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We are the chosen people so I guess to an extent we view ourselves as more valuable. I want to know to what extent that is. Is it just a status? I saw some anti-Semitic websites says that Jews view gentiles as animals (I know that a lot of the arguments have been refuted but check it out here1). Feel free to refute some of the points the website makes too.

1. all.net/books/iw/mid-east/unity-news.2000-12-03/www.ummah.net/unity/palestine/judaism/talmud1.htm

Isaac Moses
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Rardal
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    What metric do you want to use? – Double AA Jul 12 '23 at 23:14
  • @DoubleAA something about animals I guess? Much Torah literature, from ancient Midrashic to modern chassidic and much in between contain the idea that all of humanity, Jew and non Jew, are in some way (body and soul) animal, and in some way more than that, so sounds like out of context slander (haven't read it, probably won't) – Rabbi Kaii Jul 12 '23 at 23:21
  • The quotes on that website are ;largely real quotes, but they are completely taken out of context and horribly distorted. Aggadaic Gemaros often present things very cryptically, and they are meant to be understood in a nuanced way, based on the classic commentaries, not based on a superfical, literal reading. In most of these quotes, simply looking at the the way the commentators explain the passages, negates all these criticisms. – user29098 Aug 01 '23 at 18:29

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I didn’t read all of the quotes that are mentioned on that thread, however from a quick look, most of them are indeed true quotes. What’s missing is the perspective and understanding behind it.

A lot has been written in this topic, but as an overview, the Ramchal in Derech Hashem 2:4 explains it at length. In summary, saying that there’s a difference of value is not accurate. The difference is in the ability to effect change in the upper worlds and the responsibility that comes with that. Since after Avraham Avinu only his offspring were charged with bringing the world back to its original state of before the sin of Adam, the non-Jew no longer has the ability or the responsibility to effect the changes required.

Most of these quotes are derived from this fact. A Jew is responsible to repair the world and effect outer worldly change and therefore his laws and behaviors must be different than a non-Jew who is charged with merely not ruining the current world.

This doesn’t mean one is more valuable than the other, but simply that they have two distinct purposes for their existence and therefore we approach their laws differently. Similar to different employees in a company, both are needed, but one may have a bigger responsibility and therefore better compensation. Maybe the value of their contribution is different, but the company needs them both equally for it to be able to run.

I can’t explain every single quote that they bring, but the majority of them can be explained with this.

Chatzkel
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