08-29-2012, 06:25 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-30-2012, 01:39 AM by Director Michael.)
Dear Rabbis and Dr. Schulman,
I have a (personal) question about an explanation of a verse in the Proverbs, that I read in the website of Chabad.
In Mishlei (Proverbs) 9:7: "He who chastens a scorner takes disgrace for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish."
And Rashi's commentary is: "and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish: It is a blemish to the one who reproves [him], for this one berates him and does not heed him. This is a warning that it is forbidden to talk with those who entice to worship idols, even to reprove them and to draw them near."
I have a non-jewish friend who was earlier atheist but not now. A few days ago I tried to tell him about the Seven Commandments and he was interested in, but he said that they accepted the Hebrew bible but also other ideas as well. As I realised the don't accept the Unity of G-d. Is it a straightforward method to try to show why exist contradictions if one accepts other teachings that are not derived from the Tanakh or the Torah? Or what is a good method?
One of my another friend is jewish, but he has greater interest in his father's side, who is not jewish (but a well educated man). When we were young my friend was interested in tribal superstitions, power and magic. May be it was only a game for him, but I think he believed (or believes) somehow the power of magician people, and this belief had and has influence of his life. He was also in Israel and he knows the jewish culture too, but I think he is not interested in it in-depth. Based on these things I think that his future may be not in the right way but I wish to turn it to the right direction, because I think (or hope) he is a sensible man.
I am perplexed because of I have very poor knowledge and also of the cited sentence: "This is a warning that it is forbidden to talk with those who entice to worship idols, even to reprove them and to draw them near."
Can you give any suggestions?
Thank you,
Gergely from Budapest, Hungary
I have a (personal) question about an explanation of a verse in the Proverbs, that I read in the website of Chabad.
In Mishlei (Proverbs) 9:7: "He who chastens a scorner takes disgrace for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish."
And Rashi's commentary is: "and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish: It is a blemish to the one who reproves [him], for this one berates him and does not heed him. This is a warning that it is forbidden to talk with those who entice to worship idols, even to reprove them and to draw them near."
I have a non-jewish friend who was earlier atheist but not now. A few days ago I tried to tell him about the Seven Commandments and he was interested in, but he said that they accepted the Hebrew bible but also other ideas as well. As I realised the don't accept the Unity of G-d. Is it a straightforward method to try to show why exist contradictions if one accepts other teachings that are not derived from the Tanakh or the Torah? Or what is a good method?
One of my another friend is jewish, but he has greater interest in his father's side, who is not jewish (but a well educated man). When we were young my friend was interested in tribal superstitions, power and magic. May be it was only a game for him, but I think he believed (or believes) somehow the power of magician people, and this belief had and has influence of his life. He was also in Israel and he knows the jewish culture too, but I think he is not interested in it in-depth. Based on these things I think that his future may be not in the right way but I wish to turn it to the right direction, because I think (or hope) he is a sensible man.
I am perplexed because of I have very poor knowledge and also of the cited sentence: "This is a warning that it is forbidden to talk with those who entice to worship idols, even to reprove them and to draw them near."
Can you give any suggestions?
Thank you,
Gergely from Budapest, Hungary