How Relevant is Talmud to Jews Today?
How relevant to Jews today is such medieval bloodlust? The majority of Jews in America have probably never read the Talmud or even heard of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai. For most of assimilated American Jewry, Judaism involves support of Israel and left-wing causes, but possesses a largely social, not spiritual, obligation.15 But in New York and especially Israel, it is very different. Today in Israel, during the annual festival of Lag Ba Omar, tens of thousands of orthodox Jews assemble in Meron, the traditional burial place of Simeon ben Yohai, where they honor his memory through song, dance, and exhortation. The prestigious Encyclopedia Judaica describes ben Yohai as one of the giants of Judaism for all time.16 Far from being outdated, ben Yohai’s call to slaughter the “best of the Gentiles” is the Talmudic text that authorizes Israel’s policy of killing innocent Arabs, including children. A government manual for modern Israeli soldiers includes a summary of Ben Yohai’s teaching: “In war
