=kit136.txt

KIT 136 - THE MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS:  BREAKING THE CIRCLE OF
VENGEANCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST


Archetyple principles in the life of Jesus appear as stages
leading toward resurrection and shed light on the way to break the
circle of vengeance in the Middle East.

In the first stage the miracle of life was that God became man so
that man might become God.

TEILHARD DE CHARDIN :
"Christus homo est."

At a next stage, as it is said in the QU'RAN:
"God shows His signs in the horizon and in ourselves."

The stars led the way. The three wise men Melchior, Caspar and
Baltasar followed the stars until they disappeared from the
horizon. It was at this point that they arrived at the birthplace
of Jesus, the epiphanos, the manifestation of light in the world.

Next came the great betrayal.

Christ had foreseen that and told Judas: Do what you must do.
Judas had hoped that Christ would free the Jews from Rome and was
disappointed that freedom would be in the hereafter. 

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_1 ]

It is a
tradition that the people kill the prophet they chose so that his
personality does not stand in the way of the worship of God.
Christ was betrayed with a kiss.


While Christ said: 
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law of
the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil." 
MATTHEW 5:17, 

he faced the opposition of those who held to the moral
paradigm of the time. They opposed Christ giving a new message:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour
and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless
those who hate you." 
Matthew 5:43 - 45. 
        
[Footnote (sa) kit136_2 ]

Christ's message was to forgive. It was the only way to stop the
circle of vengeance brought on by those who resent. His message
went further than "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" by
introducing forgiveness. Consequently he was condemned for
violating the dominant moral paradigm.                

[ Footnote (sa) kit136--1 ]

Christ's last words, "Why hast Thou abandoned me?" could be
interpreted as God saying through Christ's voice, "Why hast thou
forsaken Me?" Recognizing this perspective has a healing effect.
As the impulse of blame is released a new way opens. One can only
attain illumination by overcoming resentment.

At present the state policy in the Middle East is based upon an
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. 

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_22 ]

This is the principle on which vendettas are established.
While you involve yourself in a vendetta you are never free. One
vendetta follows another without reprieve. The only way to free
oneself from the vicious circle of vendetta is by forgiving. That
is introducing a principle unacceptable to the old paradigm.

"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from
your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First
remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
MATTHEW 7: 4 - 5

Turning the other cheek is the only way of stopping the inevitable
destruction and killing that comes from vendetta.

In the spirit of dedication to her side of the conflict a young
Palestinian woman sacrificed her life to destroy Israelis. 

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_4 ]

Although one may feel some sympathy for her nothing was gained by
her action. Indeed, the circle continued as her family was
investigated.         

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_4a ]

Pardon and forgiveness are the only means of ending the conflict.

Christ says:
"But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps
you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
 MATTHEW 5: 39	

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_5]


The only hope for a solution in the Middle East crisis is
introducing love and forgiveness, rising above the moral
constraints of vengeance. 

=================================================================
================================================================

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY:  KIT136                      


TEXT:
Christ's message was to forgive. It was the only way to stop the
circle of vengeance brought on by those who resent. His message
went further than "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" by
introducing forgiveness. Consequently he was condemned for
violating the dominant moral paradigm.                

[ Footnote (sa) kit136--1 ]

No; that was never the paradigm of Judaism.  It's merely a
straw_man of Christian triumphalism.

'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' occurs in the Chumash
merely as an archaic illustration, taken from the Messopotamian
code of Hamurabi if I recall, of the principle that a master has
no right to injure a slave.  If I recall.

In pracice, the Rabbi's ruled that he who injured another must pay
mometary compensation.

-------------

TEXT:
At present the state policy in the Middle East is based upon an
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. 

[ Footnote (sa) kit136 -- 2 ]

We ain't that dumb, Bwana.  Even the A_rabs ain't that dumb.
This is just something we say to fool the rubes.

I mean sure, we invaded Lebanon in 1982 because they shot our
Ambassador to England.
No, we went in to wipe out the PLO, which was heavily
prepositioned to invade Israel.

And nowadays Hamas et. al. launch a terrorist attack because we
assassinate one of their mid_level__managers.

