November 14, 2013

Good Samaritan” is an anti-Jewish slur

The term “good Samaritan” is an anti-Jewish slur included in the “new testament,” and intended to shame Jews. The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (10:29–37), about a traveler who is beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. A Kohen and then a then a Levy come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan—a gentile whose practices are a derivative of Jewish tradition, comes by, and he helps the injured man. 

The story is used as a putdown of the Kohen and levy, who are on their way to Jerusalem to fulfill their temple service—for which they must maintain their spiritual purity, meaning not touch the dead. They keep to the highway because the shoulder of the road is likely to emit “tumah,” the impurity of the dead. If they contract tumah, they’d have to spend a week cleansing themselves of it and miss out on their very short time of service (the kohanim only served two weeks or so each year).

The term “good Samaritan” is an anti-Jewish slur included in the “new testament,” and intended to shame Jews. The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (10:29–37), about a traveler who is beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. A Kohen and then a then a Levy come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan—a gentile whose practices are a derivative of Jewish tradition, comes by, and he helps the injured man. The story is used as a putdown of the Kohen and levy, who are on their way to Jerusalem to fulfill their temple service—for which they must maintain their spiritual purity, meaning not touch the dead. They keep to the highway because the shoulder of the road is likely to emit “tumah,” the impurity of the dead. If they contract tumah, they’d have to spend a week cleansing themselves of it and miss out on their very short time of service (the kohanim only served two weeks or so each year).

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/rabbi-who-returned-98000-found-in-a-desk-not-good-samaritan/2013/11/14/

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