Assimilate Out or Assimilate In - The Final Result Is The Same

21 Marcheshvan 5779

Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 25, Havdalah continued...

...Regarding the sin of Baal Peor at Shittim, when Israel sinned sexually with the daughters of Moab, our sages provide the following description (Tanchuma, Balak, 18):

     [A Moabite girl lures a Jew into her store]... Following that the girl says [to the Jew], "You are like one of the family. Sit! Choose what you like!" and a jug of Ammonite wine is sitting by her. The wine of the nations had not yet been prohibited [later on, our sages forbade their wine to prevent intermarriage, wine being a factor in generating intimacy]. The girl comes out in jewelry and perfume, and entices him, saying, "Why do we love you but you hate us? Take this vessel for free! Surely we are all descendants of one man, Terach, father of Abraham."

The argument of the nations here is that we must achieve unity and break down the walls of separation. Is this not fair and logical according to the false thinking of the worshipers of foreign culture? Is not the unity of all nations and the disappearance of the differences between Israel and the nations the goal of the Hellenists, who in any event have already put an end to every logical and intellectual difference between themselves and the nations? Before us we have a recommendation for one world and one people, and why should Israel remain alone, a nation that dwells apart? 

Likewise, regarding the verse, "Return, return,  O Shulammite. Return, return, that we may look upon you. What will you see in the Shulammite? As it were a dance of two companies" (Song of Songs 7:1), our sages offered the following description (Shir HaShirim Rabbah, 7:[1]2):

     The nations of the world say to Israel, "How long shall you die for your G-d and pay Him... How long shall you be killed for His sake... How long shall you show G-d kindness when He shows you misfortune? Come to us and we shall appoint you governors, prefects and commanders. 'Let us look [נחזה - nechezeh] upon you' - You will be the admiration [מחזית - machazit] of the whole world" as it says, "You shall be seen [תחזה - techezeh] of all the people" (Ex. 18:21).

The admiration of the whole world, a "light unto the nations"... Here is their basic enticement, adopted also by the Hellenists and falsifiers of Israel. They have distorted the concept of Israel being a "covenant of the people, a light unto the nations" (Isaiah 42:6). In their hands, this has turned into a demand that we depart the Land of our isolation and cling to the nations in the exile, living there with them in order to serve as their beacon. To achieve this, we are supposed to abandon unpleasant, "unacceptable" concepts and laws, lest these make the nations hate us, and all this in the name of unity. That is, we are supposed to assimilate for the sake of unity,....

However, had Rav Kahane lived, he might have been shocked to see how this has now been expanded upon. Today, having succeeded in assimilating the Jews of the Diaspora, the drive is now for the Jews of Eretz Yisrael to assimilate the nations among themselves - as "lost tribes/Ephraimites," "ger toshav," "returning anusim," "refugees," and whatever else they can dream up. In Israel, they no longer ask us to give up our concepts and laws, but rather demand that we "share" them, so Israel hands over its Torah, hands over its Shabbat, hands over its mitzvot, and hands over its sole ownership of the Land. Nothing is to be withheld from the nations as they make themselves to be our equals (or still our superiors) with all pertaining rights and privileges, but with none of the obligation or responsibility. 

To be continued, iy"H...