The following, quoted mainly from Israel Shahak
and Norton Mezvinsky's book, "Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel",
correctly reflects what most "Jews" actually believe about themselves as opposed
to non-"Jews."
"The difference between a Jewish soul and the souls of non-Jews - all of
them in all different levels - is greater and deeper than the difference between
a human soul and the souls of cattle." - Rabbi Kook, the Elder
Note: Rabbi Kook's entire teaching was based upon the Lurianic Kabbalah, the
school of Jewish mysticism that dominated Judaism from the late sixteenth to the
early nineteenth century. One of the basic tenets of the Lurianic Kabbalah is
the absolute superiority of the Jewish soul and body over the non-Jewish soul
and body. According to the Lurianic Kabbalah, the world was created solely
for the sake of Jews, and the existence of non-Jews was subsidiary.
...
[Regarding Kabbalah,] Yesaiah Tishbi, an authority on the Kabbalah who wrote in
Hebrew, said, "It is plain that those prospects and the scheme [of salvation]
are intended only for Jews." Tishbi cited Rabbi Hayim Vital, the chief
interpreter of Rabbi Luria, who wrote in his book, "Gales of Holiness": "The
Emanating Power, blessed be his name, wanted there to be some people on
this low earth that would embody the four divine emanations. These people are
the Jews, chosen to join together the four divine worlds here below."
[Note: Tishbi is describing the often elusive (for most non-"Jews") concept of
Adam Kadmon.]
Tishbi further cited Vital's writings in emphasizing the Lurianic doctrine that
non-Jews have satanic souls: "Souls of non-Jews come entirely from the
female part of the satanic sphere. For this reason souls of non-Jews are called
evil, not good, and are created without [divine] knowledge." - Yesaiah
Tishbi, "The Theory of Evil and the (Satanic) Sphere in Lurianic Cabbala" (1942,
reprinted in 1982)
A modern and influential expression of the attitudes derived above is evident in
the teachings and writings of the late "Lubavitcher Rebbe," Rabbi Menachem
Mendel Schneerson, who headed the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and wielded
great influence among many religious Jews in Israel as well as in the United
States. Schneerson and his Lubavitch followers are Haredim; nevertheless, they
involved themselves in Israel's political life and shared many concepts with
Gush Emunim and the National Religious Party. The ideas of Rabbi Schneerson that
appear below are taken from a book of his recorded messages to followers in
Israel, titled "Gatherings of Conversations published in the Holy Land in 1965."
During the subsequent three decades of his life until his death [1994], Rabbi
Schneerson remained consistent; he did not change any of the opinions.
What Rabbi Schneerson taught either was or immediately became official,
Lubovitch, Hassidic belief. Regarding the non-Jew the Lubavitcher Rebbe's views
were clear even if a bit disorderly:
"In such a manner the Halacha, stipulated by the Talmud, showed that
a
non-Jew should be punished by death if he kills an embryo, even if the embryo is
non-Jewish, while the Jew should not be, even if the embryo is Jewish.
As we [the Talmudic sages] learn from Exodus 22:21, beginning with the words
'and if any mischief will follow.'"
This quoted verse is a part of a passage beginning in verse 21, describing what
should be done "if men strive and hurt a woman with child," thus damaging the
embryo. Verse 22, whose beginning is quoted by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, says in
full: "And if any mischief will follow, then you shall give soul for soul."
(Some English translations use the wording "life for life" instead of "soul for
soul.") The above stated difference in the punishment of a Jew and a
non-Jew for the same crime is common in the Talmud and Halacha. The
Lubavitcher Rebbe continued:
"The difference between a Jewish and a non-Jewish person stems from the common
expression: 'Let us differentiate.' Thus, we do not have a case of profound
change in which a person is merely on a superior level. Rather, we have a case
of 'let us differentiate' between totally different species. This
is what needs to be said about the body: the body of a Jewish person is of
a totally different quality from the body of [members] of all nations of the
world."
...
The Old Rabbi [a pseudonym for one of the holy Lubavitch rabbis] explained that
the passage in Chapter 49 of Hatanya [the basic book of Chabad]: "And you have
chosen us" [the Jews] means specifically that the Jewish body was chosen [by
God], because a choice is thus made between outwardly similar things. The Jewish
body "looks as if it were in substance similar to bodies of non-Jews,' but
the meaning ... is that the bodies only seem to be similar in material
substance, outward look and superficial quality. The difference of the inner
quality, however, is so great that the bodies should be considered as completely
different species. This is the reason why the Talmud states that there
is an halachic difference in attitude about the bodies of non-Jews [as opposed
to the bodies of Jews] ... 'their bodies are in vain.' . . . An
even greater difference exists in regard to the soul. Two contrary types
of soul exist, a non-Jewish soul comes from three satanic spheres, while the
Jewish soul stems from holiness."
...
"As has been explained, an embryo is called a human being, because it has both
body and soul. Thus, the difference between a Jewish and a non-Jewish embryo can
be understood. There is also a difference in bodies. The body of a Jewish
embryo is on a higher level than is the body of a non-Jew. This is
expressed in the phrase 'let us differentiate' about the body of a non-Jew,
which is a totally different kind. The same difference exists in regard to the
soul: the soul of a Jewish embryo is different than the soul of a non-Jewish
embryo. We therefore ask: Why should a non-Jew be punished if he kills even a
non-Jewish embryo while a Jew should not be punished even if he kills a Jewish
embryo? The answer can be understood by [considering] the general difference
between Jews and non-Jews: A Jew was not created as a means for some
[other] purpose; he himself is the purpose, since the substance of all [divine]
emanations was created only to serve the Jews." 'In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth' [Genesis 1:1] means that [the heavens and the
earth] were created for the sake of the Jews, who are called the 'beginning.'
