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04/17/2020

Dear Director Michael,


I found a listing on an Orthodox Jewish job search website that was looking for a “...Baal Shem, Tzidik, Rav or other person capable of cursing [his] enemies...” I assume this is just a misspelling of tzadik.


Is such a thing done in Orthodox Judaism? Is it encouraged? What about for Noahides?


It all seems very non-ideal to my thinking...why wouldn't someone just figure out the way that HaShem *really* wants him to live his life and go from there, trusting that He will take care of the enemies part of the picture as long as that man takes care of his own domain? I'm not saying the person definitely is wrong to ask for such a thing. I'm only telling you the questions that came to mind.


I tremble to think about what could happen to the enemies of G-d. I also suspect that a “punishment” from G-d in this world could be a great blessing for them as it might encourage the separate but related processes of repentance and atonement, hopefully sparing them from Gehinnom. Is this right?


Thank you,


John
(04-18-2020, 07:03 AM)John Wrote: [ -> ]04/17/2020

I found a listing on an Orthodox Jewish job search website that was looking for a “...Baal Shem, Tzidik, Rav or other person capable of cursing [his] enemies...” I assume this is just a misspelling of tzadik.

Is such a thing done in Orthodox Judaism? Is it encouraged? What about for Noahides?

This listing was obviously posted by an off-track person. It is not encouraged for Jews or Noahides.

In The Divine Code, footnote to topic 2:8 in Part III on "The Prohibition of Blasphemy", it says, "In Mitzvot HaShem, Rabbi Yonatan Shteif writes in the name of Chemdat Yisrael that it is forbidden for Gentiles to curse a judge, as this is included in the prohibition of blasphemy*... It is also written in Mitzvot HaShem that it is forbidden for a Gentile to curse a Jew, which is included in the prohibition of blasphemy*. And clearly, it is immoral to curse any good person."

*Both of those included prohibitions for Gentiles are separate negative commandments for Jews.


Quote:
It all seems very non-ideal to my thinking...why wouldn't someone just figure out the way that HaShem *really* wants him to live his life and go from there, trusting that He will take care of the enemies part of the picture as long as that man takes care of his own domain? I'm not saying the person definitely is wrong to ask for such a thing. I'm only telling you the questions that came to mind.

That would definitely be a good policy.

Quote:
I tremble to think about what could happen to the enemies of G-d. I also suspect that a “punishment” from G-d in this world could be a great blessing for them as it might encourage the separate but related processes of repentance and atonement, hopefully sparing them from Gehinnom. Is this right?

It might. But there are some people who are so opposed to G-d that even if they receive punishment in this world, they still refuse to repent.