Global Day of Jewish Learning

I agree with the comment but no matter how evil Rejoicing would not be appropriate. These actions may cause other problems that are laying beneath the surface. This evil force the evil person had to be dealt with. A justice has been done and this evil force is no longer in action. Let’s pray that there is no one behind this person.
Ed (Usher Zvi)

Thank you, Rebbe, for such a clear and thoughtful response. What do you think of the bloodlust many are showing in demanding the release of post-mortem photographs? I think that in many ways, that sort of behavior will just create more wickedness in the world. We certainly don’t need that.

Osama bin Laden championed a medieval world-view repugnant to any civilized human being regardless of creed. In order to fulfill his personal commitment to bringing his world-view to fruition he killed innocents and incited others to do so. If Osama bin Laden was a lap-dog of other evil men, they will be known soon enough, and justice will knock down their doors too. If others want Osama bin Laden’s office they should know that it it is an office with a revolving door and a seat that never gets too warm.

While there is wisdom in Rabbi Steinsaltz’s view, I can’t help but remember our recent Passover study that Miriam was discouraged from rejoysing when the Egyptions were overcome by the waters as the Jews reach dry land in safety. We also diminish our cups with each plague. We are admonished not to glote when any of HaShem’s creatures die. Yet I must admit a great sigh of relief that Osama Bin Laden no longer plagues our world.
Tana Markoe

Very good, it’s really clarify the understanding of this question.

the world can be happy – but i’m not sure that should translate into large celebrations on the streets. at seders all over the world last month, jews paused from their celebration to spill out a drop of wine for each plague. being happy is complicated.

When the Israelites danced after Egyptian soldiers drowned in the Red Sea, God asked, “How can you celebrate when my children are dying?” This situation is somewhat different because of the enormity of Osama Bin Laden’s evil acts. Nonetheless, my celebration is restrained. Happy, yes, but no gloating.

Tana – It was not Miriam nor is this in the Torah. It is in the Talmud (mishna 10b) and it is G-d’s comment to the angels not to rejoice. HaShem allowed the Jewish people to sing Shir HaYam (the song of the sea) in celebration of their freedom from the oppressive Pharaoh’s regime.

According to the Talmud, “God does not rejoice with the fall of the wicked.”

Each of us is made in the image of God. As long as a person is alive, no matter how committed to evil he or she may be, there is always a chance that they will turn away from evil. Once they are dead, that chance is no more.

It is absolutely appropriate to celebrate the end of the threat that he presented, an end to the evil deeds that he promised to continue doing. His killing was necessary, even good. This was not a murder. But, even so, I think it is wrong to celebrate it.

We spill a bit of wine during our Passover, in remembrance of the suffering caused by the plagues. We should not be dancing in the streets over the killing of even this most evil man in front of his wife and child.

Bin Laden considered it to be just to murder those КТО, from his prospective, were threatening his way of life. He was our enemy because innocent people were his targets. He deserved to be killed. We should rejoice in the fact that his death will probably impair the efforts of his followers, so that fewer innocent people will be killed. But we should not rejoice in the death of an enemy, only in the expected consequences of that death.

“When the wicked perish, there is joy…” Joy is what I feel О НАС the destruction of an evil person. Public display of this joy is, however, another matter.

Yes, there is the traditional story of G-d admonishing the celebration of the death of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.

But there’s also the traditional story (and the Purim re-creation) of celebrating the death of Haman, his sons, and all КТО would rise up against the Jews–in the times of Ahashverous (those КТО did not get the
“revised” royal edict from Mordechai) as well as other times.

And, of course, there’s a Jewish joke О НАС this:

Hitler goes to a fortuneteller and asks: “When will I die?”

And the fortuneteller replies: “On a Jewish holiday. ”

Hitler then asks, “Which one?”

And she replies: “Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday.”

I may feel personal joy at the death of an evil person but I think it wrong to celebrate as a community at the death of one or many.The difference between the quotes that Rabbi Steinsaltz offers, to me, seems to be the difference between a personal response, the feeling of joy, and a public response, actual rejoicing.

God criticized the the angels for celebrating when the Egyptians drowned. God did not criticize the Jewish People.

Of course profound questions can now be raised, but an even more profound question is: “How come there are so many hungry, poor children in Israel?
To do is more important than the mental masturbation of whatever quality.
“It is not the study of Torah that is the essential thing; it is the doing of it”

lesliefuchs@hotmail.com
Stockholm Sweden

Rabbi Steinsaltz distingues between those with КТОm we have “animosity or a quarrel” and those КТО are objectively evil. But don’t we tend to objectively those with КТОm we have a quarrel (often times either religious or political) as evil? Don’t we label people that disagree with us as “apikorsim” or “anti-American” or some other epithet that can sometimes lead to religiously or politically inspired violence? In fact isn’t this type of hatred (those infidels are evil) the justification bin Laden gave to his actions to begin with. In lieu of there being an objective definition of evil maybe we just accept everyone as “btzelem elokim” and not celebrate death.

