The Very Core of the Israelites or Jewish People Part I

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

 Israelite boy babies to die at Egyptian Pharaoh's command but Moses was saved by his barren daughter

Moses facing a burning bush which spoke to him, In the biblical story, the burning bush that appeared to Moses was likely a thorn bush, potentially a bramble or acacia, and it was notable for burning without being consumed. The Hebrew word used to describe the bush is "seneh," which can refer to thorny bushes. The miraculous sight of the bush engulfed in flames but not destroyed captivated Moses and drew him closer. 

In the beginning (estimate of 1579 BCE, or 1445 BCE or 480 years before Solomon's 1st Temple was built, about 4,000 years ago, Moses, at the  age of 80, took an "extended family" of 400 years of generations originating with Abraham and Sarah with other unlucky people of unknown lands also taken as the Egyptian slaves out of Egypt and brought them to Canaan after 40 years of traveling, their original home before a drought had taken over the land.  Evidently, Moses was one of the family members who had been rescued from death by a princess of Egypt and raised from infancy on.  Moses had been educated with all other princes for a position as either pharaoh or assistant to the pharaoh. They called taking 603,550 people who numbered only 601,730 at their destination, the Exodus.   

When they returned to Canaan, they had an elder or leader of each family grouping, called the judges who kept them on an even keel. Joshua had taken over Moses's position as leader and he was a judge.                                          

    Samson with Delilah, a Philistine from the Valley of Sorek who betrayed him.  The Valley of Sorek is in the Shephelah region, west of Jerusalem, bordering Philistia and the tribal territory of Dan says the Jewish Virtual Library. 

The Book of Judges lists twelve individuals who led the Israelites after the death of Joshua, known as the Judges. These leaders, in chronological order, are: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, then (Ammonite rule)Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson, son of Manoah of the tribe of Dan, a Nazirite with long hair who had fought the Philistines. In addition to these, Eli and Samuel are also considered judges in 1 Samuel. 

• Ammonites:

  A separate group, often depicted as hostile to the Israelites, particularly during the period of the Judges. They were known for their conflicts with the Israelites, including disputes over territory and raids into Israelite lands. The Ammonites are mentioned as forbidding the Israelites from passing through their land during the Exodus and later allying with Moab to attack Israel. The Ammonites also occupied lands east of the Jordan River and encroached into Israelite territory. 

Samuel selected Saul  (c 1060-1010 BCE) as the people's first king being they felt they wanted one so that they were like  the other countries who also had kings. A city would have a king, as there were few countries in those days.  

Samuel also selected David ( (1010 BCE-970 BCE) as the 2nd king when Saul was killed in battle.  The Book of Chronicles lists his sons with his various wives and concubines. In Hebron, David had six sons: Amnon, by Ahinoam; Daniel, by Abigail; Absalom, by Maachah; Adonijah, by Haggith; Shephatiah, by Abital; and Ithream, by Eglah (1 Chronicles 3:1–3). 

     By Bathsheba, his sons were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. 

     David's sons born in Jerusalem of his other wives included Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama and Eliada (2 Samuel 5:14–16).

      Jerimoth, who is not mentioned in any of the genealogies, is mentioned as another of his sons in 2 Chronicles 2 11:18. His daughter Tamar, by Maachah, is raped by her half-brother Amnon/Aminon (eldest son of David by Ahinoam the Jezreeelite. David fails to bring Amnon to justice for his violation of Tamar, because he is his firstborn and he loves him, and so Absalom (her full brother) kills Amnon to avenge her.  

Before David died, his son, Solomon took the throne (961-920 BCE) .  This was done by his mother, Bath-sheba and the prophet, Nathan.  Solomon consolidated his position,  then got rid of his elder brother, Adonijah (4th son of David)  who wanted to marry Abishag, David's concubine, but Solomon regarded this as an act of rebellion  so had himkilled.   Eventually Solomon built the Temple in  Jerusalem. 

When Solomon died, Israel became divided over Solomon's taxeHis son, Rehoboam (933-917 BCE)  inherited the throne, but Israelites also followed  Jeroboam (933-912 BCE) from the tribeof Ephraim, the superintendent of forced labor during Solomon'sreign in building the Temple.  He was popular as he led the revolt. Rehoboam and he had met about the taxes, but Rehoboadecided to keep it and continue with the Temple.   

