The Immortal Jew
In his essay titled Concerning the Jews, Mark Twain wrote: "If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one-quarter of one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.”1 The Jewish people have had a disproportionate influence on many different areas of humanity, may it be science, economics, medicine, the fine art, and more. In this paper, it is my intention to explore why and how the Jewish people have been so influential on the …show more content…
Rabbi Doctor Dovid Gottlieb refutes this argument on three points: 1. there have been many nations throughout history who have been persecuted and have not survived, in fact, persecution is generally a tool that encourages assimilation. 2. This theory does not explain away periods of Jewish freedom (I.E. the golden age of Spain, Jewish life in America) if this were to be true why did the Jews not disappear and assimilate if they had full equality or at least prosperity? 3. This theory in no way accounts for periods of Jewish independence such as the Davidic kingdom, or modern Israel. In short, this theory does not explain away the reasons for the survival of the Jewish people through the …show more content…
The Bible is many things it is a guide to morality, a history of the Jews in ancient times, and a guide to life. There are many stories that are recorded in the bible, in my opinion, the most important of which is the story of Abraham. What makes the story of Abraham so important not only in that he is the first Jew and the beginning of the Jewish story but also because of an idea he introduces to the world, that idea, is
In his essay titled Concerning the Jews, Mark Twain wrote: "If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one-quarter of one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.”1 The Jewish people have had a disproportionate influence on many different areas of humanity, may it be science, economics, medicine, the fine art, and more. In this paper, it is my intention to explore why and how the Jewish people have been so influential on the …show more content…
Rabbi Doctor Dovid Gottlieb refutes this argument on three points: 1. there have been many nations throughout history who have been persecuted and have not survived, in fact, persecution is generally a tool that encourages assimilation. 2. This theory does not explain away periods of Jewish freedom (I.E. the golden age of Spain, Jewish life in America) if this were to be true why did the Jews not disappear and assimilate if they had full equality or at least prosperity? 3. This theory in no way accounts for periods of Jewish independence such as the Davidic kingdom, or modern Israel. In short, this theory does not explain away the reasons for the survival of the Jewish people through the …show more content…
The Bible is many things it is a guide to morality, a history of the Jews in ancient times, and a guide to life. There are many stories that are recorded in the bible, in my opinion, the most important of which is the story of Abraham. What makes the story of Abraham so important not only in that he is the first Jew and the beginning of the Jewish story but also because of an idea he introduces to the world, that idea, is