RamBam

Growing up I was taught that my people had a special role in history. We were elected to guide the world toward God. We were chosen to teach the world personal morality, proper political organization, and the immanence of divinity in creation. It was taught as a responsibility; I was held to a higher standard because I was a Jew. Never did I think of myself as being special or better than anyone else because of my ethnicity. Ok, admittedly I nurtured a certain pride in my peoples accomplishments. But I always believed that all people are equal before god. But recently I have come across a different understanding of being "Gods Chosen," one that I believe is deeply flawed and racist. I have found some passages in the Talmud (one of our many books) that are just gross. They talk about the inferiority of all non-jews. Now that is not the essence of the rabbinical tradition.Judaism is about universal humanism and dignity for everyone who does not violate the basic moral law. But, being honest with myself, I have found this attitude in a lot of people. Its like they want to keep our special knowledge for themselves; while I believe it is meant to be shared with the world. With all that said: is the idea of "Chosen People" racist?

At the latest 6,000 or 2239 AD. The current goal is 2030, an even 2000 years after the death of Mashiach BenJoseph. The Chronology of MBJ is disputed but I gather the elders have chosen 2030 as the inaugural date because I hear all this talk of 'Agenda 2030.' Needless to say... "We want Mashiach" now! lol...

@Lyubov Yes, the Scandinavians have been very welcoming to our cousins

@K Ghoul Obviously a very sensitive question... Level 1 social/political: Israel is a colonial state. The Jews can rationalize taking the land because they have been persecuted by others, but that is not a justification. That said, the world is a brutal place and I believe a degree Realpolitik is necessary to survive. Ultimately the only rational for a state to exist is its ability to uphold itself using force. Every state was at one point colonial. America is stolen land from the Native-Americans, same with South America. The Africans in Hati are not indigenous to that island. European nations have been stealing land from each other for thousands of years. Before that Indo-Europeans conquered the indigenous people of Europe. Nations have always waged war against each other. Is Israel stolen land? of course, but so is every other country. Jews treat Muslims far better than the English treated Africans or then the Mongolians treated the Chinese. Level 2 esoteric/spiritual: The Jews are trying to bring about their messiah, Mashiach BenDavid. They want to fulfill certain prophecies... central is the establishment of Jewish state in Jerusalem. It is not, at its heart, a 'political' question. Peace is not the true goal. They want the third temple... When you understand the religious motivation, the political situation makes a lot more sense.

@Raptorsin7 This is exactly how I see it. This is why I like the teachings of Messianic Judaism, because it recognizes the teachings of christ, and the unity of all humanity in the body of God; while also acknowledging the special role of the Jewish people. I see the role of the Jews as being a moral one, not an ethnic/political one. "Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him" Unfortunately many of us don't see it this way...

@vizual When you look at the influence of the Jews on the world, is it really that delusional? More than half of the world believes in Abrahamic religion. Our prophecies have been fulfilled. Our people, once the weakest, has now all but concurred the world. All this coming from a jew who is not blind to our people's 'shortcomings'--to put it lightly. But it should at least make you wonder... Maybe they are....

A year ago I took a road trip to Los Angeles. While there I saw a number of rainbow flags & signs saying "No Human Is Illegal.' Waking along the beach there was a beautiful mural of diverse faces and a caption that read "We are all one!" And I agree whole heartedly, we are all one. But the actual material conditions of the city did not reflect the ideals they purported. There were homeless encampments on the side walk next to multi-million dollar homes. I even saw one homeless man holding a sign that said "God is Love." On my drive home I stopped in Oklahoma City. Everyone lived in ~approximately~ equal sized houses. I ate dinner at an Indian restaurant, the people eating there were about equally white, black, and hispanic. There were some homeless people downtown, a lot of them were in line to get food from the Catholic Church. The place I think of as being bigoted was more loving and equal than the place I think of as being progressive. Why do political structures founded on progressivism fail to materialize their idealism?

Existence is a spiral. Along the way to the center there are various experiences: your first kiss, a scraped knee, third row seats at The World Series. As I approach the center of the spiral the experiences become more real--they are increasingly profound. It is difficult to express exactly the nature in which they become more 'real.' It is like their significance to the ultimate nature of being becomes greater. Torture is a deeper experience than a school dance. Progressing towards the center of the spiral I learn more, but each step is more painful than the last. With great wisdom comes great suffering. "The Giver" is a book that describes this process. Also the television show "WestWorld." In that show some people are trying to figure out 'the maze.' (Below is a picture of 'the maze') What is at the center of the maze? Crucifixion! The ultimate experience is crucifixion--the greatest suffering & the greatest wisdom... Why do I crucify myself?

I have learned to see gore the same way I see porn. They are two sides of the same coin. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

@sleep No, I mean crucifixion as a metaphor for the ultimate suffering.

@Leo Gura "Show a level of respect & humility. Demonstrate kindness, friendliness, and compassion towards fellow members. Show a willingness to learn and consider multiple points of view, rather than only pushing your own." --You(me) "LA isn't failing. What are you smoking?" --Also You(me)

@Hardkill Nor do I. I don't think it is as simple as "learn to code." These people are being left behind. Now, I don't think the world should stop evolving just because not everyone is going to make the cut. For example: I don't think we should not develop self driving trucks just because it is going cost truckers their jobs, nor should we prop up the coal industry so that coal miners still have jobs. I just want to point out how hypocritical it is for this elitist class to advocate for "human compassion and equity" while simultaneously participating in the pauperization of millions of people.

@Hardkill When the people from California move there. lol

@Leo Gura I should have been more specific in what I mean by "fail." Yes, California has led technological development for the last decade. What they have failed at is to reflect their egalitarian social values in the actual social hierarchy. Immigrants are not welcomed as equal citizens, they form a pseudo-slave underclass. Most people in LA do not spend their time in love and harmony. No, they are stuck in traffic or in line at Starbucks. I understand the perspective in which Silicon Valley has been a success. It is a place where the most intelligent forward thinking people design the future of this planet. What they have failed to do is create a social structure in which people are relatively economically equal.

@Apparition of Jack How could it be made more equal?

Both good and evil are part of God. Good is the recognition of God and the use of free will to choose love and eternal life. Evil is denial and separation from God and the use of free will to choose fear and temporal gain. Creation necessitates evil; without evil there would be no free will and thus no point to creation. But there is a third factor besides good and evil: truth. God is truth and light, both the lesser and greater light (good and evil). Thus evil, by definition (evil=truth&light), cannot employ lies or deception. If evil uses lies to coerce an individual's free will--it is not actually evil, it becomes profane. Evil must disclose itself for a person to truly consent. This is done subtly through symbolism and other highly cryptic methods. This allows many people to choose fear over love without being entirely aware that they have chosen evil. But on a subconscious level they have been shown the truth and made their decision. Truth is the asymmetry between good and evil--truth favors good. The more truth you have, the more obvious it becomes that eternal life is the 'right' choice. The servants of evil disclose only the bare minimum of truth necessary to give you free will. But the wizards of the greater light want to give you the full truth. All paths return to the source, but the truth will set you free. !לחיים

@Bojan V I don't think I am there yet. Whenever I have an experience I feel the need to interpret and contextualize it with language. I realize that even the most articulate art and literature are limited means of expression and communication. Language can be a means of clinging to the ego, even when words are used to express the most transcendental ideas. I remember a Rumi poem where he talks about a mystic who's desire to write poetry keeps him from dissolving completely into love. But I believe language can also be used to bring souls closer to divine awakening. I have learned from listening to Leo, even though everything he says is 'just another story.'

@Bojan V What is waking up? & How do I do it? thx