World's greatest Talmudic scholar to Bush: No to Palestinian state

World's greatest Talmudic scholar to Bush: No to Palestinian state

The world's greatest living Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, has signed a proclamation calling upon President Bush not to establish a Palestinian state in the Land of Israel. Sources close to Rabbi Steinsaltz say that the proclamation will be handed to President Bush in person during his visit to Israel this week, by a public figure.

 

Rabbi Steinsaltz, lauded by Time magazine in 1988 as a "once-in-a-millennium scholar", is renowned for his erudite and authoritative commentary and translation of both Talmuds from Aramaic into Hebrew, as well as French, Russian and Spanish.

 

Photos:  http://www.templeinstitute.org/megillat-bush.htm 

 

The proclamation, addressed "To The Honorable Mr. George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, Who comes seeking the presence of the Most High God, to Jerusalem, city of God, Divinely chosen site of the Holy Temple, eternal capital of our land, "the joy of the entire earth (Psalms 48:3),"  calls upon the US President to "make a declaration, as did Cyrus, King of Persia - whose memory is honored - who in the year 538 BCE ...recognized the full right of the Jewish people to reestablish their Holy Temple... and called upon them to return to their land, and in the manner of Lord James Balfour of England, who in 1917, called upon the Jews to reestablish a national homeland in the Land of Israel".

"And thus if you truly desire peace and benevolence, and you would be counted in the company of the truly righteous, we call upon you to declare to all the world: The Land of Israel was bequeathed to the nation of Israel by the Creator of the world. Neither could I, as a son of my faith, nor the Muslims according to their faith, ever take away even the slightest grain from the Eternal's gift, which He gave to His people Israel, the eternal people. Thus I call upon all the nations to save themselves from certain doom, to return and recognize That this land is the exclusive rightful inheritance of the people of Israel, as is written in the Torah of Israel, which constitutes the very foundation of our faith, as well as that of Islam; and is the basis for the decisions of the community of nations. He who denies this truth endangers all life on earth....I cannot simultaneously support the establishment of a foreign state for an alien nation in the Land of Israel, and I will not lend my hand to this wrong.

"Or - Heaven forbid - you can choose the second option - to willfully aid in the destruction, under the guise of peace! You certainly know what the God of Israel did to Egypt and Assyria and to all Israel's enemies from time immemorial: Do you imagine that you will be able to save yourself if you have come to implement a plan that intends to steal the land of "the people that survived the sword" (Jeremiah 31:1), and to cut off those who survived the Holocaust, to rob the land that was given to them by the Creator?"

The proclamation states that all of the various agreements involving Israel such as the Oslo process, disengagment plan and establishment of a terrorist state, "are the result of a lack of sufficient faith in the Divine promises that the Lord made to the patriarchs of our nation, and all that is written in the Torah of Israel.  Understand this well: the nations of the world cannot excuse their actions and their decisions on account of the weakness of Israel and her government. God ordained that the role of the nations of the world is to strengthen the nation of Israel. This will benefit all humanity and bring about world peace, as the prophets have foretold."

The proclamation calls on President Buth to authorize the immediate release  of Jonathan Pollard "while you are yet in Jerusalem, before you return to the United States" and to "[r]emember our forefather Abraham, who pursued the world's four greatest kings in order to redeem his nephew from captivity.... Before you is a choice: You can merit to eternal life, or be inscribed for eternal disgrace. Your fate and that of all those with you hangs in the balance of the destiny of our land, "and you shall choose life!" (Deut. 30:19).

Photos and full text:  http://www.templeinstitute.org/megillat-bush.htm 

For particulars call Dr. Gadi Eshel, 972-54497477 or Rabbi Haim Richman 972-524767490 rabbirichman@gmail.com