No, terrorist attacks are tactics in a very sophisticated strategy
of destablization.  They are of course not essentially a military
tactic -- as such they are both ineffective and immoral -- but a
political tactic, aimed at generating pressure within a democracy
for political territorial concessions.

They are planned months in advance.
And depend upon some very technologically advanced explosives
supplied by foreign intelligence services, in particular Iran and
Syria.

And as for Israel assinating terrorist leaders -- this too is
planned long in advance; a terrorist attack merely provides, for
the day or two that constitutes the attention_span of hoi polloi
and the elected politicians who heed them,  an acceptable western
media climate of opinion.  

Again, to personify the Arab__Israel conflict is impossibly
simplistic.

Only USA Presidents, and of those, only the Bush's, are that
immature.

-----------

TEXT:
In the spirit of dedication to her side of the conflict a young
Palestinian woman sacrificed her life to destroy Israelis. 

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_4 ]

Well, that was the notion of the 'Snow White' installation, in
Stockholm if I recall.                 
The Israel Ambassador to Sweden made rather an ass of himself by
trying to pull the plug on it at the Art Gallery opening.
I read and wrote about that in Israel, in '03 I think. 

But again, I think it's simplistic romanticization.

I rather doubt that suicide bombers are noble, free beings, freely
sacrificing their lives for a cause in which they believe.

Especially the women.
It's more likely that they were caught in adultery and given the
choice by miltant Muslim fundamentalists of either dying instantly

to posthumous glory in a suicide bombing, to psothumous glory and
socio_finacial security for their families, or slowly in disgrace
in a public execution.

-------------------

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY:

Christ had foreseen that and told Judas: Do what you must do.
Judas had hoped that Christ would free the Jews from Rome and was
disappointed that freedom would be in the hereafter. 

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_1 ]

Well, 'disappointed' is a bit of an understatement.
In Jewish tradition, the Meshiach brings liberation, freedom from
foreign occupation, on earth.  
For freedom in the hereafter, who needs a Messiah.  Maybe you do:
we don't, as_it_is_said (Pirke Avot):
KoL YiSRAeL YeSH L_HeM HeLeKh L_'OLaM Ha_BA
All Israel, they have a share in the world that's coming.
("All Israel have a share in the World to Come")

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour
and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless
those who hate you." 
Matthew 5:43 - 45. 

---------------------------------------
        
[Footnote (sa) kit136_2 ]
[ the New King James has: "bless they who curse you" -- sa]
And I don't know where Jesus got that 'hate your enemy' bit.
I don't recollect it.
It ain't in Leviticus 19:18, which is what the NKJ cites.
Au contraire mon frere, Leviticus 19:17 says, 'You shall not hate
your brother in your heart.'
Thrasymachus says it in the opening chapter of Plato's Republic.
I mean, the dude walked down from Natzereth to the Kineret, maybe
he packed light.
That's what you get for letting the Greeks ghost_write your Bible,
fellow.]

Amd amyhow, in the 'Prayer before going to sleep' -- which is
optional, we begin by saying -- in some Siddurim -- 
(though not in the Metsudah Ashkenazi, which is all I have at hand
now, so I quote from memory )

"LORD of the Universe, I forgive all who may have wronged me, in
word, thought, or deed, and may none suffer ill on my behalf."

Maybe that was written after the time of Jesus, I don't know.
But that ain't hard to look up.  Start with the Encyclopedia
Judaica, which is on CD, you can buy it from the Jerusalem Post.

--------------------
                                       
Although one may feel some sympathy for her nothing was gained by
her action. Indeed, the circle continued as her family was
investigated.         

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_4a ] 

Yup, that's how it goes.  
They drive a handfull of rusty nuts and bolts into the gizzards of
our women and children, and in vengeance we retalliate by
investigating their uncles.

For further information, see www.terror-victims.org.il
My next_door neighbor, Judy AvrahamHai, who happens to be a darned
good painter, though mostly she has time only to do watercolours
nowadays, can tell you how hard it is to be a survivor of one of
those terrorist 'incidents'.
Personally, I do my best not to read hear or see about it.
The CD she gave me is still in shrik_wrap.


Christ says:
"But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps
you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
 MATTHEW 5: 39	

[ Footnote (sa) kit136_5]
[ 'slaps' is the Revised King James.
'smites' is the original King James.
In the USA we say:  "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." ]

