and why are they advised to join the dialogue

….and why are they advised to join the dialogue ? ‏by ‏Mordechay Lewy Judaism is founded on the recognition of the unity of the human race; the law of righteousness and truth being supreme over all men, without distinction of race or creed. Righteousness is not conditioned by birth. The Gentiles may attain righteousness as the Jews, as mentioned in Tosefta, Sanhedrin 13, "The righteous among the Gentiles have a share in the world to come". In Leviticus, 19:18 the command "Thou shalt love thy neighbor like thyself ", applies to every human being. Those principles are conducive to a respectful treatment of the other. Inspite of the drastic change of living condition in the European diaspora, medieval rabbinical sources continue to show an attitude of respect to other religions. Not only Maimonides but also Rabbi Menachem Hameiri of Perpignan (1249 – 1315) recognized in his Talmud comment Beit Habechira that the people of Islam and Christianity deserved a fair treatment as “peoples bound by the ways of religion” in economic transactions (in his comments on Tractates Baba Metzia,27a and Baba Kama 113b). Rabbi Mose of Coucy (flourished in 13th century) admonished his fellow Jews to remain always to truth and not to lie neither to Jew or Gentile, nor to deceive them in the least thing"(Semag, § 74). Rabbi Joseph Caro (1488 -1575), decided in the Shulchan Aruch that, "the modern Gentiles are not reckoned as heathen with reference to the restoration of lost articles and other matters" (Hoshen Mishpat, § 266). Rabbi Moses Rivkes (1600 – 1684), author of a comment on Shulchan Aruch, wrote in Beer Hagolah, 7:7, that Christians “believe in the Creator, the Exodus, the Revelation at Sinai and whose whole intent is to serve their Maker”. Rabbi Jacob Emden (1698 – 1776), left a unique letter adressed to the Polish Jewry in which he appeals to the Christians to treat the Shabbateans as apostate as well. "For it is recognized, that also the Nazarene and his disciples, especially Paul, warned concerning the Torah of the Israelites, to which all the circumcised are tied. And if they are truly Christians, they will observe their faith with truth, and not allow within their boundary this new unfit Messiah Shabbetai Zevi who came to destroy the earth. But truly even according to the writers of the Gospels, a Jew is not permitted to leave his Torah." This remarkable passage has been annexed into Emden's Seder Olam Raba, Hamburg 1757, p.33. In his comment Lechem Shamajim on the Mishna Tractate Avot, Amsterdam 1751, p. 41, Emden is praising Muslim and especially Christian scholarship as follows: "The sages of Edom and Ismaelites speak in our favor in each generation due to the one common divine teaching which they share… Although some dumbs were almost anihilating us…, while distributing legends of lies, the wise amongst them stood as lions against those who were illminded, especially the Christian sages who look always after the truth. Hence there is no blame on us…, they have been our protectors and this will be considered a charitable deed of them". ‏While Jewish Orthodoxy was in the distant past pluralistic in the approach towards Christians,‭ ‬it seems that after Shoa it resists change.‭ ‬Among the Orthodox Jewry‭ ‬we can discern‭ ‬today‭ ‬three‭ ‬currents in their‭ ‬attitudes‭ ‬towards‭ ‬relations‭ ‬with Christians.