• Traditional Claims: Many Jewish families, particularly those from the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities, possess oral traditions and genealogical records that trace their lineage back to King David.
• Exilarchs and Rabbinic Figures: Certain lineages, like those descended from the Exilarchs (who held leadership positions in Babylonian Jewry) or notable rabbinic figures like Rashi, are often cited as potentially having Davidic lineage.
• Genetic Research: Recent DNA studies have aimed to understand patterns within Jewish populations and their connections to various groups. For instance, the Cohanim (J1), who are considered descendants of Aaron, have a documented genetic signature. However, as of now, no specific DNA marker has been conclusively identified to definitively prove descent from King David.
• The Limitations of Historical Records: While some genealogical records exist, the significant time elapsed since King David's reign (approximately 3,000 years) makes it challenging to definitively verify an unbroken paternal lineage with the same certainty as more recent genealogical research.  Christians have created a family tree for Jesus including kingDavid with people on it completely unknown to Jewish genealogists.  

Resource:

Tanakh, the Stone Edition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David 

Jewish Virtual Library

World's Up to Date June News About Israel and Then The Facts

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

She said, "I left Gaza For work and now I can't return," Watching it from afar is a nightmare" (published in USA Today, Abier Almasri- Senior Research Assistant, Middle East and North Africa Division)    

Believe me, Abier; it's a nightmare for Jews everywhere, too, because we had left a beautiful Gaza with all our homes and businesses ready for the Palestinians, and they chose instead to destroy the business, and then use the land as a platform to shoot at Israel .  Israel had disengaged their own people for the Arabs in the name of Peace and they know it.  "Israel officially withdrew its forces and dismantled towns from the Gaza Strip in 2005, as part of a plan for disengagement. 

• Ongoing Hostilities in Gaza According to a summary of news articles: 
•  Intense Israeli military operations continue in Gaza, leading to further casualties and destruction. There are concerns about the high death toll and the humanitarian crisis, with international bodies raising alarm about the scale of violence and deprivation faced by Palestinians. 
•     Notice they never seem to notice that IDF soldiers are dying also.  Yesterday 4 died when a building was booby-trapped by the terrorists, and these 4 were searching in the tunnel underneath for hostages, and they were killed.  
• Aid Distribution Challenges: Aid distribution in Gaza has been described as "a death trap," with multiple reports of people being killed while seeking assistance. A new, controversial aid system, partially backed by the US, has been implemented, but faces challenges and criticism. 
•      Notice the crowds of people, live, pushing and shoving to get to the trucks.  
• Hostage Situation: Efforts to recover hostages held by Hamas continue. Recently, the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages killed during the October 7th attack were recovered in southern Gaza. The Israeli military also claims to have recovered the body of a Thai hostage held since October 7th.
•                                                                              
  
  Gali Baharav-Miara (Hebrew: גלי בהרב-מיארה‎; born 18 September 1959) is an Israeli lawyer who serves as the current Attorney General of Israel.  She is the first female Attorney General of Israel.
• Political Tensions: Within the Israeli government, there are tensions and reported disagreements. Netanyahu's government recently voted to begin the process of dismissing the Attorney General.
• The Israeli cabinet is taking steps to remove the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, a female, due to perceived disagreements and a perceived undermining of the government by her. Critics accuse this move of being part of a broader effort to curb the independence of the judiciary and purge officials seen as disloyal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, proposed a no-confidence motion, citing substantial differences between the government and the Attorney General. Netanyahu and his allies accuse the Attorney General of undermining them, with specific examples cited related to the stability of the governing coalition and the ultra-Orthodox exemption from military service. 
• Debates surrounding military service, particularly for ultra-Orthodox Israelis, are also ongoing.  
• Currently, due to a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court in June 2024, ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men, including 18-year-olds, are legally obligated to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This ruling effectively ended a decades-long exemption that allowed Haredi yeshiva students to defer or be exempt from military service. 
• Cross-border Conflict: The conflict has extended beyond Gaza, with ongoing clashes and airstrikes involving Hezbollah in Lebanon and missile attacks from the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Israel has carried out airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting alleged Hezbollah sites.
•    Israel is fighting for its life on 7 fronts;  being Israelis only people on the ground with them.  USA is helping on the sea and air against Houthis.  
• Israel has been patient since 1967, not living in any part of Judea/Samaria except that destined by Oslo Report, but perhaps now is the time to populate more of their own original land.  Why hold off and follow the rules if your enemy isn't?  
•  The US recently vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire.  
•      Thank goodness!
•  The EU has voiced support for the International Criminal Court following US sanctions on ICC judges investigating Israel.
•                             
  
