Defining Neighbors. Religion, Race, and the Early Zionist-Arab Encounter - Jonathan Marc Gribetz

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his own view but rather as his interpretation of hillel’s aphorism.
however, given the variety of ways in which Moyal might have in-
terpreted the words of this mishnah (and all the others as well), we
may infer another element of his agenda through these interpreta-
tions and comments. Moyal’s choice to offer this particular expla-
nation suggests— especially when read in the context of the broader
work— that this is indeed the message about Judaism that Moyal was
attempting to deliver.
In at- Talmūd, Moyal’s apologetic agenda extends beyond simply
showing that Judaism does not discriminate against gentiles— neither
in its understanding of their place in the afterlife nor in the way Jews
are instructed to relate to them. in fact, the effort to make Judaism not
just palatable but also familiar to Christians and Muslims runs through-
out Moyal’s text. Whenever he touches on a figure or practice compara-
ble or related to one found in either Christianity or Islam, we will see,
he is quick to note the commonality.

christianity and Moyal’s talmud

Given three factors— the conspicuous role of Christian arabs in the
propagation of antitalmudic allegations, the fact that it was a sym-
pathetic christian (Zaydan) who initiated this talmud translation en-
deavor, and the disproportionate number of Christians in the arabic-
reading public^76 — it is perhaps unsurprising that Moyal frequently
focuses on Judaism’s similarities (and especially those of the talmud)
with Christianity and the New testament. about the Jewish custom of
reading a section of Pirkei avot each Sabbath between the holidays of
passover and Shavuot, for instance, Moyal explains in a footnote that
this tradition is comparable to “the custom of spiritual devotions [prac-
ticed] by the Christians [ar- riyāḍāt ar- rūḥiyya ʿind al- masīḥiyyīn].”^77
More strikingly, consider the way in which Moyal develops his apol-
ogetic explanation for the statement, discussed above, that “all Israel
have a share in the world to come.” “all Israel,” he claims, refers ex-
clusively to “those who deserve the description ‘Israelite,’ owing to their
good deeds, flawless intentions, and proper morals.” in other words,
this is not a blanket (chauvinistic) claim that a special place is reserved
in the world to come for all Jews. Moyal contends that, on careful

(^76) on the difference between christian and Muslim literacy rates in palestine, see
ayalon, Reading Palestine, 16– 17.
(^77) Mūyāl, at- Talmūd, 59.