THE NON-PEOPLE

“They have infuriated Me with a non-god, they have angered me with their futilities. And I will infuriate them with a non-people, with a crude nation I will anger them.” (Devarim 32:21)

The message in the verse above, which appears in the Song of Moshe, is an excellent example of the Talmudic principle, mida k’neged mida, “measure for measure.” The Mishna (Sotah 1:7) states, “With the measure that a person measures, he is measured with it.” Several examples are given: “Samson followed his eyes, therefore the Philistines gouged out his eyes, as it is stated (Shoftim 16:21): “And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes”. Absalom was excessively proud of his hair, and therefore he was hanged by his hair… And the same is true with regard to the reward of good deeds: Miriam waited for the baby Moshe for one hour on the bank of the Nile, as it is stated (Shmot 2:4): “And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him”. Therefore the Jewish people delayed their travels in the desert for seven days to wait for her when she was smitten with leprosy, as it is stated (Bamidbar 12:15): “And Miriam was confined outside of the camp seven days; and the people did not journey until Miriam was brought in again”. Yosef merited to bury his father, and there was none among his brothers greater than he in importance, for he was viceroy of Egypt, as it is stated (Bereishit 50:7-9): “And Yosef went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the Elders of his house, and all the Elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Yosef, and his brethren, and his father’s house; only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company”. Who, to us, had a greater burial than Yosef, as it was none other than Moshe who involved himself in transporting his coffin. Moshe merited to be the only person involved in the transportation of Yosef’s bones to be buried in Eretz Yisrael, and there was none among the Jewish people greater than he, as it is stated (Shmot 13:19): “And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him”.

In keeping with this principle of commensurate reward and punishment, Moshe warns the Israelites that if they provoke God by serving a “non-god”, He will, in turn, provoke them with a “non-people.” It is easy enough to identify a “non-god”. This refers to idols and other false deities that possess no power. Perhaps in modern times, it could refer to different “isms”, political or philosophical ideologies that Jews adopt as replacements for Judaism, such as communism, socialism, liberalism or “wokism.” But what is a “non-people”? Rashi comments, “With a nation that has no reputation, as it states of the Chaldeans (Isaiah 23:13), “Behold, the land of the Chaldeans, this people was not; [the Assyrians founded it …]”, and of Esau it states (Ovadia 1:2), “You are greatly despicable”. Rashi identifies the “non-people” with two ancient nations, the Chaldeans, or Babylonians, who destroyed the First Temple and Rome, the descendants of Esau, who destroyed the Second Temple. In some way, these nations were considered to be “non-people”, perhaps because of their behaviour or culture.

In light of the current situation in Israel, we could suggest that the “non-people” are the Palestinians. Prior to the founding of the State of Israel, the people who today identify themselves as Palestinians did not have any of the trappings of nationhood. They had no government, no capital city, no unique culture, no flag and no anthem. They were simply Arabs who were living in the region known as Palestine which, prior to British rule, had been part of the Ottoman Empire. What is the origin of the name Palestine? According to the Britannica website: “The word Palestine derives from Philistia, the name given by Greek writers to the land of the Philistines, who in the 12th century BCE occupied a small pocket of land on the southern coast, between modern Tel Aviv–Yafo and Gaza. The name was revived by the Romans in the 2nd century CE in “Syria Palaestina,” designating the southern portion of the province of Syria, and made its way thence into Arabic, where it has been used to describe the region at least since the early Islamic era. After Roman times the name had no official status until after World War I and the end of rule by the Ottoman Empire, when it was adopted for one of the regions mandated to Great Britain; in addition to an area roughly comprising present-day Israel and the West Bank, the mandate included the territory east of the Jordan River now constituting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which Britain placed under an administration separate from that of Palestine immediately after receiving the mandate for the territory.”

The Palestinians are basically a fictitious people whose identity stems from their opposition to the State of Israel. Had Israel not been founded, I very much doubt there would be a Palestinian people today. They claim that they have been dispossessed of their land, the territory where they lived since time immemorial.  But they go a step further. In a bizarre twist of irony, they claim that the Jews are a non-people. Their ‘academics’ are on record as saying that the Jewish people never had a Temple in Jerusalem and that there was never a Jewish kingdom in the Land. Notwithstanding the enormous amount of archaeological material that proves without a doubt that Jews have lived in the land for thousands of years, Palestinians confidently state that Jews are occupiers and have no rights to the land. They deny that the Jews of Europe who came to settle the land have any connection to the ancient Israelites. Unfortunately, they have convinced a large portion of the western world that their version of history is the correct one and that the Jews are usurpers. According to Moshe, the remedy to this tragic situation is simple: do not turn to false gods and ideologies. A Jew’s allegiance should be to God and God alone. If that happens, no “non-people” will have any power over us.  

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom & Gemar Chatima Tova!  Rabbi Liebenberg

Rabbi’s YouTube messages: for Rosh Hashanah: https://youtu.be/3P5_akiWku8

For Shabbat: https://youtu.be/XLwg4NPpVSo?si=fEW8-iSs7dAXt7tH

FAST OF GEDALIAH – SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER / 4 TISHREI

After the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar and most of the Jews were exiled, the tyrant king left a small population of Jews in Israel and appointed Gedaliah ben Achikam as governor. Many of the Jews living in the surrounding countries of Amon, Moav and Edom returned to the Holy Land when they heard of the appointment of this righteous man and began to work the land and settle it. However, the King of Amon who despised the fact that a remainder had been left in Israel, dispatched Yishmael ben Netanyah, a Jewish man, to assassinate the new leader. Gedaliah received warning of the planned attempt on his life but he refused to acknowledge it, treating it instead as slander and gossip.  Therefore when Yishmael arrived at the governor’s residence in Mizpeh, he was received warmly. Suddenly, Yishmael attacked and killed Gedaliah and many others who were present. The news of Gedaliah’s death struck panic into the hearts of the citizens of Israel who feared a backlash from Babylon. Most of them fled and the land was left desolate. The date of Gedaliah’s assassination was 3 Tishrei, the day after Rosh Hashanah, and the Sages enacted that we fast on this day to recall this terrible incident and its awful ramifications. When the third falls on a Shabbat, the fast is postponed until Sunday. The fast begins at 05h01 and ends at 19h12.  Selichot, followed by Shacharit, are at 07h30 and Mincha is at 18h00.