The Path of Truth Forum

http://www.aish.com/jw/s/Putin-and-the-Torah.html

Putin and the Torah

As politically incorrect as it might be to say it, we need to remember that exceptionalism is the key to civilization, and we Jews need to take pride in the fact that it has been our Torah, our teaching of morality and ethics that served to civilize the world.

The Jews not only discovered monotheism, but they then explained why that made God different from all the pagan gods worshiped until that time. The Jewish God is above nature; witchcraft and sorcery simply have no meaning for Jews. Such practices suggest that humans can manipulate God. A God who can be manipulated is made in man's image. Jews believe the reverse, that man is created in God's image.

That is why the Bible continues to be the world's biggest best-seller. And that is why we have a special holiday dedicated to rejoicing with the Torah, Simchat Torah.
It is a holiday whose very theme is exceptionalism. It is the exceptionalism of our ancestors who stood at Sinai and responded yes to the challenge of accepting the Torah when the rest of the world was as yet unwilling or unready. It is the exceptionalism of our people who in spite of persecution - and oft times even martyrdom - held fast to those values which God proclaimed as the only reason for the world's continued survival. It is the exceptionalism of Torah that stands above all other works written by man, whose divine truths illuminate our path and make life worth living.
We rejoice with the Torah on Simchat Torah because it is an exceptional book that has made us exceptional - and if that bothers President Putin, perhaps that gives us all the more reason for celebrating.