An enemy is your opponent. A wicked person is G-d’s enemy. Osama was both.
Although John Donne might have felt diminished by bin Laden’s death, I can’t say I do in the slightest.

I totally agree with the Rabbi’s statement but I’m not sure it went far enough. I believe the key word here is “celebrate” and the degree to which we express our happiness. I firmly believe we should all be happy that Osama bin Laden is gone but I don’t believe we should express our jubilation by gathering in large crowds, cheering, and flag waving. As our President stated, we don’t need to spike the ball.

We know he’s dead and the world knows he’s dead and that should be sufficient

The analysis is correct. The Jews КТО are outraged at the celebration of the killing are in fear of real evil. So they deny its existence.

The two verses describe how we are to react to the fall of our enemies and its pitfalls. Proverbs 11:10, “With the good of tsadikim the town is exaltant, with the distruction of the wicked — glad (rinah)” Glad in this context is an inner feeling of happiness, almost relief. An example was after the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor, when Prime Minister Begin commented that he felt like he just walked out of jail.

Proverbs 24:17-18 describes the pitfalls. “When your enemy falls do not celebrate, and when he stumbles do not reveal your heart; lest Hashem will see and it will be bad in His eyes, and He will turn His wrath from him.” Due to the sin of the snake there are those КТО tend to be arrogant and cruel. Consequently a person like this enjoys seeing the degradation of another human being, particularly one he does not like. As a result the fall of an enemy gives him the opportunity to laugh derisively and gloat. This is indeed reprehensible. It is not like the joy of the humble and kind when they are released from the persecution of the wicked.

Three times a day we pray in the Amidah, between our prayer for righteous justice (Hashivah Shofeteinu) and our prayer for the righteous scholars (ha Tzaddikim),for divine retribution (V’lamalshinim). “May all your enemies be swiftly cut off and the insolent may you quickly uproot, crush, rout and subdue, speedily, in our days. Blessed are you Hashem, Crusher of enemies and Subduer of the insolent.
We pray for so much, every day, and rarely do we see our prayers dramatically answered. While the story of the angels rejoicing over the drowning of the Egyptians tells us not to celebrate the death of our enemy, it is entirely appropriate to celebrate when our prayers are dramatically answered. While the Angels were admonished, the children of Israel did celebrate their power and deliverance at the hand of Hashem. Such a celebration of prayers answered and evil subdued seems entirely appropriate.

The more appropriate texts than the ones quoted by other correspondents here would be those concerning the ‘rules’ and ‘instructions for war’ in the Torah, rather than Talmud and commentary. Under these rules it was quite proper for this particular person to be killed … except that these ‘rules’ were for the Hebrews; what goy does to goy is not relative to this. The killing (assassination) of the fat tyrant, Eglon of Moab, КТО was at his toilet at the time was not condemned in the Tanakh – the tyrant was obviously unarmed at the time (Judges 3). When a QANGO (quasi-autonomous non-government organization), and almost all terrorist groups are QANGOs, declares war on a people, a society and/or a nation and attacks that people, society and/or nation with deadly force, then it’s really a case of ‘no holds barred’ to defeat such an enemy.

I am an Australian and we lost people, and the children of people we knew, in the Bali bombings carried out by al-Quaeda. If the US hadn’t got to him first, Australia was also hunting for bin Laden and his associates, I dare say that Australian troops would have dealt with him exactly as the US did although I doubt if we would have given him a Muslim burial. Australian forces in Afghanistan were criticized not long ago because they burnt the bodies, without ceremony, of Taliban they’d killed in battle. Wars are always nasty things – I am a now aging Vietnam War veteran – and I don’t think we can apply specifically Jewish criteria to non-Jewish war situations.

Of course, I agree with most of the previous comments, but on a personal level, for we sorrow for the loss of anyone but bin Laden’s violent death was inevitable and requires no mourning or ‘soul-searching’. Even if someone very evil ‘reforms’, that doesn’t mean that the results of their previous evil vanishes, it follows them to the grave if they do not already receive punishment in this life. It’s just the same for any other criminals, they may repent of their criminality, but the judge is still going to send them to prison, or order their execution, for their previous actions.

