Shall I quote my “favourite” saying again?
Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, says: Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear of it, man would swallow his fellow alive. (Pirkei Avot 3:2, https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.3?lang=bi)
As those who read this blog would know, I wouldn’t spit on government if it was burning much less pray for its welfare.
I received a meme, a message in a picture, that resonates with me much more than this Talmudic teaching.
The self-defeating nature of the statist argument is just too … damn, what’s the word? It’s like “obvious” but in the sense of a really bad smell, a stench. Hmmm … “poignant?” It can mean pungent in scent, cutting, painful. Let me try this. The self-defeating nature of statist argument for government is just too poignant for me. Maybe I should have stuck with “pungent.”
Currently, I read the notion of praying for the welfare of government as follows,
“Pray for the welfare of the institution that promotes and protects injustice and evil, for were it not for the fear of it, man would swallow his fellow alive.”
Actually, in line with that pictorial message I received, I read the Talmudic text as follows.
“Pray for the welfare of the gang of men who swallow and consume people alive, for were it not for the fear of it, man would swallow his fellow alive.”
I’d refuse to follow this piece of advice from the sage.
But that leads to my question.
I’m an outsider to the nation of the sage that said that piece of advice. His word has absolutely no authority over me. He wasn’t trying to explain the details of the seven laws as far as I know. He wasn’t imposing or elucidating international law or an unchanging principle of human morality. So how do I, as a Gentile outside of the nation and authority of “Israel,” interact with such a statement in the Talmud? Does it make me immoral to reject it? Would followers of the ancient sages see me as unwise or as a bad man?
Would the fact that the government I’m under works against the seven laws make a difference? Hmmm … the fact that rabbis are sympathic to figures like Trump, respectful of the American constitution which protects that which the seven laws forbids, … the fact that Jews in general seem to respect and revere government a whole lot more than me … hmmm …
But then again, don’t a lot of rabbis focus a lot on whether a ruler supports Israel or not, right?
Does that say it all?
But I ain’t a Jew. For me, that means a lot.
Seven Laws Blog UK 
11 replies on “Disagreeing with Jewish Law – The Antiestablishmentarian”
The Talmud is full of opinions we do not follow. The parts of the Talmud that relate to the Noahide Code have been quoted and explained in the Divine Code.
I believe that based on the Divine Code most European governments have no authority in the eyes of Torah Law:
1) They promote Islamization and the replacement of the native European population with Muslims
2) They impose oppressive taxation and regulation to feed and provide for the said Muslims
3) They promote sexual degeneracy against the will of the people
4) They imprison people who criticize their despotic policies. Just look at the case of Tommy Robinson.
Bro, I’m surprised that you said this. I’m surprised you think the Divine Code may agree somewhat with my stance. But the points you bring up, I can’t disagree with. I do believe with you that the governments are causing the destruction of their own people, morally and physically.
My reasoning is based on The Divine Code chapter on Government Authority:
If someone rules over a nation or a part of a nation despotically, he and all his officials are considered like a band of robbers, whose laws are not binding (and any taxes that he takes are theft on his part.)
It is obvious that European governments rule despotically.
Although I could, I will not try to argue. *GRIN*
Bro, when it comes to fighting despots, I am like Goldberg: https://youtu.be/fcoq3_02AR8
Man, that whole thing with Goldberg was a major disappointment.
Anarchy and mob rule are not what you want. It’s true that governments commonly do bad things, “politics attracts the worst and corrupts the best”. Even in a place like Russia for Jews, the government sent cossaks to ravage and pillage Jewish settlements, and Jews still prayed for their welfare, because the average Russian wanted to burn Jews alive because the priest told him he used his dead son’s blood for matzah.
Understand it in the context of the rest of pirkei avot, start with “don’t befriend people in positions of [political] power”.
Anarchy is simply a position that says “no legitimate rulers.” It’s not a statement of desire but a philosophical stance about the nature of governments and human authority. Just like the seven laws, it’s not a position I would force on others. Just like the seven laws, and like other positions about government, it very much depends on the nature of people. My position isn’t about imagining a perfect world were people can live peacefully without so called “rulers.” It’s about knowing that power attracts evil and corrupts good. So called “authority” is just a means for evil to be called good and then be supported and upheld by so many.
Mob rule is definitely what I don’t want. That’s why I oppose democracy, the position that might (in numbers) makes right.
So anarchy is a personal philosophical position and I do detest democracy.
You tell me to read a statement with a different message, don’t make friends with powerful people, along the same lines as a statement that tells people to talk to the almighty, the all-good, asking him to help people who do evil, uphold evil, who protect that which God forbids. In response to your suggestion, all I can say is “no!”
By the way, the example you gave was terrible. So the Russian tyrants would ravage and pillage the Jews, but the Jews prayed for the welfare of the bandit-like tyrants. And why? Because, apparently, the average Russian wanted to burn Jews alive.
That was one of the worst arguments for praying for the welfare of the gang called govt. It makes it sound like even more of a miracle that Jews survived the centuries: they kept doing their best to destroy themselves, so it was only by God’s mercies that they didn’t destroy themselves by repeatedly strengthening the hands of their destroyers. All the more reason for a Gentile such as me to totally ignore that piece of Talmudic advice.
The Kahanist Jews didn’t pray for the welfare of the Russian tyrants. They bombed them: https://youtu.be/vRGQjufH-v8
That’s another reason to respect Kahane, amongst the others that I have.