BECHUKOTAI
Are Jews Different?
Are we Jews different than other people? Well, just like all Americans this week we also mourn the tragedies of the past couple of weeks in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, Texas. Americans ought to be able to safely go shopping and to school. It is inexcusable for anyone—let alone grandmothers, teachers and children—to be mercilessly mowed down like animals! The shooter in Buffalo was clearly racist and antisemitic. He targeted blacks, and from his social media it is clear that Jews were next. Yes, like all Americans we are in mourning for the loss of life and for all this senseless hatred.
Still, are Jews different? For thousands of years we have been persecuted because much of the world thinks we’re different, thinks we’re evil, thinks we killed their Lord—even though we have contributed so much to improve the world for everyone. Today the one Jewish state in the world is judged by a different standard than any other nation.
Despite the evil such nations as Iran and North Korea have wrought, it is Israel—the only democracy in the Middle East—that is the most condemned nation in the world.
And in the US, antisemitic acts account for most of the hate crimes, while many leftist politicians like AOC and her “Squad,” unfairly attack Israel almost every day. All this has brought Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian to remark: “My plea to the left: treat Jews the same way you’d treat any other minority.”
Of course, Jews shouldn’t be treated unfairly, but are they really the same as other peoples? Our Torah portion today (Bechukotai) is loaded with blessings for us if we follow Gd’s Torah…but also some very bad curses if we don’t. The Ramban, Nachmonides, comments (on Lev. 26:11) on these blessings and curses:
In general then, when Israel is in perfect [accord with Gd], constituting a large number, their affairs are not conducted at all by the natural order of things, neither in connection with themselves, nor with reference to their Land, neither collectively nor individually, for Gd blesses their bread and their water, and removes sickness from their midst, so that they do not need a physician and do not have to observe any of the rules of medicine, just as He said, “for I am Hashem your healer (Ex. 15:26).”
Do you hear that promise from Gd? Gd will treat Jews differently than any other people. Yes, anyone can join the Jewish people by accepting Gd’s Torah and converting and hence becomes part of this promise. When we Jews follow Gd, He raises us above the natural to the supernatural. So, yes, on a supernatural level, Jews are different.
Let me show you some natural differences. Tomorrow and Monday are national holidays—one in Israel and one in America. Tomorrow is Yom Yerushalayim, the reunification of Jerusalem—that marvelous moment in time we prayed for 2,000 years. It’s a day of celebration throughout Israel and the Jewish world. Monday is Memorial Day when we remember those who gave their lives in defending freedom and the USA.
Look at the difference between how things are done in Israel and how things are done in America. In Israel we make a holiday for a city—Jerusalem Day. Nothing like that in America! And on Memorial Day in Israel celebrated a few weeks ago, everything comes to a halt. Sirens are sounded and the whole country literally stops what they’re doing. People stop and stand still in the streets, cars stop on the highways and everyone gets out and stands for moments of silence. Will that happen on Monday Memorial Day? It’s different.
Let me give you another difference. The battle over the Supreme Court regarding abortion Roe v Wade, is separating the right from the left, the very religious and the not so religious, the pro-choice and pro-life.
How come we don’t hear this battle going on in Israel? After all, people seek abortions in Israel. And the truth of the matter is, although Israel has some pretty strict laws in regard to abortion, anyone who wants to get an abortion in Israel can get it.
So why don’t the Haredim Ultra-Orthodox protest against abortion? They march in the streets for anything and everything…this should be sacred to them.
You know why? Because none of them ever has or even thinks of having an abortion. Girls are taught from the earliest age that one of their major roles in life is to have children. So, while the birth rate is down in America, the birth rate is up among the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel…and abortion simply is not an issue.
Let me give you another example. Everyone has heard about the shooting and death in Israel of a well-known Palestinian journalist—Shireen abu Akhla—who was killed in a crossfire between Israelis and Palestinians as Israel was seeking out terrorists. It’s not 100% sure who killed her, although Alexandria Ocassio Cortex is sure. And so she declared, “she was killed by Israeli forces.” The Palestinians have the bullet that would prove it one way or the other, but they’re not releasing it. It’s rather suspicious. If the bullet came from an Israeli army gun, I’m sure they would be very public about it.
It’s surprising to me that no one has made the comparison to another shooting incident. Remember a little more than 20 years ago the furor of the death of 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah? It was at a demonstration during the 2nd Intifada. French tv broke the story with reporter Charles Enderlin describing how the Israelis had shot and killed al-Durra. “60 Minutes” called it: “one of the most disastrous setbacks Israel has suffered in decades.”
There was only one problem. Enderlin, the French correspondent who narrated the al-Dura footage, was nowhere near the shooting when it occurred. And just like in Shireen abu Akhla’s case, the Palestinians refused to release the bullets that killed al-Durrah. We no know why. It took some time but Israeli technology later proved it was a complete Palestinian fabrication! There never was a shooting of al-Durra! In fact he is still alive!
But let’s assume Israel made a mistake and was responsible for Shireen abu Akhla’s death. That would be one innocent civilian killed in a battle. The Watson Institute of Brown University reports:
The US post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Pakistan have taken a tremendous human toll on those countries. As of September 2021, an estimated 387,000 civilians in these countries have died violent deaths as a result of the wars…People living in the war zones have been killed in their homes and markets and in roadways. They’ve been killed by bombs, bullets, fire, improvised explosive devices, IEDs and drones. Civilians die at checkpoints as they are run off the road by military vehicles, or when they step on mines or cluster bombs.
387,000 innocent civilians are killed as a result of U.S. post-9/11 wars, but you don’t see them splashed across the front pages of our newspapers, or on social media? One Palestinian journalist is killed, and you’ll say, “Well, she’s a journalist. We need to protect journalists.”
So let me read you this from UNESCO: Promoting the safety of journalists and combating impunity for those who attack them are central elements withing UNESCO—support for press freedom on all media platforms. On average, every 5 days a journalist is killed bringing information to the public. Let me repeat that, “Every 5 days a journalist is killed bringing information to the public.” Have you heard about those journalists? Only when Israel may be guilty. Otherwise, it’s NOT important enough for frontpage news! Yes, we are treated differently.
Tomorrow is Yom Yerushalayim. We celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem. There’s no other country in the world that is asked to divide its Capital City—no other, just Israel! But isn’t Jerusalem equally holy to Islam? Don’t you kid yourself. Do you know how many times Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible? At least 669 times! Do you know how many times it’s mentioned in the Quran? Zero! It’s different.
My friends, we’re part of that generation that has seen the fulfillment of the vision of the prophet Jeremiah (33:10-11): Od yishama b’arey Yehuda, uvchotzot Yerushalayim, Kol sason v’kol simcha (It will yet be heard in the outskirts of Judah and Jerusalem, the sound of singing and rejoicing). After 2,000 years we’ve come home. We Jews are different! Baruch Hashem. Amen!