So far as ‘celebrations’ are concerned, I think that’s a cultural thing. Americans tend to be a lot more demonstrative than Australians (or British), and far more excitable and appear to be more in love with ‘spectacle’ and ‘theatre’ than we. We don’t ‘celebrate’ killings of any kind, neither Jew or goy Australians, in our wars we just get on with it, without the ‘hoopla’.

It seems to me that a certain duplicity of emotion is not out of place here. Overpowering joy that a great evil has been removed and an amount of sadness that a G-dly creation was capable of so subverting the gifts he was given. At the Red Sea, if I read correctly, only the Angels were admonished for celebrating.

In referring to the section passage of Proverbs 11:10 “When it goes well for good people, the КТОle town cheers; when it goes badly for bad people, the town celebrates;” I am reminded as I look at Proverbs 17:23-24: “Don’t laugh when your enemy falls; don’t crow over his collapse. God might see, and become very provoked, and then take pity on his plight” I am reminded of the definition for Joy and Rejoicing. I see Joy as a God-given sense of happiness without actually rejoicing or celebrating. If we really take our faith seriously, when another person dies or is killed КТО has done much evil we need to realize that this person was made in God’s Image and God calls His people to do all they can to allow this person to change His ways allowing revenge to be left to God. What happens if the question is asked of us “You with no sin, cast the fist stone, how are you able to say that you have no sin?”

We should be humble in our joy at the news of his termination! I agree with the Rabbi.

Osama Bin Ladin was a cold blooded murderer, thief, drug dealer and anything and everything that defines the term wicked. What makes him worse is that he profaned the name of G-d by falsly appearing pious and saying that murder, theft and drug dealing was being done under the name of G-d. He moved people КТО set out ot live lives of piouty to kill themselves and kill others while he enjoyed a life of luxury with many wives, children and all of the good things in life. The destruction of such an evil, immoral man should be celebrated.

There is a difference as rav Steinsaltz explains, between an enemy and one КТО personafies pure evil. Bin Laden was the latter. He was not only a murderer of Jews, Christrians and Muslims but personified the worst in blasphemy. He even said that he delighted in death and killing. This made him happy. We should celebrate that more people КТО he had plans to kill or maim will now be spared.

What of the passages in the Hagadah not to rejoice at the deaths of the Egyptians as “these too are my children”?

When we rejoice at death whether it be Ben Laden or Hitler we are dropping to their level. Express relief that we are rid of this evil, but joy? Never.

Rabbi Steinsaltz, although you write that it is permissible in specific circumstances to rejoice over the eradication of a rasha, and it is also appropriate not to rejoice when your enemy falls, you do not define the specific distinctions that allows for movement between these two poles, or how to balance the competing values that are expressed by them, or suggest how to apply these two directives in one’s own life. I found the responses posted at JewishValuesOnline.org informative, and wonder what you might say О НАС those. http://www.jewishvaluesonline.org/question.php?id=404&cprg=%2Fsearch.php%3Fsearchtxt%3Dosama%26what%3DA

To be short, I think that Purim is the best example of how Jwish people should react to Osama Bin Laden death, as the same way we react till date for the death of Haman, and no Jew should feel bad О НАС celebrating or having few drinks to celebrate.
Rony

osama bin laden had become the personification of evil, prior to 9/11. He had a long term association with cold blooded brutality prior to any plane crash into the twin towers or pentagon. Yet he seemed to get away with this type of activity,and achieve hero,even devine status amongst his followers. As a highly regarded cleric in his religion, he should have been brought to justice in the manner prescribed by the law of sharia. Every person КТО lost a loved one in the 9/11 attacks was entitled to at least one suitable sized rock to hurl at his head The condemned were to be buried to the chest, and stoned to death by those КТОse family died by his hand or decree. Being shot in the head by a navy seal was too good for this type of filth.Justice being served does not require joy, but does require the resoluteness of action. the killing of a mass murderer is a requirement of allah

Two questions for Rav Steinsalz:
1. would it make a difference had this evil person, bin Laden, been a Jew?
2. what IS the appropriate way, if any, to “celebrate” the end of this evil person? Should any reaction to his death be personal, or communal?
Thanks for your thoughts on this…

This reminds me of a story: Adolf Hitler asked his doctor after an examination “Will I live a long life?” The doctor replied “you will die on a Jewish Holiday.” Hitler asked “How do you know this?” whereby the doctor replied” Any day you will die, will be a Jewish Holiday.”

Somewhere in the Torah it says–If anyone comes to kill you, kill them first–we celebrated when Haman was killed and many such other instances—ЗАЧЕМ not Osama?

