hyrcanus

For a few reasons but amongst them: 1. Judaism is the only of the three abrahamic religions that actually believe that independent nationhood outside of themselves is what’s best for the world. Our “end of days” narrative doesn’t call for a mass conversion of the rest of the world. Quite the opposite, we’re called on to be a model for other nations to emulate within their own lands and cultures. The word goy is not a slur (Jews are themselves referred to by this name in the Torah) it’s actually a term of respect that indicates are recognition of other cultures and nations and their value. Social welfare is actually way more efficient when done on a community to community basis which is why the goal was never to make the whole world Jewish but in the words of the Baal Shem Tov לכשיפוצו מעיינותך חוצה קא אתי מר “When the wellspring overflows he will come (the time period of global tranquility)” The goal is to practice our tradition in a way that proselytization is unnecessary, to conduct ourselves and our communities in a way that our values seem so obviously exalted and are “overflowing” into the world around us uplifting every other nation. They see how a community rallies behind each other, takes care of the needy, the disaffected, the sick etc… and they want that for themselves. So they emulate it within their own communities. The prophets command us והביאותים אל הר קדשי ושמחתים בבית תפלתי עולתיהם וזבחיהם לרצון על מזבחי כי ביתי בית תפלה יקרא לכל העמים. Bring other nations to my holy place and let them visit and pray, not to convert them, but in order to affect positive change in their own cultures. 2. Also, historically, we probably would have been murdered for proselytizing.