"Cursed be its inhabitants for not having come to God's aid. Cursed be those who do not uphold and obey the words of this law. I hereby issue a religious ruling that everyone must vote for Shas."
Remember Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former chief rabbi of Israel, and spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Sephardic Jewish party Shas? Ovadia Yosef is not only a King Josiah-like fanatical Jewish Taleban but also a terrible racist.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans he pronounced that as God’s punishment of America for allowing Ariel Sharon to pull out from Gaza. He also sneeringly called the African Americans as Kushim, an ancient Hebraic word for a race south of Egypt but a derogatory term in modern Hebrew, meaning something akin to nigger.
The above (highlighted) curse was uttered by him on eve of the Israeli election, and may YVWH strike those who don’t vote for his party Shas, so said the raving saliva-dripping rabbi. He had also cursed Ariel Sharon for the Gaza withdrawal, a retreat from holy Jewish soil, saying Sharon would ‘sleep and not wake up’. His followers believe that his curse worked when Sharon had a stroke that left him in a coma since January.
He has promised heaven to those who vote for him and hell to anyone who supports the acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert of the Kadima Party. Hmmm, does he remind us of someone in Malaysia?
Many secular Israelis think ultra-Orthodox Jews such as those belonging to the Shas Party are taking advantage of Israel’s law allowing religiously inclined Jews to skip military service and live on welfare while ostensibly studying religion. Maybe it’s YWVH’s will? Maybe they are bludgers?
The Israeli newspaper Maariv has reported that Ehud Olmert's party, Kadima, is worried about astrologers, future-tellers and various mystics interviewed by the media in the past few days all predicting a huge last-minute upset for Kadima. Would they, like King Saul, visit the Witch of Endor to find out the results?
this is ridiculous, claiming God's side and representing Him! unless he can prove God is on his side, just shut up and campaign as others do, don't curse others or the curses might just turn back on him. beware.
ReplyDeleteHi. I am a Jew living in the land of Israel who isn't terribly fond of Ovadia (Abdullah) Yosef and has been gathering information on and about him for some time, for use in debate with the many here in Israel who see him as an "impeccable" Jewish authority. I find him quite "peccable", and may peck at him a bit here but thought I would first take a moment to add to, or correct a few comments I've found here in KTemoc.
ReplyDeleteFirst thing is, that the Egyptian-born Rav Ovadia was the SEFARDI Chief Rabbi of Israel, a relatively new role created by disenfranchaised "Oriental" Jews who felt left out and not taken seriously by the predominately Ashkenazai-run government. This role, as well as Yosef's SHAS PARTY seems to be designed to influence Israel into a more Sefardi-religious culture than the European secular.
Fans of this movement claim that Rav Ovadia's statements are often misquoted and taken out of context by the mostly secular-liberal press in Israel, and while there is definitely truth in this statement regarding context, the rabbi's content is all too clear.
To answer one of your questions, yes, Judaism holds many statements regarding reincarnation. American Conservative and Reformed Jews are rarely aware of this (and of much else of 3300 years of their tradition)but Sefardi, Chassidic and Litvach Jews are more aware of these connections and even comment on reincarnation every night before bed when they recite the bedtime SH'MA: "(In case I not wake) I hereby forgive anyone who has angered or vexed me, either physically or finacially, against my honor or anything else that is mine...(etc.)...inadvertently or deliberately, by speech or by deed, --in this incarnation or in any other --let no man be punished on my account." (Translated through Chabad prayer book)
This being said, during the millenia of recorded discussions among the sages and rabbis surrounding the infamous philosophical question, "Why do BAD THINGS happen to GOOD PEOPLE?" many rabbis have pointed the finger towards the unknown deeds and misdeeds of previous lives and the possibilty of a Cosmic Balance Sheet that must occassionally be paid out.
Most of the people of the world (Buddhists and Hindus included) believe in various levels and points of view regarding reincarnation and western therapy has even made progress in this direction through use of post-hynotic regression to better understand the difficult tests of this life that have no obvious explaination based on past deeds (see: Many Lives, Many Masters - Dr. Weiss; Beyond the Ashes - Gershom; Galileo - Indigo Girls), to name a few valid sources.
My greatest issue with Rav Abdullah is not his "scholarship", but his political use of his knowledge for the emotional manipulation of his constituents.
He has claimed that the Ashkenazai world, from which the majority of the world Jews emanate, to be "the main source of EVIL in the world," refering to a history of horrific events that rose from that region over a thousand years. In this way, Rav Yosef separates Sefardim from the karmic destiny of their Ashkenazi brothers and declares the former's virtues and culture to be superior to that of the former.
It is in this way that I agree with your comments on this blog most aggressively -- Rav Abdullah has set himself up as a MULLAH and is manipulating Israel's sefardi population as the Palestinian mullahs manipulate their lot to riot at the drop of a hat.
I'm gathering more on this potentially dangerous old man. If you'd like to discuss this more or for me to answer a future posting here, drop me a line at mclevy@netvision.net.il
Shalom.
Anonymous or Mclevy, Shalom and thanks for your detailed explanation - much appreciated.
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