of sexual union as a spiritual tool, but Tantric sexuality is not supposed to be practiced with one’s wife. Preferably, it should be practiced with a stranger....

...Another salient difference between Buddhism and Judaism is that Buddhism is a non-theistic religion. Although later Mahayana Buddhism virtually made the Buddha himself into a god, the historical Gautama Buddha (who lived in the fifth century BCE) never mentioned God. Thus, the existence of God and even the existence of an immortal soul are either denied or irrelevant in Buddhism.

Judaism, on the contrary, centers totally on God....According to Buddhism and Hinduism, this world is ultimately purposeless.

So, from a halachic and theological position, who is better for the vines, Ellen, Thais or Christians?

^

3 comments:

Jewish Israel said...

Are the Buddhists of the world funneling masses of money to Buddhist indoctrination centers throughout Israel in order to infiltrate into Israeli society and bring the Jews to Buddha in their masses?

Are these Buddhists doing all that while at the same time smiling in Jews faces and lying through their teeth that they'll never harm a hair on the neshama of a single Jew in tel Aviv, Eilat, Haifa, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva?

If the answer to either question is yes, then we fully agree with you. Now follow through on what you yourself are arguing. Oh! You're playing the devil's advocate! What you don't realize is that you're not playing.

JewishIsrael does not concentrate on the halachic aspects of whether or not it is permissible to hire in Israel an Oved Avodah Zarah who keeps his religion to himself and who does not promote 200+ communities of coreligionists throughout our county who actively witness their religion and their jesus to Jews.

The scenario which has been occurring in Israel for decades, which involves evangelical ministries and organizations whom Jews like yourself worship and pontificate about, already has immediate negative repercussions for every Jew in this country. The long term outlook looks even more dire, thanks to the good intentions of yourself and others.

Avraham Leibler
Administrative Director
Jewishisrael.com

YMedad said...

Avraham, now you have me really mixed up. If there are other less-than-halachic matters that enter into the balance of being pro- or anti-HaYovel and those like them - and I am talking about HaYovel, etc., not outright missionaries, messianic Jews, etc. so don't attempt to mess up the agenda here - then I think I have a much better argument to seek a positive cooperative enterprise than your position.

And just before Rosh Hashana, Avraham, to suggest I "worship" evangelical ministries and organizations is not only wrong and ridiculous and a slander, but it shows you to be mentally unbalanced and unstable. Wow. Does Ellen know what you wrote? Did you receive her approbation? Every Jew in this country is negatively affected? Every Jew? Are you out of your mind or can you just not count? I was talking about vineyard harvesting and pruning - Thais or Christians and you are all over the place, which means nowhere.

Poor soul that you are Avraham.

Anonymous said...

The more ideologically christian they are, the more they speak out that Jesus walked and preached in the physical Jewish Temple.

Please recall that our jihadi foes deny that the Temple even existed!!

PS: the world is NOT full of christians who are evangelizing Jews. There is a lesser percentage of christians interested in thinking/talking about religion, than there is of american Jews who want to get near a Lishkat Giyus!!

Avraham Leibler: what is the salary you make for manufacturing incitement? Your racket is a nice scam!!

Avraham Leibler: do your supporters in america ever even sweep the streets in Israel (much less carry the lifeblood of Israeli Agriculture on their shoulders under the hot sun!) Or are they all collecting food stamps in Brooklyn and Monsey?