[Avodah] Ohr lagoyim

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Mon, Jun 06, 2016 at 08:56:44AM -0400, M Cohen wrote:
: R Avigdor Miller said (paraphrased) when asked if we should actively go out
: and convince goyim to keep their sheva mitzvos etc :

: In theory we should, but in practice we have a lot of cleaning up of own
: backyard to be done first before we run after helping them clean theirs..

Maybe in theory we should clean up our own backyard first, but...

Anyone in kiruv would question whether they are all that separable. My
own most inspiring Shabbasos were in NCSY, experiencing it with people
for whom it was one of their first few attempts to observe Shabbos.

Similarly, anyone who has given a shiur will tell you that the topics
they prepared to teach others are those they know best. And even during
the shiur -- umitalmidai yoseir mikulam.

Maybe if we invested effort being a mamlekhes kohanim, we would be better
at avoiding messing up our own backyard too.

And for a Hirschain perspective...
   The Forgotten Humanism of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
   by Rabbi Mayer Schiller
   http://web.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/humanisim_rsrh.pdf
   Jewish Action (Summer 5759/1981) pp. 21-26. Vol.49, No. 3

On pg 24 (PDF pg 4) he quotes 19 Letters where RSRH talks about a world
in which
    every Jew would be a mutely eloquent example and teacher of universal
    righteousness and universal love; if thus the dispersed of Israel
    were to show themselves everywhere on earth as the glorious priests
    of God and pure humanity...

RSRH makes a duty to set an example. Not to actively teachm but not to
ignore the example we set either.

And then there's the Semag (Asei 74), which I translated for
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/semag-why-were-still-in-galus>:
    I already expounded to the exiled from Jerusalem who are in Spain
    and the other Roman exiles that now that the exile has gone on far
    too long, it is appropriate for Israel to separate from the vanities
    of the world and grab onto the signet of the Holy One, blessed be
    He, which is truth, and not to lie neither to Jew nor to gentile.
    Not to mislead them in any way. To sanctify themselves even in what
    is permitted to them, as it says, "The remnant of Israel do not
    commit sin, do not speak lies, and one won't find a false tongue in
    their mouths." (Tzefaniah 3:13) And when Hashem comes to save them,
    the nations will say, "It was done justly, for they are a people
    of truth and the Torah of truth is in their mouths." But if they
    act with the gentiles with trickery, they will say, "See what the
    Holy One, blessed be He did, that chose for His portion thieves
    and con-men." Also, it says, "I will plant her [the Jewish People]
    for myself in the land..." (Hosheia 2:25) A person doesn't plant a
    kur [of seed] but to produce numerous kurim. So too the Holy One,
    blessed be He, planted Israel among the lands so that converts will
    join them (Pesachim 87b) and every time that they conduct themselves
    with trickery, who will attach to them?

It seems that unless we act in a way that makes it obvious to non-Jews
that our redemption would be just, the Semag expects us to continue to
languish here.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 44th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        6 weeks and 2 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Gevurah sheb'Malchus: What type of justice
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            does unity demand?