Does Judaism insult the gentiles?

Question

My dear brothers and sisters. I'm an Arab, from the Persian Gulf, Raised in a Muslim family but they are semi-Athiests, I have converted to Christianity since I entered the University, for there are Lebanese and Egyptian Christians made me so. Recently I have watched JEWS FOR JUDAISM and RABBI TOVIA SINGER bombing Christianity and unmasking it. I have problem with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's statements on Arabs and Gentiles generally: https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2012/10/F121017FFSH01.jpg

“Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world – only to serve the People of Israel.”

“In Israel, death has no dominion over them… With gentiles, it will be like any person – they need to die, but [God] will give them longevity. Why? Imagine that one’s donkey would die, they’d lose their money.

“This is his servant… That’s why he gets a long life, to work well for this Jew.”

“Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat… That is why gentiles were created.”

— Weekly Saturday night sermon in October 2010

“Those evildoers, the Arabs — it says in the Gemara [Talmud] that God is sorry he ever created those sons of Ishmael.”

— Weekly Saturday night sermon in August 2000

I have searched about that passage and find it

Sukkah 52b:

ארבעה מתחרט עליהן הקדוש ברוך הוא שבראם ואלו הם: גלות, כשדים, וישמעאלים ויצר הרע - There are four that the Holy One, Blessed is He, regrets having created. And these are they: The exile, the Chaldeans, the Ishmaelites, and the evil inclination.

“The Ishmaelites,” as it is written, “The tents of the robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure since God brought them with His hand” (Job 12: 6).

I'm confused with that, does the Jewish religion despise the Gentiles and see them as slaves?

Answer 1

I am a Gentile like you.

Maimonides himself states, in Mishneh Torah-Hilchot Melachim 8:11

"Anyone (Gentile) who accepts upon himself and carefully observes the Seven Commandments is one among" the Righteous of the Nations of the World ", and he has a portion in the World to Come. This is if he accepts and performs them because the Holy One, Blessed Be He, Who commanded them in the Torah, and that is was through Moses our Teacher we were informed that the Sons of Noah had already been commanded to observe them. But if he observes them because he convinced himself logically, then he is not considered a Resident Convert and is not of the Righteous of the Nations of the World, but one of their wise men. "

Maimonides is one of the greatest figures of the Jewish tradition: an exceptional rabbi, jurist and philosopher, profound connoisseur of Halakhah (Jewish Law). His Mishneh Torah is one of the most important Jewish legal codes.

As you can see, in the passage quoted by me this master highlights that, according to the Torah, a Gentile can aspire to be a just man without converting to Judaism, but by observing the "Noachid precepts", that is, those commandments that the Creator has given to whole humanity.

With all due and great respect that I have towards all religious traditions, I do not believe that such a universalistic vision exists in them. These words of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, if actually spoken, are not in my opinion against tradition: they are against the Torah, which teaches that we are all brothers, since we are all descended from the same ancestors. And in fact, the great master Simeon ben Azzai states that the greatest principle of the Torah is contained in Genesis 5.1:

"This is the record of Adam's line.When G-d created man, He made him in the likeness of G-d".

Rav Azzai in fact states that this passage from the Torah demonstrates how our neighbor is any human being,since every human being was created in the image of the Almighty.

A warm greeting

Answer 2

Rabbi Tovia Singher and Jews for Judaism both brought me back to my heritage. Judaism is the only religion I have found that does not think you need to be converted to be saved or you are devil possessed if you don't believe what we do. The Torah and commandments are universal. Jews of course have a different standard than non Jews but that is a choice any can make or not.

I for one am proud that I have a religion that can respect others belief's as long as they are within reason such as not being an idol worshipper, which unfortunately most Christian's are although not all.

With that said you have bad apples everyone, are there Jews that are not representative of Judaism as a whole? Of course that is just reality. The truth is most Jews are respectful of other's and actually see themselves as servants to the world not masters to be served.

Shalom

Answer 3

It seems rather strange that the Torah lists a huge genealogical tree from Adam to Noah. Why does it seemingly waste so much time doing this? How is this at all relevant? Perhaps the answer lies in interpretation.

Rabbi Akiva said that the most important verse of the Torah was Leviticus 19:18, that you shall "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." But Ben Azzai disagreed. He felt that Genesis 5:1 surpassed Leviticus 19:18 (Sifra). Not because loving your neighbor is less important but because by saying that Genesis 5 is more important we are recognizing that we are all descendants of Adam and Eve (Nachmanides, Genesis 5:2). Of course, I think Ben Azzai was speaking figuratively. The point was not really that you could trace your lineage to one ancient genetic Adam, the point was that we all share one Creator. Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 explains that we all share a common ancestor so that no one could say that "My ancestor was greater than yours (Jerusalem Talmud, Nedarim 9)." All humans, Jews, and non-Jews were created in G-d's image. Thus, I think the genealogy of the generations of Adam (Genesis 5) is very helpful here. It now makes perfect sense why the Torah planted its list of genealogy here, at the very beginning of the Torah.

Answer 4

Answering briefly now. Maimonides was a universalist and believed that all people were made in "the image of G-d," metaphorically. He used the metaphor “holy of holies,” which only the Priest could enter on the Day of Atonement.

The Rambam comments:

Not just the Tribe of Levi, but any person in the world whose spirit moves him and who wishes, on his own initiative, to stand before G-d and serve Him by striving to know Him, and who follows the straight path, and removes from his neck the yoke of the manifold calculations that most men are involved with—he becomes sanctified as holy of holies. G-d is his portion and his inheritance forever. He will merit to receive whatever he needs in this life, just as the priests and Levites did. As David said, G-d, you are my inheritance and my cup; you support my way (Ps. 16:5). (MT, Hilkhot Shmitah v’Yovel, 13:13)

As for G-d's regret for creating non-Jews, Radak explains:

“When it says that He ‘regretted,’ this is the Torah speaking in human terms (Rabbi Ishmael), for in truth, ‘He is not human that He should change his mind [le-hinahem]’ (I Sam. 15:29), for in the Almighty there is no change of will.”

Sages such as Ibn Ezra agrees with this method of understanding scripture. That the Torah ascribes emotions to G-d figuratively. When interpreting verses like Malachi 1:3, “Esau I hated,” we are to read them figuratively. The Bible uses anthropomorphism and anthropopathism when describing G-d in human terms because it makes it easier for people to understand what is happening and because if people fear G-d's "anger" they will act properly. Rambam writes that G-d does not become angry because G-d does not have emotions. Thus, it, therefore, makes no sense that G-d should hate Gentiles, Arabs, Jews, or anyone else for that matter.

As for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, his views are against tradition. I do not know of any other rabbi who holds such views.