The Muslim Question 2

With Barack Obama, a Black-Christian with Muslim roots, on the brink of becoming the President of the Free World, I want to remind people of another individual who was also seen as somewhat messianic. The other person I am referring to is Jesus.

Because I’m Jewish, my role as a Jew in the world is never going to go away. I live, eat and breathe my mission in everything I say and do, as my gentle readers know only too well.

Whether you prefer to think of me, and of other Jews as well, as being chosen or as choosing, we Jews took on the yoke of spreading God’s word around the world. I call it God’s word. Call it what you will. Even if you don’t believe in God, that’s fine with me. To me, what we’re spreading is an ethical set of concepts designed to make the world and people better and more civilized.

Jews accepted the concept that we would try to obey 613 rules while at the same time, we Jews would also try to get non-Jews to obey 7 rules.

Jews accepted our role many thousands of years ago and have stuck with it, and in so doing have had a marked civilizing effect on humanity. Sure, many say religion is a terrible thing, but by and large, it’s religion that has been the vector that has sewn the seeds that continue to spread the good word daily.

Substantially more than 2,500,000,000 people now subscribe to the 7 rules Jews have tried to convince people make good sense. I’ll let you try to figure out what those 7 rules are.

Thanks to Jesus and his followers who were Jews, Judaism spawned one of its daughter religions, Christianity (another is Islam, which I won’t dwell on here). This is not to say that Jesus was just a regular run-of-the-mill Jew, because he wasn’t. Rather, he was an extraordinary Jew, as were many of his followers. Which is to say they all were very good Jews.

Through Jesus and his followers, God’s word has successfully been spread far and wide. Sure, Jews paid a price in the process, but that’s how transactions go. You give something and you get something. Ask any parent. They all give their heart and soul to their children, and what do they get in return?

Look at most mother-daughter relationships. Most are difficult. Here, I am comparing Jews to being the mother, and Christians to being the daughter religion if you will. And yet, in our time, at least in our time in America, Jews and Christians have lived to enjoy a rapprochement that’s nothing short of miraculous. It’s a beautiful thing that’s been happening.

Many beautiful things have been happening. And let’s hope that this man who promotes hope and change, let’s hope he’s going to be part of the many beautiful things that continue to happen.