Celebrate, my fellow Jews

ekrinsky

You need only to at Megilla Esther for your answer—when Haman was put to death—although I wasn’t there I can assure you no Jew mourned Haman. In fact we celebrate to this day the death of Haman—add Osama to that list…….and celebrate

Does not the Midrash say that HaShem forbade the angels to sing when Pharaoh’s army drowned, as they should not rejoice in the deaths of any of His children? Isn’t that ЗАЧЕМ we spill 10 drops of wine when the plagues are recounted at Pesach? Public jubilation at the death of anyone, including this mishuganah, is obscene, and not reflective of our values. Should not bin Laden’s misguided ideas motivate us to examine the reasons ЗАЧЕМ U.S. policies so infuriate the Arab world, and how we can try to effect tikkun?
GJG

Grave mistake on your part. This business of “dropping to their level” is sheer nonsense. What we are doing is dealing with them in a language they understand! to do otherwise is insane; I, and others like me express joy at his demise (just as we Jews celebrated when Haman was put to death, or in your opinion was that wrong too?)

L’ chaim !!!!!!!!!

We’re talking О НАС Torah, not the Midrash—-What does the Torah say О НАС someone trying
to kill you? Our values are life, including ours—-so what you’re saying is Purim is a pagan holiday because we celebrate thesdeath of Haman? I suggest you stop drinking Kool-aid and get a dose of reality and a breath of fresh air!

I agree КТОleheartedly! I feel a deceased person, whether, good or evil, should be respected. Yes, there is joy that an evil has been removed from the environment. But rejoicing and celebrating death are not appropriate humane behaviors.

Our moral outrage at the handing out of sweets to Palestinian children in the streets of Gaza after suicide bombers blow up Israeli civilians, should be enough of a guide in how not to behave in response to the death of our enemies. In addition to the military conflict which terrorism engenders, there is the spiritual-moral war. And we can only claim victory in the latter case when we do not fail in the Torah’s call of “Kedoshim Tihiyu.” As Beruriah once taught Rabi Meir, pray and focus upon the end of the evil in man, not man himself. Thankfully, there is now less evil in the world. Let’s move on.

excellent response, i КТОleheartedly concur

These two teachings of the Tanach actually do contradict each other and not for reasons that our teacher, Rabbi Steinsaltz says. They differ because the Torah is not exclusively the word (or view) of God. It is a covenant with two sides. The first view, proscribing celebrating the death of ones enemy, seems to reflect the view of God–КТО creates all people. The second view, that we celebrate when the wicked perish, seems to reflect the human perspective. Thus the Tanach reflects a dialectical idea of truth. Because of the covenant, God honors our human view just as we must honor God’s. There is truth on both sides. This is the meaning of Covenant Theology–a torah based theology.

The midrash says that God scolded the angels because they were singing with joy after the Egyptian army was drowned. FIne, angels are a breed apart. But note, he did NOT scold the Jewish People or tell Miriam and the Jewish women to stop their dancing and singing that their enslavers failed and they were now free. Au contraire– the song of MIriam is a great Torahdik song, and similarly, we should– like Miriam, and later like David, Esther, Mordechai, the prophet Ovadia, et al– CELEBRATE when our enemies PERISH.

And if this is too harsh for the Christianized, feminized yidden among us, then I remind them of 2 famous Torah thoughts: if one comes to slay you, slay him first. And: those КТО are merciful to the cruel are or will be cruel to the merciful.

Pinchas Baram, Brookline,Mass.

Osama was not an Egyptian, There are many tractates in the Torah that contradict each other. There also was the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai and they often were at adds with each other. So КТОm do you listen to? G-d put you on earth and gave you the ability to make choices. Take a lesson from Purim–CELEBRATE…..

The violent death proscribed and carried out by Shmuel to Og, as well as the command to eradicate Amalek, but to never forget his evil actions against us both speak to me from these current СОБЫТИЯ. Memorializing the recollection as well as physical elimination of evil people, especially leaders, appears to be an imperitive in our texts. Celebrating seems to be the response when G-d vanquishes (oops- there was some partying in Shushan wasn’t there?), and ethical memory/learning when those actions are done by man.

Sanhedrin 37b, Rashi translates “When the wicked perish, there is joy.” (Proverbs 11, 10) by “If he is wicked there is no punishment”. Note that Rashi carefully avoids using the word “joy”. I understand that the only way to understand this word in this verse is “joy” to escape punishment because causing death of a rasha does not deserve punishment.
However, this mishna discusses Din Tora which deals with absolute Justice judged by a regular Court.
In the case of Bin Laden, probably Din Malkhut applies : he was a threat for Human Society.
Eliminating such a threat is part of good management of Society. It was a difficult job. People КТО succeed in completing a difficult job may rejoice. Still it is sad that there was no way to eliminate this threat whithout killing.

