Parkes’ work was very insightful and provided a glimpse of how the Jews were a people who, despite being a subjugated people in exile with a peculiar closed culture (honoring their covenant with äùí), was seen as ideal law abiding subjects by their rulers.
Reading through the pages (I was motivated to read the whole book), I couldn’t help but sympathize and empathize with the plight of the Jewish people. I was felt elated when the book narrates how the logic of the defenders of the Jewish faith held their grounds against the Catholics and I was saddened to learn about the persecution and riots.
Although the book was meant to give us an insight on the origins of anti-Semitism, I was able to appreciate and understand more the other side of the coin, i.e., why Jews have resisted assimilation with all their might and their aversion to xianity (who “kidnapped” their îùéç and made him into the anti-îùéç g*d-man j*sus)
Seeing your Spanish name reminded me of my high school Spanish. I've noticed for a long time that Spanish / Latino names often have a strong Xn connection, with many having the first name Jesus and, even among English speakers, the last name of Xn or Church (Spanish "Iglesia") is not uncommon. At some point, it puts the Xn culture in our face. And Xn culture does not belong in Tor•âhꞋ. Moreover, a clear ha•vᵊdâl•âhꞋ must also be maintained in Spanish and other languages.
Although I didn't have a flagrantly Xn name, my wife and I changed our names simply because we wanted to be more like Yi•sᵊrâ•eilꞋ. So I'm not suggesting anything I haven't done myself. I can see from your posts that you demonstrate that you are a serious student interested in a serious commitment. I recommend a legal change of name that doesn't put your Xn background either in your own face – a stumblingblock to you – or ours. (I'll be happy to help if you like.) In the meantime, since, if I understand correctly, your name translates roughly to "Little angel of the cross," I'll refer to you as L Xz.
It's always interesting to me how people often figure out, on their own without outside help, that, as you observed, Tor•âhꞋ is the "the ONLY way to go for anyone who truly wants to serve our Creator."
Discussing this recently with my daughter and recalling my own journey down that road, I asserted that, if there is intelligent life on the far side of the universe, the Order of the Creator and His universe dictates that logic guide every being in the Creator's universe to the identical same Tor•âhꞋ. Logic excludes any other possibility.
How can that be? I'm referring to Tor•âhꞋ as MikhꞋâh ha-Nâ•viꞋ (6.8), RibꞋi Hi•leilꞋ and RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa understood it: "Treat others as you would like others to treat you." The rest is explanation and documentation of the main points in its development and the history of those who developed it. In other words: the basic principles that would be applicable to all intelligent life, anywhere in the Creator's universe – Tor•âhꞋ means "Instruction" (not "law") – Life's Instruction Manual.
Peripherals of how beings figured out these principles will differ because the development – history – of developing the principles would differ. On a distant planet there would be no Egypt, not necessarily a Yᵊtzi•âhꞋ or Khag ha-Suk•otꞋ. If there had been 5 or 8 planets visible to their ancients, then perhaps their Shab•âtꞋ might be on the 5th or 8th day, respectively. But the Tor•âhꞋ, the core, is about the principles: order, justice, compassion, mercy, tzᵊdâq•âhꞋ and the like. How Tor•âhꞋ developed, and, of course, by whom, would differ. But Tor•âhꞋ would be identical. Any difference would derive from an error of logic in one, the other or both.
Perhaps there are multitudes of planets with intelligent life. But there can be only One Tor•âhꞋ because there is only One, self-consistent, Creator of this orderly universe.
And by this understanding of Tor•âhꞋ, Oprah and the late Catholic Christian nun Teresa come closer to the practice of Tor•âhꞋ than the sanctimonious – hypocrite – Ultra-Orthodox rabbis – who practice or implicitly condone superstitious and supernatural magic, throwing feces at people, assaulting Orthodox schoolgirls and calling them sluts, supremacist racism, xenophobia and a long list of similar khi•lulꞋ é--ä blasphemies.
Of course, there's no excuse for the a•vod•âhꞋ zâr•âhꞋ of Oprah and Teresa. They, too, are responsible to seek the Creator and forsake the human-centric tradition of men becoming man-gods and mating with human women… but how much more responsible and accountable are Ultra-Orthodox rabbis who have every reason to know better!
So, we must take an especially compassionate view toward helping those who haven't had the advantage of being brought up with access to Tor•âhꞋ.
Keep up the good work.
Cavite City, Philippines
