Most Well Received Comment From Pope Francis

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                               

I've been listening to Pope Francis address the many people of our American government this morning.  The thing that surprised me was that there was a picture of Moses on the wall and he addressed Moses. 
                                                                           

Then he spoke about the Golden rule.  I wandered if any realized that came from Hillel, a rabbi from the 1st century BCE.  Hillel had been born in Babylonia being part of the Jews who had been taken from their homeland in Judah by the Babylonians in their attacks in 597 and 586 BCE.  He had been able to move and settled in Palestine.   He then eked out a living by doing manual labor while studying with the greatest of rabbis, Shemaiah and Avtalyon.  Later, he himself became president of the Sanhedrin.  He was noted for his humility and tendency to leniency.

The Christians have changed this comment since he had said it as thus:  Don't do to others what you would not want done to you.  It had come about when someone had asked him to hurry and tell him the essence of Judaism while standing on one foot, and he commented with what was then known as the "Golden Rule."  Now the Christians speak of it as Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The Pope  told his audience that this is the yardstick that we will be measured by.  Yes, we Jews have always thought this.  I repeat, this is the essence of Judaism.
                                                                         

Netanyahu also commented on the image of Moses on the wall when he addressed Congress. "Netanyahu was referencing a marble relief that has hung in the House chamber since 1950, just two years after the modern state of Israel was founded. The bas relief was sculpted of white Vermont marble by artist Jean de Marco, according to the Architect of the Capitol." 

 Netanyahu had said to the listeners, "He then quoted Deuteronomy 31:6, Moses’ parting words to the Israelites, in Hebrew: “Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them.”  It was nice to know that the Pope thought well of Moses being he brought the Israelites The Laws that were to create a better civilization.  
                                                                                       

 Jean de Marco in his studio, Peter A. Juley & Son Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum J0001457

"The artist, Jean  Antoine de Marco, AKA Jean de Marco, was born in Paris, France 1898 and died in 1990, probably in New York City. He was one of our immigrants.  De Marco's work often had religious themes or subjects. Examples of his religious work may be seen at Notre Dame University, the House of Theology in Centerville, Ohio, and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. His non-religious works include those at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum, and the War Memorial at the Presidio in San Francisco." 

 Does that mean that Moses is not considered "religious?"  What?  Was he to the world just considered a political leader, a philosopher  or simply a leader leading some people on a trek?  Or is it that religious figures cannot be in the Congress's building like the 10 Commandments?  Do they realize it was Moses who gave us the 10 Commandments?  

                                                                         
Reference: NBC TV News
http://time.com/3730272/benjamin-netanyahu-moses-sculpture/
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2015/09/pope-francis-ignoring-jews-on-white.html
http://time.com/4048176/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-transcript/