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What does it mean to be an “Ohr LaGoyim”? Where is it written that we should be an ohr lagoyim? How do we do so today? How important is it?
I know of two times.
Yishaya 49:6 “?????? ???? ????”
and then again in 60:3 “????? ???? ?????”
I think its talking about by moshiach though. But I’m not a ba’al Nach
You know how (if you were the oldest child in your family) your mother and father always yelled at you for not setting a better example for your younger siblings? It’s kind of like that. We are supposed to be a beacon of Emes, of morality, of chessed, of
G-dliness to the rest of the world. That’s why when a Jew does something terrible, it ALWAYS makes the front page. Much as they hate us, even the goyim hold us to a higher standard.
Ohr Lagoyim is what is often used as an excuse to intermingle with goyim. He’s being a light for them. Sure.
Simply be a good Jew and you’ll be an ohr lagoyim. Nothing more than being a good Jew faithfully following the Torah is needed.
DH: What is the context of those two pesukim?
According to the Radak the first posuk:
?????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????
is saying that through the yeshua of klal yisroel after milchemes gog umagog, the goyim will also have a yeshua because they will serve Hashem too.
The second pasuk:
????? ???? ?????
the Radak says is also talking about by the geulah. He compares it to Yeshaya 2:3 ‘????? ???? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ?? ?. I assume he means that they will follow in our ways come moshiach.
Maybe the mekor for saying that or lagoyim is someting that we are supposed to be now is elsewhere.
How do the non-frum abuse the concept of ohr lagoyim? What do they try to fly under this banner?
Chein:
The non-frum usaully just ignore this concept, along witht the rest of the Torah. The MO, however, tend endorse actively being an ohr la’goyim (going out and spreading Torah ideals to goyim) as apposed to the much more passive position (that us just keeping the Torah and serving Hashem is being an ohr la’goyim) taken by the Charaedim.
Spreading Torah ideals to Goyim? They are obligated in the Sheva Mitzvos, not the rest.
Does anyone have the mekor that says or lagoyim is something that applies now and not just during yemos moshiach?
Spreading Torah ideals to Goyim? They are obligated in the Sheva Mitzvos, not the rest.
They might not have to give maaser or worry about shaatnez, but last time I looked, sheva mitzvos bnei noach ARE Torah ideals. We are mechuyav in all of those, plus another 606. it is incumbent upon us to set the example of G-dliness for the rest of the world. Maybe it will only happen b’yemos haMoshiach, but maybe by doing it now, we can bring that day closer.
Look, both the Christians and Muslims store our Torah to include in their holy books, and boy did they both mess it up real bad!
I haven’t ever heard a gadol say go out to the goyim and make a special effort among the goyim to be an ohr lagoyim.
cuz it just means to be the closest to Hashem you can be and people will realize you, and by extention klal yisroel, is special
maybe gedolim don’t tell us to be an ohr lagoyim because we have to work on most of klal yisrael first
It’s not to teach goyim the torah. It is to show them what a Torah Jew is like by making a kiddish hashem. When you receive wrong change from a non jews, and return it, that is Ohr Lagoyim. When goyim see you honest in business, kivad Av Vam , standing for older people are all Ohr Lagoyim.
You don’t find it in early Sefarim either as a guide to behavior. Somehow, today, it is evoked very often as a reason to go someplace or do something. Yiddishkeit was never meant to be based on outsiders.
To me it means being nice to people regardless of their religion. As I said in a different thread, when I get a new neighbor, I always take them a cake or some cookies. It is just a nice thing to do and it often makes them think that Jews must be nice people. At least, one of my cake recipients told me that she knows several Jewish people and they are always doing nice things for other people.
A couple of weeks ago I took my two nefews to the childrens’ museum. They noticed a group of non-jewish kids being rude and wild. My 4 year old nefew turned to his brother and said “They dont know how to behave because they are Goyim!!” 🙂
Even little kids know that Jews are expected to act better than others!
kiddush hashem and ohr lagoyim starts with working on ourselves, not doing things to sell judaism to the world
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