Jewish Naysayers of Moshiach

Naysayers of the present, unfolding Era of Redemption can come in an unusual form; They can be FOR Redemption, but AGAINST the Redeemer. Yes, they'll say, we're into or very near to the Era of Redemption, but Chabad, who thinks "their" Rebbe is Moshiach, is way off base!

These want to choose their own Moshiach.

By not knowing WHO Moshiach is, they get off the hook. They need not probe a particular person's expressional history, nor do they need commit themselves to follow him.

That they accept the period we find ourselves in as uniquely Redemptive - is on target, to be sure. But the last step, the one that requires commitment, here they'd rather go by their "instincts" - rather than follow the Rambam.

The Rambam specifically lays out a list of requirements to identify Moshiach. He did this apparently because these qualifiers serve a halachic purpose. Ah, but he gave them to Jews with the smarts to weave their own conclusions, despite the good efforts of the Rambam.

I speak not of those who argue a point or two FROM the Rambam. Most naysayers avert this Rambam or any notion that interferes with their own choice for the exalted position of Moshiach.

Most probably this is what the Rambam meant when he characterized the opening of the Era of Redemption as one wherein things will go on "as usual" (עולם כמנהגו נוהג). Is it not "usual" for Jews to pick and choose for themselves, even in halachic matters, where the slightest doubt can obscure the truth that would bind commitment?

Naysaying Jews therefore will concur we are into the Era of Redemption - but NOT because THE REBBE SAID SO! Not because the Rebbe in 1991 invoked the Midrash of Yalkut Shimoni as referencing our very own era! Chabad literature be damned. They have their own "talmudic" sources. They - themselves - want to pin the tail on the donkey.

While they too will come around, these people, meanwhile, suppress the Era of Redemption from accelerating forward. Why? For the same reason a "somewhat Jewish" Jew waxes problematic more than an "ultra" religious Jew. The former thinks he's fully genuine and "kosher", giving him the ability to "dance at two weddings at the same time"; When asked if he keeps to halachah, he can say "Yes". This person fools himself, which makes his decontamination all the more resistant.

Recall when Eliyahu the Prophet chastised the Jews at the improvised alter. He cried out - not against those who served the Ba'al! No! He singled out those who worshipped the Ba'al AND ALSO served God. Against these partial believers he excoriated! (See also "Eliyahu Tears into Reform Judaism")

They seek convenience. On the one hand they see something real evolving, but, consistent with their myopia, with their blinders, they also believe in UFOs.

The same silliness we find when two ladies find themselves, somewhere, in the very same dress, and one gets angry with the other. Hey, you can't be waving YOUR Moshiach in my face, when MY Moshiach is someone else!

Elijah Tears Into Reform Judaism

A View of Reform Judaism

This week's Haftara relates how Eliyahu the prophet, before an assembly of all the Jews, rebukes a segment of them. He says, "How much longer will you straddle the fence? If you want to worship Hashem, then do so; And if you want to worship the foreign god, then do that!"

Notice what Eliyahu is saying, for his precise words may be mistaken for speaking colloquially. Eliyahu is telling these people that even idol worship is better than straddling the fence! You'd think he'd attack the idolators, but instead he directs his anger at the reformers.

This is amazing because idolatry and monotheism diametrically oppose each other, so much so that idolatry counters everything Judaism stands for. Why does would Eliyahu unleash his contempt on fence straddlers when idolaters you'd think are far worse?

Maimonides asks this question: How is it, if Hashem despises any other gods before Him, that religions that worship false gods or false prophets are given freedom to do so? Answers Maimonides, because Hashem tolerates them for they at least strive to live by the truth! Yes they follow a path diametrically opposed to the right direction, but at least their mindset is anchored in spiritual integrity; Once these people will (eventually) be shown the truth, on a moment's notice they will turn around and align themselves with the correct faith.

Which is untrue of those who straddle the fence. These people dip into the Jewish pool when its suits them, and walk the idolatrous terrain when it suits them. Such people seek convenience more than they seek truth. For them spirituality plays second fiddle to self-satisfaction (or self-worship). These people delude themselves into thinking they are "good Jews" because, after all, much of what they do is congruous with Jewish observance. As for what they do otherwise, their love of self easily rationalizes away those annoyances. These are people whom logic cannot easily budge. Much like a sick person who doesn't recognize he's ill.

If this weren't bad enough, worse still is another effect these people have. They may influence others who lack insight or knowledge. For straddlers cannot be easily identified as idolaters. A Jew realizes idol worship clashes with Judaism, but he may not detect the hidden agenda of his straddler friend. It is for this reason gentile missionaries primarily prey on targets weak on Judaism - under the guise of a Jewish facade!

Who are these straddlers, these "double-dippers" of today? Every generation has them, it seems. In the past, these were the Sadducees, the Hellenists and the Haskalah. Today they are the "Reformists", whether their schools of thought is "Conservative", "Reform" or "Reconstructionist". These wre the people Eliyahu rebuked, to either quit their brand of Judaism entirely or adopt the genuine thing without compromise. Either accept Hashem or don't - but don't turn Judaism into a half-donkied religion!