THE TALMUD: SCALPEL THAT BLEEDS THE MIDEAST
By Rev. Ted Pike
13 Jan 06
In the Old Testament,
God required the Hebrews to drive the wicked Canaanites from His
promised land. Canaanite culture was saturated with infant sacrifice,
ritual murder, sexual perversion, idolatry and occultism. God knew
that a policy of zero tolerance toward Canaanite evil was the only
way Hebrew monotheism would survive. Only then could it prepare a
place for Jesus Christ, Savior of all who would trust in Him.
But
although God authorized harsh measures against pagan religions, the
Old Testament is devoid of racism: the conviction that other peoples
are inherently evil, degenerate, or subhuman. King David, notably,
descended from a Jew, Boaz, and Ruth, a godly Gentile. David included
righteous Gentiles in his army, such as Uriah the Hittite. Also,
David was close friends with the Sidonian king Hiram, who largely
built Solomon’s temple. Gentile converts like Rahab were welcomed
into the Hebrew community.
Pharisees
Bring Racism to Israel
Racism
did not enter Judaism until the generation of scribes and Pharisees
who migrated from Babylon several centuries before Christ; they
infused Jewish religion and culture with the idea that Gentiles
are morally inferior and polluting on the basis of race. The Old
Testament makes no such claim, warning only against the influence
of Gentile idolatry on the Hebrews. The Pharisees introduced a
racial superiority into Judaism unheard of in the Old Testament.
As
a result, Jews in Christ’s time were deeply racist, convinced
of their intrinsic superiority to the Gentile “dogs.”1 The
good Jew did not even talk to a Samaritan.2 If
a Gentile were beaten, robbed and thrown into a ditch, a godly
Jew, fearful of becoming “unclean,” passed by on the
other side of the road.3
Talmud
Enshrines Racism
Unfortunately,
the racist revolution of the Pharisees became embodied in the Babylonian
Talmud, the vast, rambling compendium of Pharisaic law. Today the
Talmud and its mystical companion, the Zohar or Cabala, are the
greatest spiritual, ethical, and legal guides for observant Jews.
They are of much greater authority to such Jews than the Old Testament.
Popular
Jewish writer Herman Wouk comments on the Talmud’s preeminence
over all branches of Judaism: “The Talmud is to this day
the circulating heart’s blood of the Jewish religion. Whatever
laws, customs, or ceremonies we observe -- whether we are orthodox
or conservative or reform or merely spasmodic sentimentalists --
we follow the Talmud. It is our common law.”4
Racism
in Israel
The
world is baffled why, in Israel today, the once persecuted Jews
have become persecutors. Highly educated religious Jews, especially
in the government and among the ultra Orthodox West Bank settlers,
now treat the Palestinians much worse than they would treat any
animal.
In
his film, Gaza Strip, veteran filmmaker James Longley graphically
documents how the Israeli military shoots Arab children through
the head for the crime of throwing stones. While his crew filmed,
Israeli helicopters dropped canisters of debilitating nerve gas
on the inhabitants of Gaza. Like the Soviets once did in Afghanistan,
Israeli troops left booby-trapped toys on the ground in order to
blow up curious children.
The
explanation for such behavior is found in the Talmud. The Talmud
teaches the superiority and divine right of Jews over Gentiles:
the Jew is holy because of God’s racial covenant with Israel.
According to the Talmud, Gentiles are unclean because, unlike Jews,
they were not present at Mt. Sinai. By standing on the mount, the
Jews were perpetually cleansed from lustful thoughts.5
In
its article on “Gentile,” the authoritative Jewish
Encyclopedia summarizes the Talmud’s view of Jewish moral
superiority. “The Talmud comments on the untruthfulness of
Gentiles ... and contrasts it with the reputation of a Jew: ‘The
remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies; neither
shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.’”6 “The
Talmudic writers,” this article continues, “say that ‘ ...
only Israelites are men’ ... Gentiles they classed not as
men but as barbarians.”7 Rabbi Johanan ben
Zakki says that if anyone teaches the Talmud to a Gentile, “such
a person deserves death.”8 Judah ben Illai
recommends the daily recital of the benediction: “Blessed
be thou ... who has not made me a goi [or Gentile].”9 Jews
are so holy, the Talmud says, “he who smites an Israelite
on the cheek is as though he has thus assaulted the divine presence.”10
Talmud
Dehumanizes Arabs
Humanity
is shocked by how the Israeli military criminalizes Arab youth,
often shooting them down as if they were subhuman. Yet this is
exactly how the Talmud teaches Jews to regard Gentile children. “The
Talmud outlawed the issue [or children] of a Gentile as that of
a beast.”11
During
the intifada uprising in Gaza in 1988, the world was horrified
when Israeli soldiers buried alive four Palestinian youths. Yet
the Talmud sanctions Jewish murder of Gentiles. The Talmud says “if
a Jew throws his neighbor into a pit that contains a ladder, then
hastens to remove the ladder, he is not liable for the death of
his neighbor.”12 The Jew is also permitted
to roll a large stone over the pit opening, guaranteeing the victim
will not survive.