    Here are the 4 women  ICC judges that USA put sanctions on who are against Israel.  
• Left to right: Judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru), ICC Second Vice-President Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou (Benin), Judge Beti Hohler (Slovenia) and Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda).  
•         Alapini-Gansou and Hohler were targeted for their role as Pre-Trial judges in issuing arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The charges involve alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. 
  
   The International Court of Justice, which has its seat in The Hague,
  is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations

•  In short: The United Nations' International Court of Justice ruled on Jan 26. that while South Africa’s genocide case against Israel is under review, Israel must "take all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide" as well as immediately allow for humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip. But the judges did not approve the request to stop military action in Gaza, nor did they order a cease-fire. One judge, Julia Sebutinde of Uganda, dissented on all six provisional measures the court approved, voting no on more measures than the judge Israel appointed to the ICJ for this case.
• Security Concerns: Security alerts have been issued by the US Embassy in Jerusalem regarding the potential for violence and demonstrations. 


• 
  

Comparison of Democracy of USA and Israel: A Difference of Opinion Acting Upon Uproar in Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                  

Israelis do not want their Democracy messed with.  They want things left alone in their government.  Netanyahu is all for upgrading it, especially the judicial part.  The results have been news and TV pictures of the whole country rebelling with demonstrations of miles and miles of Israelis walking with signs.

Netanyahu claims the Judiciary has more power than the rest of the government.  He's actually been harmed by it, personally, so he has even more motivation than others.  The most respectful American defense lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, sides with him and has given him the suggestion that he needs to change the judiciary to meet the standards in the USA, as I understand.  So what's the differences?

The USA has 3 sections of their Democratic government;  The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This ensures that no individual or group will have too much power. Each provides its own checks and balances.  Each branch of government can change acts of the other branches:

• The president can veto legislation created by Congress. He or she also nominates heads of federal agencies and high court appointees.
• Congress confirms or rejects the president's nominees. It can also remove the president from office in exceptional circumstances.
• The Justices of the Supreme Court, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, can overturn unconstitutional laws.
  
  Demonstrators against the judicial reform in Haifa, 11 January 2023. The protester's sign reads a quote from the Hebrew Bible: "How is the faithful city become an harlot! Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards." (Isaiah 1:21–23)

​Israel is a parliamentary democracy, consisting of legislative, executive and judicial branches. Its institutions are :

the Presidency, 

the Knesset (parliament), 

the Government (cabinet), 

the Judiciary and 

the State Comptroller.

Netanyahu says Israel's judicial has too much power.  He wants itfixed.  

Under Israel's current constitutional framework, all legislation, government orders, and administrative actions of state bodies are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court of Israel, which has the power to strike down legislation and reverse executive decisions it determines to be in violation of Israel's Basic ...Law.  

Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty (1992)

Passed on March 17, 1992, by the Twelfth Knesset. The law determines that the basic human rights in Israel are based on the recognition of the value of the human being, the sanctity of his life, and his being a free person.

The Supreme Court in Jerusalem is the highest court of Israel and the final court of appeals. The Court consists of 15 Justices and two Registrars. The head of the Supreme Court and of the whole judicial system is the President of the Supreme Court. Justice Esther Hayut currently serves in this position.

In contrast, the USA Supreme Court has 9 judges.  

Yariv Gideon Levin (Hebrew: יָרִיב גִּדְעוֹן לֵוִין, born 22 June 1969) is an Israeli lawyer and politician who serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.

