The Haggada Says To Kill Gentiles…Or Something Like That

The Jerusalem Report is carrying a detailed story about the book published by two radical Israeli rabbis called Torat Ha-Melech – Torah of the King.

It’s a lovely tome. Here’s a summation:

“The prohibition (in the Ten Commandments) ‘Thou shalt not murder,” the authors write, “applies only to a Jew who kills a Jew.” Since “non-Jews are uncompassionate by nature,” they should be killed in order to “curb their evil inclinations,” they write.

“There is justification for killing babies if it is clear that they will grow up to harm us, and in such a situation they may be harmed deliberately, and not only during combat with adults.”

The article is about the arrest and release of the authors, their influence on religious soldiers, and the views of their many detractors and perhaps fewer supporters.

One of their supporters is Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, “leader of the Hazon Yaakov Yeshiva in Jerusalem, a former member of Knesset and son of former chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of the Shas party.” From the article:

…Yosef…declared that “Torat Hamelekh” [sic] is no different from the Haggada, which Jews read on the holiday of Passover. The Haggada, he reminded the audience, calls for God to “pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You and on the kingdoms that do not call upon Your name” and contains passages about killing non-Jews. So does the Bible. “Does anyone want to change the Bible?” he challenged.

For those of you who do not understand how a rabbi can reject the so-called sanctity of the bible, please bookmark this comment. Clearly I don’t think for one moment that any liberal or even most Orthodox rabbis agree with Yosef’s interpretation. But most of them are going to read that Haggada passage on Passover. It’s a famous passage. There are at least seven variations on it in throughout the bible.

There are scores of biblical passages with equal or greater moral repugnance. Actually, there are also scores of biblical passages that are even worse than what those rabbis wrote. This should not be unexpected in Iron or Bronze Age literature. It’s very disturbing when it comes from 21st century religious leaders.

Yosef asks if anyone wants to change the bible. I sure don’t. I just want everyone to be quite aware of what the bible says before they grant it so much reverence and authority.