'You shall have no other gods before Me.' Idolatry and Interfaith dialogue in the C21st century YIWH Shavuot 5776

Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues. True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures. All should see to it, then, that in catechetical work or in the preaching of the word of God they do not teach anything that does not conform to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ. Furthermore, in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.

To my honored friend, Rabbi Dov Ber LanderRegarding the matter that you promised to attend the meeting on the 23rd of Adar I where Catholics and Protestants together with Jews from the Synagogue Council of America and Rabbis from the Rabbinical Council of America will meet. Even though you will only speak general words, it is obvious and clear that this is a severe prohibition of appurtenances of idolatry.

For a plague is now spreading in many places because of the new pope (Pope Paul VI) whose only intention is to move all Jews away from their holy and pure faith to accept the Christian Faith. For it is easier to accomplish this through these methods than through hate and murder that previous popes have used. Therefore any dealing with them even on general matters and all [the more so] actual coming close for a meeting is forbidden with the severe prohibition of “coming close to idolatry.” There is also a prohibition of enticing and leading astray.”

Israel and Edom are inverse and opposite - when one is in ascent then the other is in descent. In the beginning, Israel is connected to the nations like a shell around a fruit. In the end, the fruit is separated from the shell completely and Israel is separated from them.

The separation from idolaters makes a nation complete in itself and sustains the essence of Israel.

Idolaters are compared to water and Israel to fire. If the two substances, fire and water, are mixed together the water puts out the fire. But if the fire remains distant and separate from the water, then the fire consumes and dries out the water until nothing is left. In truth, this is the uniqueness (segulah) of Israel.

Chapter 1

For in the case of Israel, this soul of the kelipah is derived from the klipat noagah, which also contains good...The souls of the nations of the world, however, emanate from the other unclean klipot which contain no good whatever….that all the good the nations do is done from selfish motives

The great philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, recognize religion and acknowledge that the prophetic soul is above the philosophic soul. The second group believes that religion was given from G-d through his prophet, this religious group includes the three nations known to us, the Hebrews, Ishmaelites, and Christians - and maybe more. These three acknowledge that the religion of Moses, our teacher, is true and his Torah is true...

The Jewish religious tradition expresses itself in a fusion of universalism and singurlarism. On the one hand, Jews are vitally concerned with the problems affecting the common destiny of man...On the other hand, we are a distinctive faith community with a unique commitment, singular relationship to G-d and a specific way of life...Our love of and dedication to G-d are personal and bespeak an intimate relationship which must not be debated with others whose relationship to G-d has been molded by different historical events. We are, therefore, opposed to any public debate, dialogue or symposium concerning the doctrinal, dogmatic or ritual aspects of our faith vis-à-vis “similar” aspects of another faith community.

When, however, we move from the private world of faith to the public world of humanitarian and cultural endeavors, communication among the various faith communities is desirable and essential.

These Muslims [Ishmaelim] are not in any way idolaters. [Idolatry] has already been removed from their mouths and their hearts, and they unify G-d in the appropriate manner without any admixture [of idolatrous beliefs].

It has already been stated that these things [laws relating to gentiles] were said concerning periods when there existed nations of idolaters, and they were contaminated in their deeds and tainted in their dispositions . . . but other nations, which are restrained by the ways of religion and which are free from such blemishes of character – on the contrary, they even punish such deeds – are, without doubt, exempt from this prohibition.

The Christian nations among whom we live, generally observe the principles of justice and righteousness, believe in the creation of the world and the existence and providence of G-d, and in the Law of Moses and the prophets, and oppose the Sadducean view that denies the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul. Therefore it is fitting to be thankful to them, to praise and extol them, and to bring upon them blessings and not, G-d forbid, curses.

R. Elazar ben Azaryah said, "If there is no Torah there is no civilization [derech eretz: lit. way of the land.]." The word "Torah" here cannot be meant literally, since there are many ignorant people who have not learned it, and many pious among the gentiles who do not keep the Torah and yet are ethical and follow the “way of the land.” Rather, the correct interpretation seems to me to be that every people has its own Divine religion, which comprises three foundational principles, (1) belief in a revealed Torah, (2) belief in reward and punishment, and (3) belief in an afterlife. They only disagree on the interpretation of these principles. These three principles are what are called here "Torah."

I incline to the view that the intention of Maimonides when he writes that [the pious will have] “a share in the world to come”, is to a low level [of spirituality], even though this too is a great good. However, since even the wicked and ignorant of Israel also have such a share [in the afterlife], this represents a relatively low level in the hierarchy of spiritual achievement. Maimonides himself holds that intellectual achievements represent a higher form of human flourishing than moral behaviour, and therefore holds that acquiring share in the world to come characterizes specifically the “pious” of the nations, namely those who have not mastered the intellect but have simply accepted faith in the innocence of the promptings of the heart, and thus conduct themselves uprightly, having accepted the [seven Noahide] commandments as having been given by G-d. However, one who reaches the same conclusion through the use of reason is truly “wise in heart and full of understanding” and is regarded as “one of their sages” because the virtue of wisdom is very great.

Lipschutz's offers a vision of tolerance based on a generic sense of revelation, reward, and afterlife found in all religions. Rather than approaching religions as an other, he senses a common core based on morality. If one wanted to develop an approach to non-Abrahamic faiths, then his general definitions offer a useful starting point. For him, enlightenment, karma, and reincarnation could be considered valued forms of Torah for gentiles.

By the standards of Jewish law as applied to Jews, Hinduism and Buddhism do not count as monotheistic traditions. However, the essential point of the Noahide laws is that the standards of Jewish law do not apply to non-Jews. Radically pure monotheism is expected by Judaism only from Jews. The Noahide laws do not preclude gentile religions from developing softer, more complex, and compromised norms of monotheism. Under the Noahide laws, it is possible to assume that Hinduism and Buddhism are sufficiently monotheistic in principle for moral Hindus and Buddhists to enter the gentiles’ gate into heaven.

"The radical transcendence of God in the Hebrew Bible means nothing more nor less than that there is a difference between God and religion. God is universal, religions are particular . . . In the course of history, God has spoken to mankind in many languages: through Judaism to Jews, Christianity to Christians, Islam to Muslims...

Fundamentalism, like imperialism, is the attempt to impose a single truth on a plural world. It is the Tower of Babel of our time. The test of faith is whether I can make a space for difference. Can I recognize G-d's image in someone who is not in my image, whose language, faith, ideals, are different from mine?"

Narrowness of sympathy, which causes one to see in everything outside the boundary of one particular people, even if that people is the people of Israel, only ugliness and impurity, is one of the most terrible sources of darkness, and causes general destruction to every good spiritual construction, to whose light every refined soul looks forward.