title: Parshas Beshalach: The Imposter of the Rambam and Living in
Egypt Today
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfGb2XcDN9A
source: Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

Comment:

Basically if I summarize it: there was a Rabbi who said that the Tzadikim frequently go to Egypt, and therefore it is a good deed to go to Egypt?

Before that we heard quite a few arguments, which all seemed to be
dubious, such as that you may not go back to Egypt on the exact same
route, even though we know from the Tanach that the Creator gave the
Jewish people a long route around to leave Egypt because he was already
afraid they would turn back right away. Did I remember that wrong ? Found
it: Sjemot/Besjalach (Exodus 13:17) _"God thought ... If they have to
do battle they may have regrets and return to Egypt."_

While it may sound reasonable also to think that Israel in that generation might not see Egypt again, we see this in the punishment section of the
Torah as a whole: Deut 28:68 _"[Hashem] will send you back to Egypt in
galleys, by a route which I told you you should not *see* again. There
you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female
slaves, but none will buy."_ that going to Egypt might also apply to
later generations. There seem to be multiple references to it not being
good for Israel to go back to Egypt. The world is large, there does not
seem to be a pressing reason to single out Egypt for *seeing.* If we
go by this rule, _"should not see again"_ than it is already a problem
if you get close enough to the Egyptian border, where you could _see
Egypt._ Interestingly, going on a tour is also called _sight seeing._
You literally go back to see.

While I don't know the answers exactly about whether or not Egypt is still Egypt (didn't they become Muslems ?), or if it is ok to go to Egypt not
as slaves, or if it is ok to live in Egypt after the Redemption and the Redemption of Egypt itself, you could hold that the Torah says to not
do it, that it is easy to avoid and therefore just don't do it, to be
on the safe side ? There could be a reason for not going to Egypt still nowadays, because there is something special and unusual about Egypt which
it seems no other place has to this extend, or at least not in the then
"known world": absolutely massive Temples, idol statues and of course
the Pyramids. This could be a practical reason to not go there, because
a Jew might be impressed by the buildings ? How alive modern idolarty is
we can see in the far east, where they seem to have build some extremely
large idols. The struggle against idolatry is clearly not over.

In any case, the point I wished to make is not even to argue what a
Jew should or shouldn't do, but to say that it is rather curious that
the one person which seems to be revered by Rabbinical Judaism like
few others, is this Rambam. Rambam wrote the 13 articles of faith,
the 613 Mitsvoth, he made up the *heter iska* (which is illegal, it is
a crime under the Torah because it is increase on a loan - yes it is,
its little circus dance is meaningless), and he accused 'moshiach' of _tarrying_ although there is no source for this, rather to the contrary,
and this accusation of tarrying can make Jewish people loose hope in the
end, because rather than blame themselves and failing Torah, they might
blame moshiach, and from there they blame God, the Torah, everything,
right on the brink of the Redemption under the most severe pressure.

Hence it seems to be rather curious, that while the Torah will come from Yerushalayim, Rabbinical Judaism comes from ... Egypt ! From Egypt,
of all places. I think that this cannot be right. We see that it is
not right. The _heter iska_ is the proof of this. We shall also keep in
mind how Rambam was not at all liked in its time, however the other side
seems to have won at this point. The exile continues, and therefore we
cannot say that the right side has won this struggle against the Rambam / Maimonides. Rabbinical Judaism now comes from Egypt, from the phycisian
of the Sultan no less, the one who heals the leader of Egypt !

How can this have happened ? I speculate that at the moment the rich
realized how this Rambam person had legislated the _heter iska,_ that
it was in their interest to put their money behind Rambam, so as to
change the law to their favor. They could then loan money on increase,
whereas they already had the _prosbul_ made up by Hillel the Elder so
that they could avoid the 7th year debt nullification. The Torah finance system, which is charitable to the poor and wise to the Nation with
7th year debt nullification and prohibition against rent and increase,
had now been almost completely overthrown in the service of the greedy
rich. This is merely an hypotheses, but the ones who benefit tend to
support something, so it could be an interesting investigation to see
who is guilty over this.

What should then happen: return from Egypt to Yerushalayim, from Rambam
to Moshe Rabbeinu, so to say ? I read that Rambam (among others) became
popular in Spain, and that Spain had a "vibrant" Jewish culture under
Muslem rule, a "golden age" (funny word choice in light of the above arguments). If you go by the rule that those who went back to Alexandria
where bad because heaven punished them, then this rule can also be
applied to the Spanish Sephardi, who suffered the expulsion from Spain
(the cursed and criminal Inquisition, against which my people had a long
and successful war).

Well, that was it. Sorry for length, but the Torah says to debate the
Torah, doesn't it. It is a bit curious that you have talked for so long
about Rambam living in Egypt, but in the end the problem does not seem
to be solved in the sense that Rambam was allowed to do it. What is now
the winning argument ? Other people did it too, so it is ok ? Kindof
weak if that's it ? I propose a different solution: Rambam living in
Egypt is a warning to you, to rethink what he has proposed. I suggest
to start with the _heter iska,_ which is illegal, it is increase on the
loan. Forbidden, plain and simple. If some odd Jew is of the opinion that
the _heter iska_ is fine, that's one thing, but now we are speaking of
what is literally one of the most revered bosses of Judaism (together
with Rashi, so i read). It's Rambam and Rashi. Why put Rambam so high,
when he broke the law (heter iska). I think oddly enough, him living
in Egypt kind of pleads him innocent of the crime of the _heter iska,_
because he let you know that you perhaps cannot trust him, due to where he lives.

Have a great day Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, und einen guten Shabbos.
--
Economic & political ideology, worked out into Constitutional models,
with a multi-facetted implementation plan. http://market.socialism.nl

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