According
to the Talmud, “those who deny the Torah and the prophets
of Israel, the law is that they should be killed and those who
have the power of life and death should have them killed, and if
this cannot be done, they should be led to their death by deceptive
methods.”13
The
Talmud’s homicidal hatred of Gentiles leaps from its pages.
The Jewish Encyclopedia quotes one of the Talmud’s most respectable
rabbis, Simeon ben-Yohai: “The best among the Gentiles deserves
to be killed. The best of snakes ought to have its head crushed.”14
How
Relevant is Talmud to Jews Today?
How
relevant to Jews today is such medieval bloodlust?
The
majority of Jews in America have probably never read the Talmud
or even heard of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai. For most of assimilated
American Jewry, Judaism involves support of Israel and left-wing
causes, but possesses a largely social, not spiritual, obligation.15
But
in New York and especially Israel, it is very different. Today
in Israel, during the annual festival of Lag Ba Omar, tens of thousands
of orthodox Jews assemble in Meron, the traditional burial place
of Simeon ben Yohai, where they honor his memory through song,
dance, and exhortation. The prestigious Encyclopedia Judaica describes
ben Yohai as one of the giants of Judaism for all time.16
Far
from being outdated, ben Yohai’s call to slaughter the “best
of the Gentiles” is the Talmudic text that authorizes Israel’s
policy of killing innocent Arabs, including children. A government
manual for modern Israeli soldiers includes a summary of Ben Yohai’s
teaching: “In war when our forces storm the enemy, they are
allowed and even enjoined by the Halakah to kill even good civilians,
that is civilians who are ostensibly good.”17
The
Talmud clearly does more than dehumanize Palestinians. It also
dehumanizes the educated and religious Jews who are guided by its
homicidal racism. The Talmud is the scalpel that makes the Mideast
bleed.
Jewish
Cabala Says Jews are Divine
The
mystical Zohar, or Cabala, like the Talmud, is considered by orthodox
Jews to be inspired by God and equal in authority to the Talmud.
Many ultra-orthodox Jews, such as predominate in Israel today,
consider it of even greater authority. In the Zohar, the idea is
everywhere repeated that Jews are divine, holy beings, essential
for the very existence of the world. Gentiles, however, are demonic
and less than human. The Zohar says, “‘Living soul’ refers
to Israel, who have living souls from above, and ‘cattle
and creeping thing’ and ‘beast of the earth’ to
the other peoples who are not ‘living soul.’”18 The
Zohar continues: “The ‘ass’ means non-Jew, who
is to be redeemed by the offering of the lamb, which is the dispersed
house of Israel. But if he refuses to be redeemed, then break his
skull ... they should taken out of the book of the living.”19
According
to the Zohar, God rewards Jews for slaughtering those whom Israel
regards as idolaters. “In the palaces of the fourth heaven
are those who lamented over Sion and Jerusalem, and all those who
destroyed idolatrous nations and those who killed off people who
worshipped idols are clothed in purple garments so they may be
recognized and honored.”20 Only by the overthrow
of the Gentiles, the Zohar asserts, can Israel regain its predestined
position as God’s shekinah glory on earth.21
The
Zohar calls Gentiles “Amalekites.” In a passage typical
of many, it says: “They caused the destruction of the temple
... so when God reveals Himself, they will be wiped off the earth
... But withal redemption will not be complete until Amalek will
be exterminated.”22 Today the religious and
military establishment of Israel commonly refers to Palestinians
as Amalekites. Until final conquest of the Gentiles, the Zohar
says Israel can use any means necessary to assure victory.23
Jewish
Response to Criticism of Talmud and Cabalah
How
do Jewish authorities today respond to accusations of racism within
Judaism’s most sacred literature? Deceptively. Yet they do
so with a clear conscience because the Talmud teaches, “it
is permitted to deceive a goi [Gentile].”24 Every
year, on the eve of Yom Kippur, religious Jews recite the Kol Nidre
prayer, which absolves them of any obligation to tell the truth
to Gentiles in the following year.25
In
response to criticism, rabbis usually inform Gentiles that the
Talmud is divided into two categories: the Haggada, anecdotal teachings
that are non-binding on Jews; and the Halakah, Talmudic law. They
claim that those passages “anti-Semites” hold against
them are actually Haggada, aberrations which are untypical of the
Talmud’s true love and generosity toward all races and religions.
Nothing
could be further from the truth.
What
is Binding on Jews Today?
The
surest way to determine whether a Talmudic text is Halakah is to
read the original Talmud26 and find out if it is
endorsed by the Mishnah, the definitive oral law of the Pharisees.
Or one may consult the authoritative Jewish Encyclopedia, available
as a reference in most metropolitan libraries. Published in 1905,
before ecumenical “brotherhood” between Christians
and Jews excluded truth about Judaism, the Jewish Encyclopedia
frankly tells us what the Talmud has historically taught Jews to
believe. In its articles on “Authority,” “Gentile,” “Jesus,” “Christianity,” “Talmud,” and “Cabala,” it
confirms that every Talmudic assertion or passage that I have included
in this article reflects Halakah, or Talmudic law.
