tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579213173749170024.post4562251174339986481..comments2024-01-02T02:18:30.960-08:00Comments on Israel Thrives: Obama Plants a TreeMike L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06450806807610560873noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579213173749170024.post-82290523097695184142013-03-20T23:53:35.300-07:002013-03-20T23:53:35.300-07:00Mike I agree with you.
My initial thought was &q...Mike I agree with you. <br /><br />My initial thought was "How cute!!"<br /><br />I think most Israelis couldn't give a damn about Obama because he has shown he is not a friend of Israel's in the past.Shirl in Ozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08145644692590907775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579213173749170024.post-82073125624290993102013-03-20T15:57:30.870-07:002013-03-20T15:57:30.870-07:00Apropos of how the Obama visit is related to in Is...Apropos of how the Obama visit is related to in Israel, here's a good instance of cultural misunderstanding: On the conservative news wire Weasel Zippers, which I regularly read, they put up an item, <a href="http://weaselzippers.us/2013/03/20/top-israeli-rabbi-declares-obama-a-king/" rel="nofollow">Top Israeli Rabbi Declares Obama A "King"</a>. The comments below are disappointed and shocked, to say the least. Unfortunately, what happened was that they took Jewish religious terminology and interpreted it in the eyes of American history.<br /><br />"King" and "monarchy" in the Jewish sources are terms for governance. They're technical terms: The ruler of a state—itself termed "a kingdom" in the Jewish sources even when it's a democracy—is called "king" whether he's a monarch or not. Netanyahu counts for "king" as far as Jewish Law is concerned; moreover, Britain's Prime Minister fits the term far more than Britain's monarch does. And yes, there is a blessing in Hebrew to be said once a "king" is seen.<br /><br />Rabbi Yosef's use of the term is technical, then, and in no way signifies approval. If Rabbi Yosef had called Obama a <em>righteous</em> king, <em>that</em> would be praise for Obama; merely "king" just means Obama is considered a ruler of a nation in the eyes of Jewish Law. For all we know, Rabbi Yosef thinks Obama is a wicked king—I have no idea really, he might be neither here nor there regarding Obama, though I'm almost certain he doesn't consider Obama a good king.<br /><br />To American readers the term "king" rubs off badly not only because they don't know about its technical use in the Orthodox Jewish context, but because anti-monarchy is an integral part of the American ethos; Americans are, as a rule, allergic to the idea of kings and queens. Brits often ask why so many Americans had such a cynical air about William and Kate's wedding; they need to realize most Americans simply can't control it. Israelis, even of American extraction, rarely have such a visceral attitude. What happened with Rabbi Yosef's statement was a clash of the two most contradictory interpretations of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579213173749170024.post-89038402822768521832013-03-20T12:53:08.571-07:002013-03-20T12:53:08.571-07:00A very good piece from Isi Leibler on this and the...A very good piece from Isi Leibler on this and the relationship between Obama and American Jewry just uploaded. <br /><br />http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4552geoffffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10056725010151459750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579213173749170024.post-74370954469450023752013-03-20T09:34:26.193-07:002013-03-20T09:34:26.193-07:00Well, I certainly have much more faith in them tha...Well, I certainly have much more faith in them than I do with their counterparts over here, I tell you that.<br /><br />I have a great deal of respect for Israelis because they have no choice but to look reality directly in the eye, whereas diaspora Jews are experts at deflection.<br /><br /><i><b>Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. - Vonnegut.</b></i>Mike L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06450806807610560873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579213173749170024.post-52589378559112590372013-03-20T09:16:08.465-07:002013-03-20T09:16:08.465-07:00Lighten up.
As for the Israelis, I think they hav...Lighten up.<br /><br />As for the Israelis, I think they have a good handle on things, and what is real and what is not.oldschooltwentysixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15672887176887940797noreply@blogger.com