Kosher Hate

Book excerpt: In this provocative and wide-ranging book, Shmuley Boteach makes the case for Kosher Hate, a seemingly paradoxical idea derived from Jewish theological tradition. In this startling and original defense of hatred as a moral response to evil, Boteach challenges the liberal notion that understanding and forgiveness are the appropriate response to evil deeds, arguing that this is merely a secularized version of the misguided Christian teaching—one that many Jews have embraced—that we must “turn the other cheek” and “love our enemies.” Instead, he maintains that it is Godly to hate evil and it is our duty to do everything we can to bring evildoers to justice. While forgiving petty slights is admirable, doing so with mass murder is an abomination. While loving our enemies is noble, this applies to those who steal our parking space or get our promotion at work. It does not apply to God’s enemies, those who engage in genocide and whose murderous ways destroy civilized living.