From the perspective of the organizers of this trip, Duvi Honig and Dr. Frager, Anthony Scaramucci is an accomplished and talented entrepreneur who organized the SALT Convention, a conference of 2,500 attendees. He has bought and sold business numbering in 9 digits, yes that's billions of dollars. He says he is a Zionist and wants to invest in Israel startups with venture capital. He comes from modest beginnings and has a good work ethic which he learned from his father. He does not have a sense of entitlement. He says he is authentic and non conventional. He went to Harvard so presumably he is very smart. He professes genuine respect and admiration for Israel.
On the down side, from the perspective of an Orthodox Jew, Anthony Scaramucci is an openly pro-gay, pro-abortion activist and engages in profanity, Nivul Peh in Hebrew. This surely comes from an unholy source, a place of impurity. Due to this profanity, reported in the New Yorker, Scaramucci was dismissed after 10 days from his position in the Trump Administration as Communications Director.
Analysis:
Scaramucci needs to restore his good name, and OJC needs to draw in business partners and venture capitalists.
Given: OJC is an Orthodox Jewish Organization, which does not endorse homosexuality or Pro Choice. Quite the opposite!
Given: We are all members of the human race. By definition....We are all imperfect.
Given: We all want pleasure.
Allow me to sidetrack, paraphrase and draw conclusions from the teachings of Rabbi Alon Anava. Rabbi Anava, once a devout secular athiest, is a fascinating lecturer who experienced a NDE, Near Death Experience. His lectures, CD's, podcasts and youtubes have reached hundreds of thousands.
A Jew's ultimate pleasure comes from a Spiritual, Holy source. Money and physical pleasures are all short- lived. Only being consistent with G-d's will, brings us eternal pleasure. Tapping into impure sources will ultimately be a source of great aggravation and headache. Abortions? Homosexuality? These contradict a Torah lifestyle. Making money? Also transient, empty. Our Yetzer Hara will try its best to convince us that our motivations come from a pure source. One needs to be very honest with oneself and analyze whether one's actions are coming from the will of the Yetzer Hara, desire for fame, money and/or power, or from G-d's will. One needs to see the unborn (Ro'eh HaNolad) before it is too late.
Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel, the site of the Holy Temple and the entire Land of Israel can not tolerate abominations. The Torah is quite explicit about its preferences. It is for these reasons that the 7 Canaanite Nations were incompatible with the Land and had to be eliminated. The Holy Land will vomit and expel those who commit abominations. Mr. Scaramucci should know that one is held to a much higher standard in the Holy Land. Things that may be tolerated outside the Holy Land is vomited and expelled from the Land of Israel. The Land itself literally can't tolerate it.
ולא תקיא הארץ אתכם
מעמדה המיוחד של הארץ מטילה על יושביה רמה מוסרית גבוהה יותר ממה שנדרש מהם אילו היה בחוץ לארץ.
And the earth shall not vomit you..
The special status of the Land of Israel imposes on its inhabitants a higher moral standard than what was required of them if they were abroad.
Vayikra - Leviticus - Chapter 18
| 22You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination. | | כב וְאֶ֨ת־זָכָ֔ר לֹ֥א תִשְׁכַּ֖ב מִשְׁכְּבֵ֣י אִשָּׁ֑ה תּֽוֹעֵבָ֖ה הִֽוא: |
| 23And with no animal shall you cohabit, to become defiled by it. And a woman shall not stand in front of an animal to cohabit with it; this is depravity. | | כגוּבְכָל־בְּהֵמָ֛ה לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן שְׁכָבְתְּךָ֖ לְטָמְאָה־בָ֑הּ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה לֹא־תַֽעֲמֹ֞ד לִפְנֵ֧י בְהֵמָ֛ה לְרִבְעָ֖הּ תֶּ֥בֶל הֽוּא: |
| 24You shall not defile yourselves by any of these things, for the nations, whom I am sending away from before you, have defiled themselves with all these things. | | כדאַל־תִּטַּמְּא֖וּ בְּכָל־אֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֤י בְכָל־אֵ֨לֶּה֙ נִטְמְא֣וּ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י מְשַׁלֵּ֖חַ מִפְּנֵיכֶֽם: |
| 25And the land became defiled, and I visited its sin upon it, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. | | כהוַתִּטְמָ֣א הָאָ֔רֶץ וָֽאֶפְקֹ֥ד עֲוֹנָ֖הּ עָלֶ֑יהָ וַתָּקִ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֶת־יֽשְׁבֶֽיהָ: |
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The G-dly light is probably too much for such individuals.
On the other hand if one humbles one's own pleasures and desires to be in sync with the Almighty's agenda and His commandments, than that is a true sign of greatness. Moses, for example was the most humble of all men from time in memorial, and was able to put G-d's Will over his own at an extraordinary level.
MEDIA PUBLICITY
Why is it that many of the Jewish Media reports of this upcoming VIP business trip whitewash Scaramucci's advocacy. If you open, the links themselves, you will see that they are almost carbon copies of each other as they probably originated from the same source, the OJC.
Our message to Dr. Frager and Mr. Honig, about to embark on this venture, is not to be driven by the temporary pleasures that can blind ones vision, but rather, stay true to Torah values.
Media that presents a positive image for Anthony Sacramucci