There is infighting going on between the judges.  Justice Minister Yariv Levin called Hayut a "political party" and accused her of trying to "set the streets on fire."  The lady, head of all the judges, said that The government’s planned judicial reform will “crush” the judicial system, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut warned at the annual convention of the Israeli Association of Public Law on Thursday.  She doesn't want the boat rocked at all.  

In January 2023, Levin unveiled a governmental plan for a legislative overhaul of the country's judicial system. The plan seeks to weaken the Supreme Court of Israel by granting the government effective control over the Judicial Selection Committee, prohibiting the court from ruling on the constitutionality of certain laws and regulations, and granting the Knesset the power to override any court ruling by a simple majority.

The comparison with USA is that When the Supreme Court rules on a constitutional issue, that judgment is virtually final; its decisions can be altered only by the rarely used procedure of constitutional amendment or by a new ruling of the Court. However, when the Court interprets a statute, new legislative action can be taken.            

Dershowitz's recommendation is:  Implicit in the first reform is the belief that the Supreme Court has gone too far in asserting its power over a broad array of issues. Proponents of the reform have a point. The Supreme Court should have only limited authority over largely economic and political issues, such as the gas deal with Lebanon or the ability of a particular individual to serve in the government. It would be reasonable for the Knesset to be able to override such decisions, which do not involve the fundamental rule of law. 

Courts have no special competence in those areas, and the popular will, as reflected by elected legislators, should generally prevail over the opinions of appointed judges. But when it comes to decisions regarding basic issues of civil liberties, human rights, minority rights, civil rights, due process, free speech, religious liberty, equal protection and other enduring aspects of individual liberty, the Supreme Court should have the last word. 

Resource:

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2023/07/bribery-charges-against-three-time.html

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-728405

https://supreme.court.gov.il/sites/en/Pages/Overview.aspx

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rlzbe0jjt#autoplay?utm

_source=email

https://embassies.gov.il/pretoria/AboutIsrael/State/Pages/

Israeli-democracy.aspx#:~:text=%E2%80%8BIsrael%20is%20

a%20parliamentary,Judiciary%20and%20the%20State%

20Comptroller.

https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government#:~:text=

The%20Constitution%20of%20the%20United,will%20have%

20too%20much%20power.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/constitutional.aspx#:~:text=When%20the%20Supreme

%20Court%20rules,legislative%20action%20can%20be%20taken.

Similarities of Sadducees versus Pharisees like our Israeli Judicial System of Today: History Repeating in Israel's Judicial System

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

During the 2nd Temple period (about 597 BCE) we had the Jewish sect of Sadducees who were like Priests or judges with their own standards.  It may have been introduced with the high priest Zadock whose descendants served in the government until 162 BCE.  We also had the Pharisees, judges but had their own standards that differed from the Sadducees in many ways.  They were rather like judges of the Left and judges of the Right political persuasions.  

The Sadducees, wealthier Jews, well-connected priests, prominent aristocrats who belonged to this group who were influential in political and economic life.  For them, religion was primarily the Temple cult without a basis of abstract faith.  They differed from the Pharisees in the nature of their religious outlook and way of life.

According to the Sadducee viewpoint, individuals and groups must aspire to well-being in this world without expecting recompense in the world to come.  The Sadducees had no belief in the future world, resurrection, or the immortality of the soul and also rejected the existence of angels and spirits.  Their slavish adherence to the Written Law led them to behave severely in cases involving the capital penalty and they interpreted the Les Talionis (an eye for an eye)  literally rather than in the sense of monetary compensation which was adopted by the Pharisees.

Their austere conceptions extended to the Temple and its cult retaining the decisive role of the priest and opposing Pharisaic innovations like the Water-Drawing Festival, which might have given a foothold to non-sacerdotal circles.  Developing into the supporters of the Hasmonean kings from the reign of John Hyreanus, they lost influence under Salome Alexandra and suffered severely at the hands of Herod.  The whole power and existence of the Sadducees was bound up with the Temple cult, and on the destruction of the Temple, they disappeared. 

Therefore, the origin, like that of other contemporary parties, is unknown but probably they represent a continuation of the Hasideans.  Although a relatively narrow body, closed to the masses, their activity was directed to the masses whom they sought to imbue with a spirit of holiness by propagating traditional religious teaching.  The gulf between the Pharisees and those ignorant of the Law or not practicing it was complete.  

