Shalom, I am Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg of the Ezra-Habonim, Niles Township Jewish Congregation Skokie Illinois. This is Jewish values video number 2 covering values 4, 5 and 6. 4 is the concept of [foreign language] that we should pursue peace wherever and whenever we can. The tradition teaches us that all of Mitzvoth you are suppose to do when the occasion arises. You do not have to chase after a piece of Shabbat candles in a different time but when the occasion arises to fulfill the Mitzvoth Shabbat candles we should. Peace however is different. Unless pursue peace that every opportunity.
We learn from Perkeiavoth saved ethics of the ancestors that we should be like the disciples of Aaron to love peace and pursue it. Love our fellow creatures and bring them closer to Torah. But this does not mean that we have to pacifist. God forbid we would know what would happen if Israel would lay down its arms or if Jews would have not rebelled at all. In fact the history of world war II might have been different if some how Jews could have responded in more aggressive way. And today Jews have to exercise self defense but that does not means we cannot pursue peace or we should not pursue peace at every opportunity.
Think about the extraordinary sacrifices that Israel has made for the sake of peace. They gave back the Sinai and the oil wells to Egypt for peace. They have continued to give back land for peace. They would do anything for peace except to commit suicide and soon as it is the neighbors convince them in their honest and sincerely say we respect you, we respect your right to exist, when Israel will have peace they already said they aer openly in favor of the 2 states solution. They simply awaiting for the leadership of the Palestinians to commit to end terrorism, to respect Israel’s right to exist and to respect pass agreements. But we have to never ever stop looking for peace.
Value number 5 is called [foreign language], free will, It is one of the basic ideas of Judaism, in fact it is explains why 3 times a day in our prayers we ask god to forgive us for transgressions. We only can say that because we have free well to exercise our will and when we commit a transgression we need to repent for it. That explains the whole basis of the ten days of repentance in the Yom Kippur. Mainmonides and his famous laws of the laws are the contents says, if people do not have a free will then why would you need the Torah? It is only because we have torah that we had free will. But it was a debate 2000 years ago between 3 different kinds of sex of Jews, the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Essenes over this. The Essenes believed completely in faith, the Sadducees believed in no faith, and the Pharisees out of home Rabbinic Judaism probably grew believed in a mix.
But over the most course events in of our lives we do have free will, we could decide whether we are going to be good or bad, charitable or not, because Maimonides says and as was free will [foreign language]. We do not say the devil made me do it, we do not says it because I ate Twinkies that I have cause this transgression. God made us in such a way that we are going to commit transgressions, sadly we do and that is why we have repentance. But it is the exercise of the free will which makes Judaism such a powerful and sensible religious tradition.
And finally for this video the value number 6 is [foreign language]. It is hard to imagine a Jew in a Jewish community does not teach the deed value of the versa full loving kindness. In fact on our holiest days when we talk about what adverts the severity of the decree, we talk about how it is prayer and repentance and deeds of loving kindness Sudakah. [Foreign language] deeds of kindness were we form together Camak societies, [foreign language] societies that help many people to help people with whatever the issues are in their lives, out of mercy in compassion.
This stands from our deep belief for a god who is a god of President Rahamin. We meet in the story of Exodus after the sin of the golden Calf when Moses is pleading for the people after that transgression. Moses reminds god that god is a god of [foreign language] Rahahamin who forgives inequity for a thousand generations and we too have to emulate that. And so the 3 values on this video let us review briefly. We have the concept of [foreign language] the must pursuit peace aggressively and always. Number 5 is [foreign language] free will and number 6 is the concept of President Rahamin of mercy and loving kindness.
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