Washington, D.C. – Recently released documents from Bill Clinton’s presidency contain an email which cited an obscure Talmudic law as a defense for Clinton having committed adultery in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
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NYPOST.com (http://bit.ly/119gw5R) reports that the email stated that in accordance with “classical” Jewish law, Clinton had not committed adultery, but “at worst, onanism” which is commonplace within the minds of Jewish men.
The proposal was part of a detailed defense put forth by Susannah Heschel, a Jewish studies professor at Dartmouth and daughter of theologian Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Heschel’s assistant, Long Island resident Linda Commodore, forwarded the argument to Hilary Clinton advisor Ruby Shamir, and the email ultimately found its way to the president’s top advisor Sidney Blumenthal on January 27, 1999.
In the same email, Heschel posed, “From the perspective of Jewish history, we have to ask how Jews can condemn President Clinton’s behavior as immoral, when we exalt King David?”
Joy to the world. Clinton is now a talmudic scholar. Maybe his tax shelter can be pushed back to the Tower of Babel too.
Really now, do we have to redrudge up the era of history that has no common sense and only fault of prediction.
Clinton is more of a therapist for his broken bones than he is a formidable ally of true peace and hope.
I guess that our future is more of a he said this she said that affair.
With Clinton and Hillary in the constant spotlight, who needs to go to the end of the block to live a better life.
Clearly there is inherent guilt.
Onanism is not friendship and I hope that Mr. Clinton gets back to his civil life with a positive outlook.
Thanks for thinking of our Ways, Mr. Clinton. I will certainly be more obliged to smile now. Amazing what your diaper outlook can do for your small economy of secrets.
Sad!
This is such rubbish it belongs in rags such as the National Enquirer or the NY Times. Certainly not here!
Oh Sussanah, prostituting Halacha to him off. Disgusting.
People have always said that he has a Yiddeshe Neshama.
Aside from finding this article here offensive, there is a serious problem with the “logic”. We can get technical, and determine that the act committed is not exactly “giluy arayos”. It doesn’t address the issue of violating the parameters of the relationship that are universally recognized as definitive of marriage. Even more so, the Torah refers specifically to this behavior as “hashchosoh” even when within the confines of the marriage. The foolishness is that the acts of onanism in the Torah are unrelated to the actions committed by Clinton. Whichever way it is sliced, the thinking is seriously flawed. Was anyone looking to “technical” a way out of immorality?
First of all: King David was not a draft dodger…he was the perfect commander in chief.
Second: Though Talmudic tradition maintains that Batsheva was no longer formally wed to Uriah, the prophet Nathan strongly rebukes David for his unsavory behavior. No congressional hearings needed.
Third: When rebuked, David confessed and sought forgiveness, he didn’t give a so each stating: “I did not have…with that woman….”
Leave it to the reformed shiksa bas oysvorf to feed that to him. Wonder what his orthodox rabbi had to say.
Sussanah Heshel – how much of a feminist are you now?
We should really be asking Bill’s new jewish eidim (son-in-law) to see what he thinks about all this. I’m sure he has delved into the sugya – for one thing, he has his own shikshe to compare notes…
What’s false about this claim? It isn’t halachically adultery. She’s right. The truth came out and people here are upset.
Since when is Clinton Jewish , to try to use this as a scapegoat? His worst crime was sullying the reputation of the highest office of the US govt. and demeaning the presidency.
Does anyone else worry about what Bill will be doing each day if Hillary becomes president?
#7 -Mr. “Secular”- You referred to Clinton as a “draft dodger”. Tell me something, did you ever serve in the Armed Forces of the USA (as I did), or in the Israeli Defense Forces? If not, you should not refer to Clinton, as you did above. He legally avoided conscription, in an unjust, horrible war (Vietnam), which history has proved wrong. Even former Secretary of Defense MacNamara admitted that the USA erred in becoming involved in that war. In fact, if the USA had stayed out of that war, it would have ended a decade sooner, and millions of Vietnameselives could have been saved, no to mention the 58,000 American lives.
Shame on all of you who insult Geveret Heschel who is a great talmid chacham in her own right and highly respected expert on Jewish ethics. President Clinton should never have been impeached for engaging in such a minor personal act (albeit inappropriate). Hilliary has forgiven him and that’s all that counts. And who knows what types of affairs she may have had but we haven’t learned about.
Other than President Obama, Clinton was one of our greatest Presidents in terms of promoting social welfare and greater opportunities for all Americans.