B"H

It is taught in the Talmud that we are to honor our teachers even
more than our parents, because our parents give us life in this
world, our teachers give us life in the World to Come. (Of course our
parents are, in the desirable case our spiritual mentors too).

In a posting I made on another board i wrote: "When pagans peer into
Torah, they see Zeus and Odin peering back - and think they see
HaShem." This was written to convince any Jews and Gentiles on the
group to flee for their spiritual welfare.

Someone brought up the point that Jews are forbidden to mention the
names of idols.From this partial understanding this same person came
to the conclusion that evidently my Teachers had not taught me very
well and their counsel is of little account.

Anyone who has bothered to read the Books of Shoftim (Judges),
M'lakhim (Kings)I and II and the Nevi'im (Prophets) knows that the
names of many idols, the idols of the worst of the cults are
mentioned. We find the names of idols in the Talmud too.

While it is certainly forbidden for a Jew to utter the name of an
idol as an object of worship or in any gratutitous fashion, if we do
so as a warning to prevent souls from falling into spiritual pitfalls
and/or to teach what a Jew must never do, or what s/he may do, there
is nothing preventing us from pronouncing or writing the name of an
idol, it is even meritorious to do so. Of course, our repulsion and
utter rejection of the idol must be made absolutely clear.

The Teachers of all Israel are those to whom I have referred to as
the Holy Convocation. At this point I will not go into the details
of exactly who they are. It is enough to say that no blessings come
into this world except by way of them. Neither can a human being be
purified enough to enter into a direct relationship with Hashem but
by way of their instruction and by their acceptance. Anyone who
speaks against them finds that the sky turns to flintstone, the
earth to iron, their water becomes stagnant and breeds serpents
within them and their bread putrifies their flesh. Everyone who has
ever insulted the Holy Ones has found themselves utterly bereft and
broken. They all come crawling back on their bellies begging them
for forgiveness.

Please keep in mind that the God of Israel loves to be played with -
but not toyed with.

With blessings,
Doreen Dotan