Final Thoughts

According to Robert Ardrey in The Territorial Imperative, the concept of the "Diaspora" violates every known model for understanding social interactions. This applies mainly to the "Jewish People" in diaspora - but it might also pertain as well to the "Palestinians" if they last many more generations away from their homeland.

Eretz Yisrael (a.k.a. Ha Eretz or the Land of Milk and Honey or The Land of Canaan or Palestine) literally means "the Land of Israel." Since "Israel" was actually Jacob, it can translate also as "the Land of Jacob." It was actually the land which was "promised" by God to Abraham, [Isaac?,] and Jacob - hence the term "Promised Land."

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land...(Gen 12:6-7)

In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. (Gen 15:18-21)

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.(Gen 17:8-11)

In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. (Gen 17:26)

And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. (Gen 21:17-18)

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. (Gen 25:5)

And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. (Gen 35:10-12)

Our own history in the Torah documents the usurpation of land actually belonging to Canaan and Edom. Edom was Esau and literally means "red".

And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. (Gen 25:25)

And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. (Gen 25:30)

Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.(Gen 36:8)

The hated Amalekites (whom I have heard many otherwise highly intellectual and liberal rabbis zealously compare to the Palestinians) were also presumably descended through Esau.

And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek. (Gen 36:12)

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. (Num 13:28-29)

Nevertheless, the welcome inflicted upon Israel by Amalek was both deserved and by ordination of the Almighty, Himself:-

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah. (Num 14:43-45)

As we may remember from the Books of Samuel, King Saul was told by that schizoid, megalomaniac "prophet-judge" essentially that "Amalek Delango Est" - and that meant EVERY man, woman, AND CHILD! Saul`s refusal was directly responsible for the end of his potential dynasty.

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

And Samuel said, As the sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. (1_Sam 15:1-35)

Somehow I cannot help but to wonder whether or not the repulsive story of Samuel was an attempt to answer questions about lineal succession of kings, i.e., where did David come from? Why did Jonathan not succed Saul?

And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. (1_Sam 16:1)

And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. (1_Sam:28:17-18)

And what of the Moabites and the Ammonites, who were they?

Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. (Gen 19:36-38)

And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.(Num 22:3-4)

Nevertheless, the obvious question which must be raised here is: -since Esau was Jacob's twin brother, Isaac's favorite son, as well as Abraham's grandson, did not the Edomites have at least as much right to the land ON WHICH THEY WERE ALREADY LIVING as the Jacobites?

And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.(Gen 25:28)

When Jacob himself sought passage through Esau:-

Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. (Gen 32:11)

and, yet:-

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. (Gen 33:1-4)

When the people Israel tried to journey through the Land of Edom, however:-

And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:

And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:

Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.

And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet.

And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him. (Num 20:14-21)

And what of Isaac? Ishmael was Abraham's first begotten son, not Isaac. The Arab nation lays claim to descent through Ishmael from Abraham. The rights of passage and primagenitorship here should also flow through Ishmael, and not Isaac. God did promise Hagar that He would make of Ishmael "a mighty nation." (But why did He have to give Ishmael all the oil, too? All the cab drivers in Israel in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 thought that "Moses was a jerk, he should of made a right turn instead of a left - at least then we might have had some valuable mineral rights - all we got was this worthless turf of desert.")

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? (Num 14:1-3) [Amazing how the more things change...]

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. (Num 21:5)

Perhaps the true line of the Covenant should then flow through Abraham and Ishmael instead of Abraham and Isaac?
After all, Abraham and Ishmael were circumscised on the selfsame day, were they not? Or perhaps the covenant should pass through Abraham, Isaac, and Esau instead of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? After all, did Jacob not take unfair advantage of his brother and swindle him out of both birthright and blessing?

And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint...(Gen 25:29)

And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. (Gen 25:21-24)

(Listen my friends and you shall hear
More sleaze than which you might can bear!)

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.