This means everything, all developments, all discoveries, the creation,
including the 'heavens and the earth - are vanity compared to the Jews.
The important things are the Jews, because they do not exist for any [other]
aim; they themselves are [the divine] aim."
After some additional cabbalistic explanation the Lubovitcher Rebbe concluded:
"Following from what has already been said, it can be understood why a non-Jew
should be punished by death if he kills an embryo and why a Jew should not be
punished by death. The difference between the embryo and a [baby that was] born
is that the embryo is not a self-contained reality but rather is subsidiary;
either it is subsidiary to its mother or to the reality created after birth when
the [divine] purpose of its creation is then fulfilled. In its present state the
purpose is still absent. A non-Jew's entire reality is only vanity. It is
written, 'And the strangers shall stand and feed your flocks' [Isaiah 61:5].
The entire creation [of a non-Jew] exists only for the sake of the Jews.
Because of this a non-Jew should be punished with death if he kills an embryo,
while a Jew, whose existence is most important, should not be
punished with death because of something subsidiary. We should not destroy
an important thing for the sake of something subsidiary. It is true that
there is a prohibition against [hurting] an embryo, because it is something that
will be born in the future and in a hidden form already exists. The death
penalty should be implicated only when visible matters are affected; as
previously noted, the embryo is merely of subsidiary importance."
...
Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburgh, who wrote a chapter of a book in praise of [Baruch]
Goldstein and [his murder of Palestinians praying in a mosque], is another
member of the [Chabad-Lubavitch] group. Ginsburgh is the former head of the
Yoseph Tomb Yeshiva, located on the outskirts of Nablus. Rabbi Ginsburgh, who
originally came to Israel from the United States and has good connection to the
Lubavitcher community in the United States, has often expressed his views in
English in American Jewish publications. The following appeared in an April 26,
1996 Jewish Week (New York) article that contained an interview with Rabbi
Ginsburgh:
"Regarded as one of the Lubavitcher sect's leading authorities on Jewish
mysticism, the St. Louis born rabbi, who also has a graduate degree in
mathematics, speaks freely of Jews' genetic-based, spiritual superiority
over non-Jews. It is a superiority that he asserts invests Jewish life
with greater value in the eyes of the Torah. 'If you saw two people drowning, a
Jew and a non-Jew, the Torah says you save the Jewish life first,' Rabbi
Ginsburgh told the Jewish Week. 'If every simple cell in a Jewish body
entails divinity, is a part of God, then every strand of DNA is part of God.
Therefore, something is special about Jewish DNA.' Later, Rabbi
Ginsburgh asked rhetorically: 'If a Jew needs a liver, can you take the liver of
an innocent non-Jew passing by to save him? The Torah would probably permit
that. Jewish life has an infinite value,' he explained. 'There is
something infinitely more holy and unique about Jewish life than non-Jewish
life.'"
...
The difference in the attitudes about non-Jews in the Halacha and the Kabbalah
is well illustrated by the difference expressed specifically in regard to
non-Jews who have converted to Judaism. The Halacha, although discriminating
against them in some ways, treats converts as new Jews. The Kabbalah is unable
to adopt this approach because of its emphasis upon the cosmic difference
between Jews and non-Jews. The Kabbalah explains that converts are
really Jewish souls consigned firstly to non-Jewish bodies as punishments and
later redeemed by conversion to Judaism either because the punishment ended or
because a holy man interceded. This explanation is part of kabbalistic belief in
metempsychosis [i.e., reincarnation], which is absent in the Halacha. According
to the Kabbalah, a satanic soul cannot be transformed into a divine soul
by mere persuasion.
...
"The [Yom Kippur] war broke out against the background of the revival of the
kingdom of Israel, which in its metaphysical (not only symbolic) status is
evidence of the decline of the spirit of defilement in the Western world ...
The Gentiles are fighting for their mere survival as Gentiles, as the
ritually unclean. Iniquity is fighting its battle for survival. It knows
that in the wars of God there will not be a place for Satan, for the spirit of
defilement, or for the remains of Western culture, the proponents of which are,
as it were, secular Jews."
...
The modern secular world, according to this approach, "is struggling for
survival, and thus our war is directed against the impurity of Western culture
and against rationality as such." It follows that the alien culture has to be
eradicated because "all foreignness draws us closer to the alien, and the alien
causes alienation, as is the position of those who still adhere to Western
culture and who attempt to fuse Judaism with rationalist empiricist and
democratic culture." According to Amital's approach, the Yom Kippur War has to
be comprehended in its messianic dimension: a struggle against civilization in
its entirety." - Tal, quoting Rabbi Yehuda Amital, "On the significance of the
Yom Kippur War [1973]."
...
Finally, the extreme chauvinism of the messianists is directed towards all
non-Jews. The 1973 Yom Kippur War, for instance, was in Amital's view not
directed against Egyptians, Syrians and/or all Arabs but against all
non-Jews. The war was thus directed against the great majority of citizens of
the United States, even though the United States aided Israel in that war.
This hatred of non-Jews is not new but, as already discussed, is derived from a
continuous Jewish kabbalistic tradition. Those Jewish scholars who have
attempted to hide this fact from non-Jews and even from many Jews have not only
done a disservice to scholarship; they have aided the growth of this Jewish
analogue to German Nazism.
The ideology of the Rabbis Kook is both eschatological and messianic. It
resembles in this respect prior Jewish religious doctrines as well as similar
trends in Christianity and Islam. This ideology assumes the imminent coming of
the Messiah and asserts that the Jews, aided by God, will thereafter
triumph over the non-Jews and rule over them forever. (This, it is alleged, will
be good for the non-Jews.)