Do
all observant Jews adhere to objectionable Halakic teachings
within the Talmud? Of course not. Yet rabbinic authorities, especially
in Israel, say true Jews will honor every part of the holy, infallible
Talmud.
Jewish
Bigots want to End “Intolerance”
Considering
the racist underpinnings of the Talmud and Zohar, it is astonishing
that Jewish “civil liberties” organizations posture
as attempting to end racism. ADL/B’nai B’rith, the
Southern Poverty Law Center, People for the American Way, and the
ACLU are organizations entirely or largely dominated by Jews.
These
organizations never object to racism within Judaism. Instead,
they vilify the “intolerance,” “homophobia,” or “anti-Semitism” of
a largely Christian society. Such bigotry, they claim, is ample
pretext to attempt to alter Christians’ behavior, stressing “respect
for diversity” and even enactment of anti-hate laws worldwide.
What
chutzpah -- that the original racists, the followers of the
Pharisees, should set themselves up to cleanse the world of racism!
Such
audacity and illusion should be remind us of the continuing relevance
of the words of Jesus, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs which on the outside
appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s
bones and all uncleanness.”27
Gullible
Christians
Christians
and conservatives are eager to believe that Judaism is as benign
in its intentions as any other religion, and that the assurances
of its apologists may be taken at face value. The truth is that
there are very good reasons why Jewish leadership and even much
of Jewish laity are conspicuously engaged in anti-Christian activism,
litigation, and legislation. Take notice next time you hear or
read of the latest lawsuit against Christmas symbols, prayer in
schools, Biblical creationism, etc. Almost invariably, you will
find the names of Jewish lawyers, organizations, or even Jewish
parents or students as initiators of such litigation. Jewish anti-Christian
activism exists today because, thousands of years ago, the Pharisees
violently opposed Christ and persuaded most Jews to follow them.
Such antagonism to the gospel is only increasing.
Today
there exists a rift between orthodox Judaism, the position of
a small minority of world Jewry and the state of Israel, and Reform
Judaism, a much larger segment presided over by ADL/ B’nai
B’rith. Yet both venerate Talmud and Cabala, and jealously
guard their secrets from the prying eyes of Gentiles.
For
this reason, lovers of religious freedom and Christian civilization
should be suspicious of what the modern descendents of the Pharisees
tell us about their hugely secretive religion. The warning of
Jesus, echoing through the millennia, should ring in our ears: “Beware
of the leaven [teaching] of the Pharisees.”28
End
Notes:
1 Mark
7:27
2 John 4:9
3 Luke 10:31
4 Herman Wouk, This is My God, serialized
in New York Herald-Tribune, 1959
5 The Talmud says, “When the serpent came into Eve, he infused
filthy lust in her ... when Israel stood on Sinai, that lust was eliminated
... ” Abodah Zarah, 22b
6 “Gentile,” p. 621
7 ibid, p. 617
8 Sanhedrin 59a, Hagigah 13a
9 “Gentile,” p. 617
10 Sanhedrin 58b
11 “Gentile,” p. 620
12 Sanhedrin 76b, Abodah Zarah 26b
13 Choschen Hammishpat 156 Haggah
14 Abodah Zarah 26b (This inflammatory statement is censored from
the Soncino Talmud, but is cited in the Jewish Encyclopedia’s article, “Gentile,” p.
617.)
15 The latest survey by the American Jewish Committee (Dec. 21,
2005) shows that 29% of U.S. Jews are Reform in affiliation. Since ADL/B’nai
B’rith are primarily Reform in constituency, such provide enormous support
for their anti-Christian, pro-hate law agenda. This poll shows 32% belong to
Conservative Judaism, and only 10% are Orthodox. The high figure of Reform
support contradicts the popular notion that ADL/B’nai B’rith represents
a tiny left-wing minority.
16 “Simeon ben Yohai,” Encyclopedia Judaica
17 Booklet published by the chaplain of the Israeli army, Central
Region Command. Quoted in Dr. Israel Shahak’s Jewish History, Jewish
Religion, p. 76
18 Bereshith 47a (This format is according to the Soncino translation.)
19 II 43a (This format is according to the original Mantuan edition
of the Zohar.)
20 I 38b, 39a
21 I 160a
22 Bereshith, 25b
23 I 160a
24 Baba Kama 113b
25 Nedarim 68
26 Unfortunately, the authorized Soncino translations of both Talmud
and Zohar omit extremely volatile passages. The original texts may be accessed
in the Judaic section of the Library of Congress. I have had passages from
the original Mantuan edition of the Zohar translated from the Aramaic.
27 Matthew 23:27
28 Luke 12:1
[Article adapted from Ted Pike's video documentary, "Why the
MidEast Bleeds"]