And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; (Gen 27:1-43)

The grand finale to this stirring tale starring our morally courageous and upright forefathers concerns the humane fraternal perterbations of Jacob's immediate progeny:-

And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.(Gen 37:1)

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. (Gen 37:3-4)

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. (Gen 37:19-34)

My points in raising all of this biblical pseudo-history are:-

1) The family of Israel imposed their hegemony over land properly belonging to Canaan and Ishmael and Edom.
2) Any "divine" promises to the people of Israel were obvious retrospective justifications at best, and, at worst, amounted to mere jingoistic, pre-battle revelry.
3) Even assuming any biblical property assertions were valid, the Edomites (Palestinians?) and Ishmaelites (Arab Nation?) probably, or at least possibly, have as much legal claim to the "Land of Canaan" as do the Israelites.

So, is there any hope for resolution of this problem?

As an American who is proud of his country and proud of its heritage, I think that our history might provide a possible clue to at least a part of the solution. Robert Ardrey, previously alluded to at the beginning of this chapter, described an equation interrelating basic group dimensions called the "amity-enmity complex" or:-

Amity = Enmity + Hostility

(where enmity is a negative quantity and both anmity and hostility are positive quantities). What this equation implies is that the friendship that exists between any two groups is related to the integral of any commonly perceived hostility or threat offset by undercurrents of distrust and dislike. Now the question is does that sense of hostility have to come from an outside source? Or can it be argued that, for example, the threat of MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction - was enough to increase the amity between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and offset the sense of enmity? Might the sense of MAD not also play a possible role in the Middle East as well?

The American concept which I have alluded to is that of "federation". The main reason why thirteen separate and sovereign states united was that they were each ASSURED a very large measure of individual sovereignty over internal affairs. This was in exchange for federal authority over external affairs both amongst the several states and with foreign nations.

The single biggest mistake, unfortunately, of the Jewish State of Israel is that it has violated a basic tenet of modern liberal Western political philosophy and that is the clear separation of Church and State. This is essentially what has allowed for the wave of new Islaamic republics, militancy, along with its desire for political hegemony - all within the context and blessing, as it were, of democratic principles.

What about a federation in the Land of Canaan? What if it were now Israel's turn to welcome Edom with open arms and tears of joy? What if the "West Bank" were Edom? What if the State of Israel and the State of Edom were joined in the "Federal Union of Isaac?"-Midinat [State of] Yisrael and Midinat Edom joined as Bnai [sons of] Yitzhak? Perhaps church and state could still be separated if the Jews (of both states) were entitled to Israeli citizenship (voting rights) and the Muslims (of both states) were entitled to Edomite citizenship (voting rights.)

Additionally, what about a Bnai Ibrahim reuniting Isaac and Ishmael? What about these states joining together with the [primarily Christian] United States of America [Midinat Jesse]?

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (Mat 1:1-17)

Ultimately, what about a federation with all nations as the United States of God's Earth [or Bnai Noah]? If Israel were to open up heart and mind, it might finally become a "lamp unto the nations." I am a Jew. My children will always have a Jewish stamp upon them. It is my fervent hope that this stamp will reflect continual questioning and yearning for haughtiness of spirit and humbleness of expectation. In the final analysis, do I have the right to ask from anyone else anything even remotely comparable to what I would demand from myself? Is not the demanding of others more than more than what one might ask of himself the sum and substance of "pushiness?" Ought this attribute not be selected for?

Yes, our forefathers were cowards and whoremongers and not just a little bit sleazy, but we have never attempted to hide it or cover it up. Celebrate it a bit too much, perhaps? Nevertheless, we are the "choosing people" because we chose God. No one asked us to. Now if we could only find out what that means...

...which brings me full circle back to the question of religion and medicine which initiated this exploration. By "choosing God," do patients do any better? There is randomized, double-blind trial data that intercessory prayer does improve ICU outcome. By providing a more priestly role, can physicians improve overall performance and reachieve a preeminent position in society, all without sacrificing efficaciousness ? How should this kind of phycisian care be compensated? In a totally voluntary fashion? Should these kinds of physicians be "ordained" by their respective religions or denominations? After what kind of training process? Should the Institute of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health fund a study to determine whether or not tthis kind of care might provide added-value? If so, how should that study be designed...?