Crushing the Taliban

So America has crushed the Taliban – not because they oppressed women or members of minority religions. Nor did we crush them because they are a totalitarian regime which brutalized the Afghani natives. But because the Taliban harbored a guerilla fighter, Osama bin Laden, who recently had been implicated in the most brutal and unjust civilian attack ever in the history of war in the world. But little do people understand, this type of action against a country for their lack of justice and violation of the rule of law has its precedent in a story in this week's reading of the Torah.

In Genesis 34:1-31, we have the story of the abduction and rape of Dinah, daughter of Jacob. According to the account, the daughter of Jacob went out walking and was seen by Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite. When the text says Shechem took her, that is a reference to her being kidnapped. He then also raped her. Later he wants to marry her and asks his father Hamor to plead with Jacob for her as his wife. But it is clear from the end of the story that she was still being held captive, at this time, within the house of Shechem (Gen. 34:26).

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So what can possibly be the justification for the sons of Jacob to have killed all the men of the city of Shechem? Isn't it the case that the Torah claims a father will not suffer for the sins of the children and vice versa? How much more so, then, must it be the case that an entire city should not be made to suffer for the sins of just one citizen of that city? Correct?

Well, yes! Except for one major piece of information that one might call a "background of obviousness" for the story, but that's not always obvious for folks who are not taught the Bible completely. And that critical piece of information is the "Seven Laws of Noah" – the moral code that was given by God to all of mankind. Seems that there was an underlying "rule of law and order" in the ancient world. The book of Genesis just cannot make very much sense to the casual reader without an understanding of these most basic moral instructions.

The specific law that applies in the case of the city of Shechem is the command to establish Courts of Justice. Even during the days of Abraham and Lot, we can see there were judges sitting at the gates of the ancient cities. (Lot himself was such a judge sitting at the gate.) The first level of transgression committed was by Shechem, himself, in carrying out the abduction (theft) of Dinah and her defilement. The second level of transgression was in the authorities of the city not taking him to the judges and ruling against him for his violation of the most basic moral code given to all mankind. That made the men of the city "accomplices" (after the fact) to the act of Shechem and a place that harbored a fugitive from justice.

The same can be said of the Taliban with Osama bin Laden. This is why the American action has the moral approval of most American citizens in a society like ours – which is focused on the "rule of law."

Here is the list of the Seven Laws of Noah and their first appearance in the Bible.

1. Prohibition against Idolatry. Listening to a voice other than God's (Gen. 3:5-6; 3:17).

2. Prohibition against Blasphemy. Serpent questioning God's word (Gen. 3:1).

3. Prohibition against Murder. Cain's murder of Abel (Gen. 4:8).

4. Prohibition against Theft. Theft of fruit from the prohibited tree (Gen. 3:6). Reason for the flood was "hamas" – translated as violence or robbery (Gen. 6:13).

5. Prohibition against Adultery. Institution of Marriage – man shall cling to his wife (Gen. 2:24). Story of Sarah and the king of Egypt (Gen. 12:18-19).

6. Prohibition against Cruelty to Animals. Not eating limb of a living animal (Gen. 9:4).

7. Command to have Courts of Justice. Story of destruction of Shechem (Gen. 34:1-31).

The most ancient traditions, in all cultures, were always oral. The same is true for the Hebrew (or Jewish) culture. Before the Bible (Torah, or Five Books of Moses) an understanding of the One God of the Hebrews was passed down orally from Adam, through Seth, to all of the righteous who lived before Noah, and after the flood through Noah's sons. Otherwise, how could the most righteous people (like Enoch) have known what was the definition of "righteousness"?

When Moses wrote the books of the Bible, there were certain pieces of information that were left as understood (i.e., as a part of the background of obviousness). And these understandings continued to be carried down through the ages in the oral traditions of the Jews. They were finally documented in the Mishnah, in the second century of the Common Era. It was always understood that this "moral code" given to all of mankind through Adam (and later reinforced at the time of Moses) was one of the blessings that was to be given to the world though the chosen people, who were responsible for carrying the "oracles of God" (Romans 3:2).

It's unfortunate that for so many years Christians were not allowed to read the Mishnah. As a part of the Talmud, scholars and lay people alike even suffered through periods of Church oppression where the Talmud was burned and folks were persecuted for reading it. But at that time, the Bible itself was off-limits to be read by lay-people. Today, thank God, more Christians are reading the pertinent extra-biblical materials. Since the Oral Tradition certainly did exist in Jesus' day, and influenced the discussions that we read about in the New Testament, they are important to be studied. And this can also promote better Jewish-Christian relations … and, someday, the formation of more mixed, interfaith study groups.