I figured you would go for Maimonides,
Probably because I mentioned him a number of times before you responded to the point.
- All you can find to back up your claim is ONE Jewish Rabbi. That is what I meant by “obscure”.
That’s not obscure means, but I’ll leave that alone. Ever hear of
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi)? Probably not. His commentary on the Torah has been the most-widely used for the past 900 years- not to mention his commentary on the Gemara. Know what his FIRST commentary on the Torah is?
In the beginning: Said Rabbi Isaac: It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from “This month is to you,” (Exod. 12:2) which is the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded, (for the main purpose of the Torah is its commandments, and although several commandments are found in Genesis, e.g., circumcision and the prohibition of eating the thigh sinew, they could have been included together with the other commandments). Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning?” Because of [the verse] “The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations” (Ps. 111:6). For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” they will reply, "The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it (this we learn from the story of the Creation) and gave it to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us.
FYI: Rabbi Isaac lived in the 2nd century C.E.
In Ezekiel, Rashi comments that the land of Israel, which was desolate until now, will be tilled and sown- and will become like a garden of Eden, the cities that had been destroyed will be settled and rebuilt- by the nation of Israel.
In fact, not one rabbi ever claimed that we will not be returned to our land physically. And of course, all agree that G-d is behind it all.
If you think otherwise, then feel free to prove it and bring us the name of a rabbi, what exactly he says, and where he says it.
- I actually know quite a bit about Maimonides (remember I used to teach this stuff), and there is no evidence he believed in the Zionist view of Israel since he lived in the 13th century. In fact he was quite liberal in his views.
You evidently don’t know as much as you think. Being “liberal” has nothing to do with anything.
Just one example: Maimonides (Hilchot Melachim 5:10-12) writes that “the sins of whoever lives in the land of Israel are forgiven… Even if one walks four cubits in the land of Israel, he is assured the world to come… A person should live in the land of Israel even in a city where the majority are idolaters, and not live outside of Israel- even in a city in which the majority are Jews. These are all taken from the Gemara, by the way.
Maimonides devotes entire chapters of the Mishneh Torah to the laws that apply to the king of Israel, to the Temple, books on the sacrifices, etc.- None were around when he was alive, and these are all exclusively in the land of Israel.
And on and on. Want more? Just ask.
- You have provided NOT ONE bit of evidence Maimonides believed in your interpretation of Ezekiel 36-37, which if you remember, was my original question.
Maimonides wasn’t a Biblical commentator, but he was clear (Hilchot Melachim 11) that he believed that we will
physically return to the land of Israel- which is what Ezekiel 36-37 is about:
*In the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty. He will build the Temple and gather the dispersed of Israel.
Then, in his days, the observance of all the statutes will return to their previous state. We will offer sacrifices, observe the Sabbatical and Jubilee years according to all their particulars as described by the Torah.
Anyone who does not believe in him or does not await his coming, denies not only the statements of the other prophets, but those of the Torah and Moses, our teacher. The Torah testified to his coming, as Deuteronomy 30:3-5 states:
God will bring back your captivity and have mercy upon you. He will again gather you from among the nations… Even if your Diaspora is at the ends of the heavens, God will gather you up from there… and bring you to the land…
These explicit words of the Torah include all the statements made by all the prophets…* (Emphaisis mine on the last sentence).
- Not to get into politics, but your claim about the modern state of Israel is based on your opinion alone. An opinion not shared by many Jews themselves.
Feel free to get into politics.
MANY rabbis and Jews believe that, and as time passes, fewer and fewer disagree that we’re talking about right now. But all believe that it is talking about the PHYSICAL ingathering of the nation of Israel. The ONLY disagreement is when.
Again, if you think otherwise, feel free to bring some rabbis who disagree. Tell us all where they said/wrote it, and exactly what they said/wrote.
I challenge you.
Your posts, and your threads are curious. They sound more like someone trying to evangelize a John Hagee-inspired dispensationalist nationalistic gospel.
My posts are factual. It’s just that you know so little abbout Judaism that you think that the idea of a physical redemption of the nation of Israel and our return to the land of Israel was just invented.
Anything but. It ALWAYS was.
