9 Tamuz 5774
The law was broken. Jews were suffering and dying and all the leadership seemed able to do was stand and cry. Someone stepped into the breach - for the sake of Am Yisrael; for the sake of God's Name; and, to prevent more deaths.
When it became known, the whole nation condemned the one who had stepped into the breach. "Murderer!" they screamed. "This isn't our way," yelled others. He was hauled away to face "justice."
Reads like today's headlines, doesn't it?
Except, this matter took place 3300 years ago and it was a Jew-on-Jew killing, not a matter of slaying the enemy Midianites, though that happened, too. We relive it every year in the cycle of parshat hashavuah readings. This account began at the end of Parshat Balak last week and it culminates this week in Parshat 'Pinhas:'
"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. Therefore, say, "I hereby give him My covenant of peace. It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an eternal covenant of kehunah, because he was zealous for his God and atoned for the children of Israel."
A group identifying itself as "Jewish Bloggers" has issued "an open condemnation of the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir" and signed their names to it.
You won't find my name there.
Neither the media nor the police are to be trusted. We will probably never know what the real facts are. If it really was Jews, for all we know, they could be Pinhasim!
It seems to me that when a situation appears very confusing and it's difficult to figure out where to stand, it's best to take a cue from the Hellenized Erev Rav regime. Whatever they condemn must be the right thing to do. And the more vociferously they condemn it, the more right and powerful it must be.
I also believe there should be retribution.
ReplyDeleteThe Haredi soldiers said, let us go after the killers. But they were arrested. They were motivated in the spirit of Pinchas; however, if they were truly so, they should not have asked permission. Pinchas did not ask permission, for if he did he would have also been prevented.
That is the true essence of Pinchas, action Kavod Shamayim, for the honor of G-d.
Netanyahu has called the bluff of Abbas, to find and turn in the murderers of "our boys."
Then we may discover who truly killed the Arab boy.
Not a pathetic youth just because he was an Arab.
We will not know the facts, not for a while, because nothing can be trusted anymore. We know the shenanigans of the shabak, infiltrators, some times acting as religious people. Who knows whom to believe anymore. This wasn't the Jewish way; firstly, this kid had nothing to do with the murders of the kedoshim, secondly, Jews even if and when righteously exacting revenge would never burn the corpse. The only thing clear in this horrible episode is that the world has proven once again, without a smidgen of a doubt, they they (including & worst of all, the enemy within) really, really hate us!
ReplyDelete"The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America issued a staement in which they “unequivocally condemn the brutal murder” of Muhammad Abu Khder. “We are appalled that this heinous crime was allegedly carried out in revenge for the kidnapping and murders of three innocent Jewish teens in Gush Etzion. The murder of innocents is antithetical to Jewish law and tradition and must always be opposed by men and women of decency and morality. This merciless act of brutality defiles the name of God and desecrates the memories of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel. We pray for the day when such senseless acts of violence will cease. We mourn the victim and offer condolences to his grieving family. We salute the Government of Israel for resolutely and without hesitation seeking to bring to justice the perpetrators of this reprehensible crime.”
ReplyDeleteJewish Americans can be high-minded. They are not the ones at war.
The last two Anons are both correct. Anon #2 said it exactly right - 'They are not the ones at war'. Israel has been at war for more than 65 years and in the last 20+ years acts as if its own people are criminals/terrorists and those who come daily murdering Jews are somehow not culpable. Insanity. Something smells with this whole scenario. The part that's most difficult to believe is the way he was murdered - definitely not the Jewish way.
ReplyDeletehow many Jews are capable of this type of act? A dozen? Meanwhile, a million arabs are capable of it. We will not become safer this way. If we go down this road we will lose. I imagine that you see yourself as a real tough character. 10 minutes in Bed-Sty will cure you of that delusion.
ReplyDelete