G-D allowed the Simchat Torah Massacre to happen. Let us use that tragic event to bring us together. Everyone should participate in the Mitzva of learning Torah while performing the Mitzva of serving in the Jewish army.
The Torah says:
לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ
“Do not stand by your fellow’s blood.”
(Vayikra 19:16)
The Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 5:1) defines:
איזו היא מלחמת מצוה? … ועזרת ישראל מיד צר שבא עליהם
“What is a milchemet mitzvah (obligatory war)? … Helping Israel against an enemy who attacks them.”
If Jews are under attack, fighting to defend them is classified as a milchemet mitzvah.
איזו היא מלחמת מצוה? … ועזרת ישראל מיד צר שבא עליהם
“What is a milchemet mitzvah (obligatory war)? … Helping Israel against an enemy who attacks them.”
If Jews are under attack, fighting to defend them is classified as a milchemet mitzvah.
The Chareidim have an opportunity to bring Jewish values into the army. The army has an opportunity to reinvent itself as a Jewish army not just an Israeli army.
G-D is telling us we need to perform both Mitzvot together. Our reaction to the massacre should be to strengthen all aspects of our identity as Jews.
The integration of fighters and learners is what must happen next.
Discussing our Torah leadership is a sensitive issue but it must be addressed so that G-D forbid, the Simchat Torah Massacre and much much worse does not happen again.
Just how should we deal with Gedolei Torah regarding Dinei Nefashot? Is כבוד התורה דוכה דיני נפשות. All of us must take responsibility for what happened on Simchat Torah. Is there anyone who can say :
יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ אֶת־הַדָּם הַזֶּה,
וְעֵינֵינוּ לֹא רָאוּ
The key question and challenge before us now is – how do we unite and move forward?
Please understand we are in a religious war with Islam. Our values as Jews is being attacked. From a rational perspective we are well on the way to a new holocaust. What action should we take?
I don’t believe in coincidences. The massacre could have happened at any time, on any day. Why on Simchat Torah? Is there no message here from G-D to our Torah leadership Gedolim and all of the Jewish people.
The issue is not blame for the past and not just the desperate need for Haredi soldiers. It is the relationship between the charedi world and the Jewish people.
This is not a time for silence and isolation. We need religious leaders to help us ensure the physical and spiritual survival of the Jewish people. The integration of these two aspects – physical and spiritual survival – is the key to our future and will bring about our redemption. Our first step must be the development and implementation of Jewish values and guidelines related to דיני נפשות decision making. Particularly and especially in relation to the rules of war and the IDF rules of engagement.
What is daas torah at this time on issues of Dinei Nefashot? Am I wrong to ask for it?
The name of the game is not blame. It is survival. We need leadership from our Gedolim that will identify and implement Jewish values related to all aspects of Dinei Nefashot. We must justify our rules of war to ourselves and then to the Goyim. We must strengthen and solidify our identity as Jews through the implementation of war power based on Jewish values developed with the cooperation of our Gedolim.
