Another important person who can be seen as an example for a possible righteous stand against anti-Semitism and showing support of Judah and Israel is Rahab. Unlike Ruth who stated she would go where Judah goes, or lives as Judah lives to believe in their G-d (the same G-d- the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and stand among them as one with their people, Rahab stood with Judah without becoming in any way identifiably Jewish when she sought to save their lives. According to the book of Joshua 2, Rahab outwardly was a harlot, however the word “zonah” in Hebrew also can mean an “idolater”. She hid those spies Joshua sent into their enemy’s camp and then lied to the powers over her, thus saving their lives and helping them return safely to their people.
Beneath this story we see the acts of a righteous saintly man named Giovanni Palatucci who is often called the Italian “Schindler”. Yet unlike Schindler who was a womanizer and enjoyed his drink, Giovanni Palatucci lived a devoted and holy Catholic life and did not fear hiding Hebrew “spies”, as the Germans called Jews of their day. He secretly, with the help of his uncle who was a bishop, spirited over 5000 Jews to safety right under the nose of the Nazis. Still his acts of heroism did not go unnoticed by his enemy who in time arrested him and sent him to Dachau where he died, but not before he sent the Jewish woman he loved to safety using his own passport to survival. In the end he freely chose death, thus placing out before the Jewish people that red thread of faith as Rahab (in Hebrew- Rachav) did. Today in Israel, there is a street in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, that bears his name and it is lined with trees that number the years he lived and Jews also believe he has a place with them in the World- to-Come as well.
Whereas Schindler saved upwards of 1100 lives, Giovanni Palatucci saved more than 5000, almost five times the number of lives. So what was the difference? It could have been his position in the police force, or the fact that he had an uncle who assisted him, or perhaps because he had more connections of people willing, as he was, to risk everything for a righteous cause?
Where do more vocations come from, secular homes or devout Catholic/Christian homes? Who has more friends who will be willing to take up their cross and follow Christ; those whose greatest friends come from Church and their Church affiliations (Carmelites or those who belong to Cursillo) or those who draw most of their friends from work? Therefore was this only a coincidence or might this be, as we suspect, the fruit of a Holy Catholic walk before spiritual Babylon (nazism) came down?
Consider that Rahab had all her family in the SAME HOUSE, willing to follow her out when the call came, the spies didn’t have to search for them all over Jericho. Yet Rahab was not so isolated she didn’t know what was going on as she said to the spies whom she hid on her roof (like the fiddler in “A Fiddler on The Roof”) under her tiny straws of faith:
“I know that HaShem has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how HaShem (Sacred Name) dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any man, because of you; for HaShem (Sacred Name) your God is He Who is God (El-him, plural of G-d) in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Jos.2.8-11)
Rahab not only knew what was going on in her own hometown, for she had to have some time to get those men out of sight which suggests she had some advance of those “police” coming; she also knew of what was going on with Jewish people as well as G-d’s actions to preserve them. This was not much different than Giovanni Palatucci who knew the SS was after him, but he was connected to the needs of the Jewish people through his girl friend who was Jewish, the woman he saved in his own place.
So to walk in these footsteps of Rahab, we suspect one only needs a walk such as Giovanni Palatucci, whose example shows maintaining an ACTIVE Catholic (or even just a Christian) walk. Such a walk is extremely important to securing those connections during times of peace and prosperity that can come to have immeasurable importance when and if our call of “never again” sounds upon closed ears, such that spiritual Babylon arises once again. Besides, the Catholic form of “the Law” is not only kosher and holy in its own right, but its also good for building discipline; just as the Eucharist strengthens us and our Catholic holidays train us.
We believe the same Spirit leads both our faiths, which another point of similarity became evidenced recently over a discussion we had with our local priest regarding gossip, in light of James 3. In the conversation, he mentioned a book he had recently read The Seven Deadly Sins but we don’t remember the author where the author said the sin of gossip was more serious than any of the other carnal sins, thus matching the words of Saint James. An illustration to the author’s words, the author had written a story he had heard from his mother. In it, a woman asked a local priest if it would be all right to gossip occasionally; besides what really is the harm she wondered. The priest in the story told her then to take her feather pillow on a windy day, open it up and let those feathers into the wind. Then when the pillow was completely empty she was to go out a gather each and every feather, not leaving even one behind. “But father, she exclaimed, “I could never do that!” Neither can you undo the damage you do for even a little gossip once it leaves your mouth.”
This story matches fairly close to a rabbinical story we encountered. Instead of a Catholic priest there was a Chassidic rabbi. In place of a woman, it was a student and the pillow was a piece of paper to be torn up into pieces. The moral of the story was the same- that recovering every little bit of slander you put forth is impossible once it has left your mouth, therefore we must learn to bridle our tongues (James 3).
So from what we perceive, the Roman Catholic walk is every bit as refining and purifying as the walk called for in Torah. Also, if the rabbis are correct that the teachings such as the one displayed above is also from Moses, whom had a close intimate walk with our L-rd, then so would the Catholic teachings exemplify the same fruit if by the same source, yet in this case it is now through the Holy See to establish the Oral Torah. The Council of Trent also explains we have the Sacraments, all fulfilled by the power and Blood of our L-rd and Savior whether we walk into the footsteps of Ruth or the footsteps of Rahab.
Though Giovanni had one more important link Rahab shared, there was a Jewish friend who could see into their people’s worlds and alert him to troubles that were affecting this world even before things became clear to the Schindler’s who also sought Judah’s safety along side him in the end. This isn’t to imply seeking for more “mixed marriages”, but rather that the daughters of Ruth be betrothed in spirit to the Sons of Rahab, even as Ruth moves to unite more fully to her mother-in-law, Naomi of Judah. Therefore, we see the children of Ruth acting as a bridge between our two faiths, and the children of Rahab acting as a sanctuary. Both are imperative to show love to your neighbor, especially to those who need mercy. Together, we may bring greater unity among us all, thus showing we do share the same L-rd and G-d.