Today Jews eat together on a Friday night (Shabbat)
The Pharisees used to eat in groups and observe all the rules of purity in the same manner as the priests consuming consecrated food in the Temple.  They endeavored to extend their influence over the Temple at the expense of the Sadducees, whose control there was absolute.  In addition, they incorporated into the cult, folk-customs not mentioned in the bible, as the Water-Drawing Festival to the dismay of the Sadducees.  

Started by the Pharisees, every day of the year, after the sacrifice was burned, an offering of wine was poured on the altar. During Sukkot, there was also a water libation (nisukh hamayim). Some have suggested that it was a folk rite, an inducement for rain made by pouring out water at the season’s onset, transformed by the rabbis into a symbolic Temple ritual.a water ritual: the Rejoicing (Simchat) at the Place of (Beit) the Water Drawing (Hashoavah). From the time King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem until the day it was destroyed by the Romans (with a brief interim for temporary exile to Babylonia), the can’t-miss-it event-of-the-year for Jews was the Water-Drawing Celebration.  Envision streams of Jewish families—farmers, vintners, shepherds, merchants, craftspeople, and scholars—streaming in from every part of Israel, Syria, Babylonia, Egypt, and other nearby lands, converging upon Jerusalem and celebrating day and night, non-stop for eight days. The hot spot was, of course, the Temple Mount (Chabad).  

The antagonism between the two parties extended to many spheres, which some scholars attribute to basic social differences .  Generally, the Pharisees admitted the principle of evolution in their legal decisions, while the Sadducees were incapable of adaptation to a changing environment.  

The Pharisees were priests who avoided contact with others for reasons of ritual purity, concerned about their Jewish religion and political party during this 2nd Temple Period. 

Pharisees were generally lenient in their interpretations of the law, while the Sadducees clung to the letter of the written text.  The Pharisees placed the nation's life within a halakhic framework expressed in the Oral Law which they regarded as no less vital than the Written Law or Torah or Bible.  Their doctrine aspired to embrace the entire life of the community, touching therefore, on the theological foundations of life, questions of fate, good and evil, the immortality of the soul, and eschatology. Rabbinic Judaism holds the Oral Law to be of divine origin. The divinity and authoritativeness of the Oral Law as transmitted from God to Moses on Mount Sinai, continues to be universally accepted by Orthodox and Haredi Judaism as a fundamental precept of Judaism.

Rabbis of the Talmudic era-we had 2 different ones, The Jerusalem or Palestinian Talmud was completed c. 350, and the Babylonian Talmud (the more complete and authoritative) was written down c. 500, but conceived of the Oral Torah in two distinct ways. First, Rabbinic tradition saw the Oral Torah as an unbroken chain of transmission. The distinctive feature of this view was that Oral Torah was "conveyed by word of mouth and memorized." Second, the Rabbis also viewed the Oral Torah as an interpretive tradition, and not merely as memorized traditions. They saw the written Torah as containing many levels of interpretation. It was left to later generations, who were steeped in the oral tradition of interpretation, to discover those ("hidden") interpretations not revealed by Moses. Instead, Moses was obligated to impart the explanations orally to students, children, and fellow adults. It was thus forbidden to write and publish the Oral Torah; some rabbis kept private notes of their teaching, but only for their personal convenience.

Pharisees admitted Divine predestination but also man's responsibility for his deeds.  In contrast to the Sadducees, they believed in life after death, the resurrection of the dead, the advent of the Messiah, and the Day of Judgment.  They seemed to have two avenues for Judaism, the exact same condition of many Jews of today.    

Not all Pharisees lived up to their high principals, and the Talmud itself lists 7 hypocritical types:  nevertheless, in reality they were far removed from the derogatory  pictures from other competitive religions.  Pharisees were responsible for strengthening morality and introducing the elasticity which enabled Judaism to withstand its subsequent tribulations;  the movement was continued in the stream of historic Judaism.  It seems that Pharisee ideas rule today's Judaism.  Hillel (1st century BCE)  wrote the Golden Rule, Don't do to people what you wouldn't want done to you, all the rest is commentary.  

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1971019/jewish/The-Joyous-Water-Drawing-Ceremony.htm