‭ ‬The only one which‭ ‬is‭ ‬totally‭ ‬negative‭ ‬are the ultraorthodox Charedim who are guided by the‭ ‬Psak Halacha‭ [‬halachic verdict‭] ‬from‭ ‬1967‭ ‬of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein‭ (‬1895-‭ ‬1985‭)‬.‭ ‬This verdict which‭ ‬was‭ ‬published in‭ ‬Igrot Moshe,‭ ‬Yore Dea‭ ‬3:43‭ ‬prohibited‭ ‬the‭ ‬very‭ ‬meetings with Christian priests.‭ ‬For the time being,‭ ‬I don't see possibilities‭ ‬for‭ ‬changing the Charedi‭ ‬attitudes,‭ ‬as they tend to deligitimise even other minded Orthodox Jews.‭ ‬The Orthodox‭ ‬mainstream‭ ‬is‭ ‬expressed by Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik‭ (‬1903‭ – ‬1993‭) ‬in his programatic article‭ "‬Confrontation‭"(‬in‭ ‬Tradition:‭ ‬A Journal of Orthodox Thought,‭ ‬1964‭)‬.‭ ‬It‭ ‬is considered as a‭ ‬response to‭ ‬the deliberations‭ ‬before the proclamation‭ ‬of‭ ‬Nostrae‭ ‬Aetate.‭ ‬Although he denies the possibility of‭ ‬any religious‭ ‬dialogue‭ ‬as he defines it as‭ ‬doctrinal‭ ‬by‭ ‬nature,‭ ‬he is suggesting a common platform for Christians and Jews for concerted action in the secular public sphere.‭ ‬Soloveitchik parameters are: 1.‏‭ ‬Jewish-‭ ‬Christian scope‭ ‬of action for common good‭ ‬is‭ ‬confined to secular‭ ‬sphere‭ ‬as God commanded‭ ‬mankind in‭ ‬Genesis‭ ‬1:28‭ ‬replenish‭ ‬the earth,‭ ‬and subdue it. 2.‏‭ ‬Respectful relations between religions require strict non-interference.‭ ‬One‭ ‬should‭ ‬refrain from suggesting to‭ ‬other‭ ‬faith changes‭ ‬in ritual or emendations of its texts. ‏Forty years of Jewish‭ – ‬Catholic dialogue‭ ‬after‭ ‬Nostrae Aetate‭ ‬was a period of mutual trial and error in which an own dynamism has developed.‭ ‬The emerging modern‭ ‬Orthodoxy went‭ ‬beyond the confines which Soloveitchik has delineated.‭ ‬It seems that they are the hardcore of the Jewish currents in Orthodoxy who carry the massage of‭ ‬the present‭ ‬dialogue with Catholics.‭ ‬One of their reknown speakers is Rabbi David Rosen who explained as follows the rationals‭ ‬of dialoguing with Catholics. 1.‏‭ ‬Ignorance‭ ‬breeds prejudice and thus threatens communities‭’ ‬well being,‭ ‬especially for a minority.‭ ‬Through‭ ‬dialoguing,‭ ‬barriers of prejudice and stereotypes‭ ‬are removed‭ ‬and mutual respect‭ ‬is promoted.‭ 2.‏‭ ‬An ulterior‭ ‬basis for inter-religious‭ ‬relations‭ ‬is the perception of a‭ “‬common agenda‭”‬,‭ ‬as‭ ‬no religion is an island.‭ ‬All religions in the‭ ‬West‭ ‬became‭ ‬minorities in an overwhelmingly secular world.‭ 3.‏‭ ‬Each religion is equal before God with its own truth.‭ ‬The‭ ‬claim‭ ‬of‭ ‬monopoly on‭ ‬truth‭ ‬amounts limiting‭ ‬the encounter with the Divine.‭ 4.‏‭ ‬Christianity’s‭ ‬identity‭ ‬is uniquely bound up with Jewish history‭ ‬and revelation,‭ ‬despite our fundamental differences.‭ ‬As‭ ‬Judaism teaches that our obligation is to testify to God’s presence and sanctify his name in the world,‭ ‬then we have an obligation to work together. Christianity and Judaism look back 2000 years back as a common traumatic past. After Shoa the Catholic Church initiated in the Sixties a radical change towards Jews. Their hand is streched out to us. Conversion is banned to a distant and unknown eschatological horizon. The survivability of Judaism is guaranteed with the establishment of Israel as the Jewish state. It would be unwise to ignore the hand and not to grasp it. While not responding it, we run the risk to mortgage our future in a continued animosity with the Catholic world. The first 2000 years were an experience that is not calling for repitition. Both of us deserve better than that. ‏‭* * * * ‏PAGE‭ ‬3