I once spoke to a group of people on the subject
of hatred, back stabbing and all of those other subjects which
occupy the minds of the snobs I was speaking to. As the speech
was very well prepared and I was speaking out of concern for the
groups future, it must have been quite difficult to ignore me,
especially for those who sat in the first row. One especially
wealthy man was having such a hard time accepting the fact that
his snob like behavior was in fact against the Torah that he was
literally rolled up like a stone trying not to listen.
Our Haftara discusses these kinds of People. It is
from the First Chapter of Yishayahu:
The Skies should listen and the land should pay attention
because G-d is speaking, I have raised children and made them
great and they have rebelled against me. An ox knows his owner
and a donkey his owner's pen, Israel does not know, my people
do not consider.
Donkey's are not noted for their enthusiasm to assist
those who take care of them. According to Yishayahu's rebuke
to the snob's and leader's of the day they were harder to speak
to then a rock. They were even more thankless than a rebellious
donkey.
According to the Torah Economic and National security
are a function of the righteousness of a society. When we ignore
G-d and then decide that it is OK to perform all forms of oppression
security will heavily suffer. So most of the Haftara discusses
the certain destruction of that society.
The Prophet later says:
Listen to the words of G-d you rulers of Sedom, pay
attention to the teaching of the Lord you people of Amorah…
Yishayahu was daring enough to call the Politicians of his day "Leaders of Sedom." According to the traditions which the prophet refers to Sedom and Amorah were Sin City. All of the sins favored by leaders in Banana Republics were popular in Sedom and then some. (Refer to http://www.milknhoney.co.il/torah/vayera2.html and http://www.milknhoney.co.il/torah/sedome.html
) Today, those who seriously open their mouths to
discuss the relationship between slimy politicians and the "Democratic
Way" which breeds them are labeled as fascists or communists
(or whichever is popular at the time) and sometimes are even Jailed.
If the speaker happens to be an Orthodox Jew he is also called
primitive.
Yishayahu had the strength to examine society and try to fix it before it crumbled. The people who act like stones do not understand his criticism. mailto:steve@gindi.co.il