Posted on 01/27/2005 12:38:49 PM PST by Alouette
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, former chief rabbi of Israel and leading halachic authority in the religious Zionist camp said this week that the tsunami that wracked South East Asia was retribution for supporting the disengagement plan.
In the latest edition of "Mayanei Hayeshua", a weekly Torah pamphlet distributed to thousands of synagogues throughout the country, Eliyahu was asked how we are to understand the tsunami.
Eliyahu answered, "The [Babylonian] Talmud [the tractate of Berachot] says that when God is angry at the nations of the world for not aiding Israel - they want to evacuate, to disengage, to interfere in our affairs, He claps his hands, causing an earthquake."
Some 280,000 died in the natural disaster according to the most recent death toll.
Eliyahu also expressed his support for those soldiers who decided to "hand over their guns to an officer and join settlers" against disengagement.
Rabbi Yehudah Gilad of the Religious Kibbutz Movement said Eliyahu's comment was "terrible and incomprehensible".
Gilad, who helped organize a meeting Wednesday of rabbis and religious army officer who oppose disobeying evacuation orders, added "I'm am not worthy of contradicting Rabbi Eliyahu. I'd like to think that he was misunderstood."
Gilad said that rabbis who anathematize disengagement leave no choice for their students but refusal.
"When disengagement is described in such monstrous terms the logical conclusion is unbridled opposition, which will inevitably lead to complete anarchy.
"We are racing toward the abyss - when we reach the brink it will be too late to pullback. "It already happened once," said Gilad, referring to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
"We must try to stop before it's too late."
Unless you are a Qara'ite or Protestant, you must acknowlege that Moses had successors (Joshua being the first) down to our own day.
Wow, what a horrible argument! Speaking as a Bible believer, I have to hold my nose. Many nations do have historical myths that are widely believed, which provides abundant contradiction to the author's claims that false historical facts cannot come to be generally accepted.
The article doesn't deny the existence of myths. It points out that the Revelation at Sinai is the only time in history when G-d spoke to an entire nation at once. The religions of the nations are based on G-d (or a "gxd" of some kind) speaking to one person or a small group of people. Israel's is the only case of objective national revelation in history.
Moses had the Sinai and Divine Storms, perhaps Moshiach will have the Internet and Divine Servers.
Do you read the articles before posting and commenting? What's even funnier is that some posters took your position. I guess some people buy anything, eh?
It's these simplistic answers that drive me nuts, and probably drive people away from religion.
Definitely G-d is trying to tell us something. But to claim to be able to read His mind is something else.
We don't know why things like tidal waves happen. Instead we must look at natural disasters and remind ourselves that G-d runs the world.
Yes. Do you?
Don't think it is allowed anymore though
Although I don't agree with Rabbi Eliyahu's conclusion, I do agree with your interpretation of it. He is saying not the Zionists but the anti -Zionists (those who want to disengage) brought down God's wrath on the world.
Do you really believe that? On what basis?
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