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Please clarify.

Reader comment on item: El Al, "Goy" Airline?
in response to reader comment: Practicing the Religion

Submitted by Yaakov Watkins (United States), Jan 2, 2007 at 16:42

What gives you the intellectual perogative to make a distinction between moral rules and religious rules? Starting a fire on shabbes (an incandenscent lamp is white hot metal, which halacha says is a fire) and killing are both forbidden by torah law. I recognize G-d as the source of moral/religious law. Not Issac. Both are moral laws.

Also please understand, I am not imposing my beliefs on anyone. I did not invent these beliefs. I am merely recognizing them and applying the distinction therein. As for the term "fundumentalist," I have some questions about it. Can someone be a fundumentalist mathematician? Capitalist? Socialist? Democrat? Physicist? Evolutionist? What characteristics does a belief system have to have to qualify as fundumentalist?

As for Jewish national identity, I am not arguing that people who's mother was Jewish stop being Jewish if they don't believe in G-d. On the contrary. They still are Jews.

I disagree about the Hareidim's feeling for El Al. The ones I know passionately love the Jews who run El Al. Your problem is that you and the Hareidim disagree about the effects in this world of breaking shabbes. The effects on the particular shabbes breakers and the effects on the rest of Klal Yisrael whether or not they break shabbes. You don't see any significant bad effects and we (the Hareidim) do see detrimental effects on them and all Jews. When any Jew breaks shabbes, it is deleterious to all of us.

Comparing religious Jews to Moslems is particularly inappropriate. Judaism intentionally puts barriers against conversion, In fact some Sephardi rabbis refuse to recognize any conversions. That is the opposite of Islam.

This in some ways is similar to the second hand smoke argument. At one point many people believed that second hand smoke didn't hurt anyone. Now we know better. Some people also believe that smoking is evil. But that doesn't change the fact that it is bad for everyone around. I understand that you do not agree. But your lack of agreement doesn't change the facts.

So we disagree. We knew that. What would you have me do? If I understand, based on years of study, that people I love will suffer less if I can discourage or forbid breaking shabbes, should I try to stop them? If someone asked me to pour salt into his open wound, should I?

Issac. Jews are all cousins. Family. We are responsible for each other. If you find being loved "religious totalitarianism," then something is missing.

Submitting....

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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Reader comments (29) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1Parasitic behaviour [34 words]Susya Bar DrorJul 15, 2011 05:24187417
Suggestion for El Al [42 words]Omar KajFeb 12, 2007 12:5176914
What is in islam which produces fanatics? [146 words]kalyanFeb 2, 2007 04:5975572
This is supposed to be 2007, not 1007, not 7, not 7 BC, etc. [588 words]IssacJan 16, 2007 22:5573221
Surrender [142 words]Ynna (tchkah)Jan 5, 2007 14:3071750
More Irritation [157 words]FriedmanJan 1, 2007 11:3071318
Unnecessary language [35 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 1, 2007 19:5271318
El Al GOY [2 words]steven LDec 26, 2006 12:2870611
...Professor [117 words]C FletcherDec 26, 2006 01:4970553
To C Fletcher [26 words]Ynna (Tchkah)Dec 28, 2006 22:4070553
why it would be wrong for El Al to fly on shabbes [112 words]Yaakov WatkinsDec 25, 2006 20:2670531
Don't listen to fundamentalists!!!! [498 words]IssacDec 30, 2006 20:0970531
Religious perspective [218 words]Yaakov WatkinsDec 30, 2006 21:3570531
How one practices the religion ... is a personal choice. [675 words]IssacDec 31, 2006 19:0170531
Religious perspective [526 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 1, 2007 18:1070531
Practicing the Religion [391 words]IssacJan 2, 2007 15:0570531
Please clarify. [416 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 2, 2007 16:4270531
Wrong for El Al [32 words]Charles R.L. PowerJan 4, 2007 16:0870531
I have an intellectual perogative because I have an intellect. [312 words]IssacJan 4, 2007 19:1170531
By the way [42 words]IssacJan 5, 2007 11:5970531
You've missed a couple of points [150 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 6, 2007 23:4470531
One more point [135 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 7, 2007 00:4170531
Do you want to know what is christianesque? [311 words]IssacJan 9, 2007 20:4070531
Whew. [326 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 10, 2007 19:0670531
God may have a special covenant with the Jewish people but .... [281 words]IssacJan 11, 2007 20:2670531
One more try. [206 words]Yaakov WatkinsJan 13, 2007 22:3070531
El Al [15 words]Yaakov WatkinsDec 25, 2006 20:1870530
Shabbos Goy [25 words]Melvin LavinDec 25, 2006 19:3070527
Non Sense [383 words]Ynna (Tchkah)Dec 19, 2006 21:4870049

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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