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"Collaboration with Tyrrany"
On the book that has most influenced me, I think it is probably David Daube's "Collaboration with Tyranny," a short monograph I read when I was a rabbinical student. It discusses in great detail how people should behave when an enemy forces them to do something immoral, such as choosing which of their number to hand over so that they can be killed.
It begs all the terrible moral questions about collaboration. It shows that religious Jews have been thinking about these issues since Roman times and before. It absolutely forbids us saying to ourselves or anyone else that this is too difficult and we cannot tackle such questions. It made me realize that to try and ascertain what God wants of us, we have to be prepared to do some real hard thinking and studying. We cannot just wait for inspiration.
By
Julia Neuberger
|
July 1, 2008; 8:34 AM ET
| Category:
Spirituality
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Posted by: Josef Sefton | July 3, 2008 7:55 PM
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Dear Baroness Neuberger
Thank you for sharing the title of the book that influenced you. The Jews have much to teach the world about distinguishing between good and evil. As persecuted minorities how they endured their suffering with great nobility, and made such great contribution to all areas of human endeavor, Jews remain a great inspiration.
As I read the book you mentioned the titles of three books that left a deep impression on me on the same topic comes to mind and I wish to share them with you:
1. Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning. The book belonged to my father's collection and when I read it as a teenager it left me shaken and deeply moved. It remains one of the books that have left the deepest impressions in my life.
2. Scott M Peck, People of the Lie. This book deals with the subtle and not so subtle manifestations of evil in everyday life and in group situations. I do not agree with all of its content, but it is ground breaking in many ways.
3. Ursula Enders (Hrsg.): Zart war ich, bitter war’s. Handbuch gegen sexuellenas Missbrauch. 1. Aufl., vollst. überarb. und erw. Neuausg., Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln 2001, ISBN 3-462-02984-3.
The book is in German. I'm not sure if an English translation exists. It deals with child sexual assault, the mechanisms of grooming and cover up used by predators and the consequences of abuse on children. Anyone interested in protecting children from sexual abuse whether at home or elsewhere would gain a lot of additional insights from it. The Catholic Church got into a terrible mess because of sexual abuse of minors by some clergy. The fact is however that the evil lurks everywhere, not just in the Catholic Church. Anyone who is really serious about protecting all children ought to learn as much as they can about this evil and must try to stop in every way they can. Focusing entirely on Catholic clergy may provide some relief but it won't protect all the children who are victims elsewhere.
Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia
Posted by: Soja John Thaikattil, Sydney, Australia | July 2, 2008 4:11 AM
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The holy Bible recommends itself as the most remarkable book of all time. Why are so many able runners running away from it?