Why has Israel forgotten God?
Not only does Israel not trust God and have forgotten God, they have forgotten what Judaism teaches.
Judaism teaches a highly practical and ethical approach to enemies, balancing the right to self-defense with profound moral obligations to restrain hatred, act with fairness, and avoid the destructive power of revenge. [
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Key tenets of this approach include:
- Ban on Vengeance and Grudges: The Torah strictly forbids taking revenge or bearing a grudge (Leviticus 19:18). Instead of holding onto toxic anger, Judaism emphasizes clearing grievances from your mind. [1]
- Mandatory Assistance: The Torah commands you to help your enemy in times of need. For example, if you see your enemy's animal struggling under a heavy load, you are obligated to stop and help them unpack and reload it (Exodus 23:4-5). The Talmud (Bava Metzia 32b) teaches that you should help an enemy before a friend to actively overcome your own negative impulses. [1, 2, 3]
- Practical Self-Defense: While you are expected to be kind and fair, you are absolutely permitted to protect yourself from harm. The tradition teaches that if someone is actively trying to harm you, you may defend yourself, but you should not harm them beyond the point of neutralizing their threat. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Conquering Hatred: Instead of commanding the nearly impossible task of loving an enemy, Judaism expects individuals to conquer their "evil inclination" (yetzer hara) by refusing to let hatred consume them and treating their adversary with basic decency. [1]
- Transformative Justice: The classic ethical text Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) defines true strength not as defeating a rival, but as the ability to transform an enemy into a friend through humility and self-control. [1, 2]
Don't poke the bear.