What Does the Bible Say About..Misquotes From Talmud?
What about the Jewish Talmud and these quotes? [Note: Click on the reference to get to my answer about a specific passage.]
Sanhedrin 59a: "Murdering Goyim is like killing a wild animal."
Abodah Zara 26b: "Even the best of the Gentiles should be killed."
Sanhedrin 59a: "A Goy (Gentile) who pries into the law (Talmud) is guilty of death."
Libbre David 37: "To communicate anything with a Goy about our religious relations would be equal to the killing of all Jews, for if the Goyim knew what we teach about them, they would kill us openly."
Yebhamoth 11b: "Sexual intercourse with a little girl is permitted if she is of three years of age."
Sanhedrin 105ab: "Jesus fornicated with his jackass."
Gittin 57a: "Jesus is in hell and is being punished by being boiled in semen. Christians are boiled in dung."
Schabouth Hag. 6b: "Jews may swear falsely by use of subterfuge wording."
Zohar 1,160a: "Jews must always try to deceive Christians." Hilkkoth Akum Z1: "Do not save Goyim in danger of death."
Choschen Ham 388, 15: "If it be proven that someone has given the money of israelites to the Goyim, a way must be found after prudent consideration to wipe him off the face of this earth."
Choschen Ham 266, 1: "A Jew may keep anything he finds which belongs to the Akum (Gentile). For he who returns lost property (to Gentiles) sins against the law by increasing the power of the transgressors of the law. It is praiseworthy, however, to return lost property if it is done to honor the name of God, namely if by so doing Christians will praise the Jews and look upon them as honorable people."
Answer
These misquotes and fabrications come straight from the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan web site. Some cannot be explained simply because the quotes do not exist in the Talmud. Some references are to a book that does not exist in Talmud or any Jewish literature. Others are taken seriously out of context, or add words or thoughts that are not in the original.
1. Sanhedrin 59a says nothing about murdering the heathen, nor does it include the phrase “wild animal.”
2. Abodah Zara 26b is not even part of the Talmud. It is a commentary to the Talmud, and this passage is taken seriously out of context. What the original says is that all the Canaanites were to be killed under the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. We even find in the Bible that Joshua was to conquer the land completely, killing all the inhabitants. (Joshua 9:24)
3. Sanhedrin 59a does say, recording a conversation between two teachers, that one of them zealously said that a heathen who looks into the Law (the Torah, not the Talmud) should be guilty of death. It goes on to say, however, that the other teacher destroyed his argument, showing instead that a heathen who pries into the Law becomes as a High Priest. So this quote is taken out of context, just like the presidential candidates take their opponent’s comments out of context for their own ads.
4. Libbre David 37 is a pure fabrication. There is no such tractate in Talmud, nor any such book or portion of a book in all of Jewish literature.
5. Yebhamoth 11b says nothing about intercourse with a little girl. Actually, the reference should be Ketaboth 11b, concerning betrothals. A footnote to that passage says that if a man were to have intercourse with a three year old she should not suffer the consequences of loss of virginity when she become eligible for marriage. The comment is actually a defense of victim’s rights. The man who did such thing would be punished, but the victim shouldn’t be.
6. Sanhedrin 105a talks about Balaam (of talking donkey fame), and does claim that he fornicated with his ass (presumably a Jenny Ass, not a jackass). It says absolutely nothing about Jesus. In fact, nothing is said about Jesus in the entire Talmud, much of which was written before Jesus was born or during his lifetime.
7. Gittin 57a tells of Balaam and some Jewish heretics suffering such fates. It does not mention Jesus or Christians. The heretics mentioned were probably the Sadduccees.
8. Shabouth Hag 6b doesn’t exist in the Talmud. I could find no such reference, except in lists similar to the one you sent me.
9. Zohar 1, 160a and Hilkoth Akum are not part of Talmud. There is no such reference as Zohar 1, 160a. (Zohar references don’t have letters in them, like Talmud references do.) I could find no passage in Zohar about deceiving Christians. In fact, the Zohar considered any deceit (no matter to whom it was directed) to be wrong.
10. Choschen Ham 388, 15 and 266,1 are not part of Talmud. There is no such book or tractate as Choschen Ham. It may be an abbreviation of Choshen HaMishpat, which is not part of Talmud. If it is Choshen HaMishpat that is intended the passages in question are taken seriously out of context. The first one actually says that if a Jew owes a debt to a non-Jew then he must repay it, but if the non-Jew would not accept repayment he might use deceit to give the money back.
The compilers of this list clearly had an agenda to push, and were not hesitant to lie and misrepresent in order to push it. It is similar to lists other groups have put forth to try and discredit the Jews or others, and end up showing themselves to be foolish instead.