Am I Reading This Wrong? So Offensive.

[onionsoupmix]

No time to write much, studying for the bar and packing for the move is taking up all of my time.

But just recently I was trying to find something about bechira on chabad.org and came across this speech that the Rebbe apparently gave to a group of college students in the 60s. It's all pretty standard except for this appalling part:

Question: One

Comments

[oneironstring]

Oy

[onionsoupmix]

It's so strange that the rabbi would say this knowing people would be offended. But maybe in his mind honesty trumps all.

[oneironstring]

Maybe its a compliment. In many ways "animal souls" are far better than "human souls."

It's the other way around - WE serve THEM

[anonymous]

I agree that it's human nature to want to be special and privileged, so it's natural to want to yourself as higher and imagine others serving you

Re: It's the other way around - WE serve THEM

[onionsoupmix]

I wonder how your chabad rabbi would square these conflicting together. How would he understand the quote from his Rebbe?

I am guessing he would just say that gentiles are here to serve Jews physically and that Jews, serve the world spiritually. But that's a cop out, it all comes down to the same thing- the idea that their purpose is to serve us and that this is in fact good for them because we can then enrich their pathetic lives with our light and morality.

Re: It's the other way around - WE serve THEM

[mes_sha]

The non-jews have 7 noahide laws to make the world a civilized place. The jews have 613 commandments to make the world a spiritual place.

See here http://www.kcakosher.com/uncategorized/the-ultimate-purpose-of-creation/

Not to serve the jews physically, but to serve the world physically.

This was the Rebbe's view, very similar to the Rebbe's view on women and men's roles. Each have a different role.

Re: It's the other way around - WE serve THEM

[onionsoupmix]

Not to serve the jews physically, but to serve the world physically

First of all, that's not what the quote from the rebbe above states. Here he says that once the farmer helps the Jew eat, his purpose is all done.

Power-fantasy

[anonymous]

That's a fantasy of power developed by an oppressed people.

Does not do any harm, as long as it remains that way...
Where it does harm is when the power relations are turned the other way round: when there is a possibility of oppressing the non-jew.

Re: Power-fantasy

[onionsoupmix]

I think it is harmful just in the attitudes that develop over time.

I heard this recently!

[anonymous]

I tell you quite honestly, I heard something very much like this from our local Orthodox (non-Chasidic) rabbi just before Rosh Hashana.

He said that in The World To Come, the entire occupation of Jews would be to worship and commune with G-d, and that the role of non-Jews will be to do work for us, such as (I kid you not) "mowing our lawns or giving us money if we need it".

Obvious answer

[anonymous]

As I once read somewhere...the reason there's one billion Chinese people is so we can give our kids cheap chanuka presents. Shoyn.