An Ohio hotel has been fending off angry phone calls because a broken rope on it’s flag pole led some to think the business was morning the death of Osama bin Laden.

a brilliant understanding of God will and morality!

The Hebrew word for “enemy” communicates the idea of hostility and hatred for an adversary.
Throughout the TaNacH what is it that stands behind this connotation of the
word in Israel’s
case? Among perhaps other things, the fact that the enemy threatens always to completely
annihilate the Nation! In addition, there are many references to the idea that
the enemy tries to destroy the way of life of Israel in a more indirect
subversive way usually through the attempt to infuse social and cultural practices
that threaten to dilute what makes her distinctive and unique as a people and nation.
Over the generations the term “enemy” as related to the experience of Israel has linked
to it the idea of wickedness. In short, Israel’s enemies are enemies
BECAUSE they are, from the standpoint of the Torah and Hashem, wicked. HOWEVER, the term is used in two senses in
the Torah. Wickedness can refer to violations of the commandments that concern
moral and ethical behavior as applied to our neighbor and Hashem more directly.
Wickedness is ALSO used in reference to a special case of the word evil to mean
basically that an individual or nation has committed acts that in the eyes of
Hashem are especially heinous (Abominable), perverting one or more of the
Creator’s fundamental principles which when carried out threatens to disturb or
lead to the destruction of the entire creation! Profoundly, when the Torah is
viewed as a КТОle, the Creator does not “celebrate” the death of the wicked
as we commonly view this activity. As the Prophet Ezekiel relays to us from
Hashem: “As I live—the word of the Lord Hashem/Elohim—[I swear] that I do not desire the death of the wicked one”. Most importantly, the Hebrew word
used here is chaphets which means to take pleasure or delight in something;
this word then encapsulates the idea of a celebration of some kind. It is
instructive that when two incidents in the Tanach are examined, the splitting
of the sea and the delivery of the nation from the abominable plot of Haman, it
becomes clear that the death of the wicked in both cases was
not the objective of the celebrating. The
book of Esther DOES record that the people celebrated;
but FOR WHAT are they celebrating? The text makes clear that the celebration and
festival was to remember how the Nation was delivered from an evil plot that
could have resulted in the annihilation of Israel. As the text says, “For
Haman…enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to annihilate the Jews and had cast a
pur (that is a lot) to terrify and annihilate them…Therefore, they called these
days “Purim” from the word pur.” Although
Hashem is not mentioned directly the celebration of Purim was because of what
the Almighty, Master of Legions, did in delivering His People from destruction,
not the fact that a wicked man died. In the case of the Exodus, the Song of the
Sea emphasizes, once again, what the ALMIGHTY/HASHEM did in delivering His People out
of the house of bondage, out of the land
of Egypt. As the text
says: “On that day, Hashem saved Israel
from the hand of Egypt, and Israel
saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel
saw the great hand that Hashem inflicted upon Egypt; and the people revered Hashem, and they had faith in Hashem and in Moses, His servant. Where in this text is it recorded the shouts
of joy and celebration BECAUSE OF the dead bodies of the Egyptians
on the shore? On the contrary, the entire passage concerns HASHEM and what HE DID and the fact that the people now revere HASHEM. It was the mighty acts of the Creator that led to celebrating. In
most instances the Torah simply makes a legal record and documentation
concerning the acts that were done including the part of the wicked in them.
The nation then turns КТОleheartedly towards Hashem in
thanksgiving for having delivered them; often a formal commemoration is
instituted to remember what the Creator of the Heavens and Earth DID in the
life of the Nation. Contrast these two
episodes from the Tanach with what the World community is now doing, vainly
OBSESSING over the PICTURES of this MASS MURDERER in television, magazines, and
newspapers, clamoring over every detail concerning the way he was killed, how
he was found, how he was buried, etc. Is this truly the Torah way for Israel? To put
it another way, how can one wicked person get more press than the Creator КТО
is responsible for him having met justice, especially in Israeli society?

SHABBAT SHALOM!!

Caro rabino. Estou inteiramente de acordo com o Senhor.

Another point of discussion.
The Torah tells us that there will be an AMALEK in every generation. Are Hamas and Hizbollah not Amalek КТО openly declare they want the destruction of the State of Israel? The Torah tells us that we must destroy Amalek, every man,woman and child , even their animals. Was Osama Bin Laden not Amalek?
Please comment.

The question is not whether Osama et al. represented an Amelek or not. The issue being discussed is whether or ЗАЧЕМ we should celebrate his death. If we celebrate his demise because he was killed, we would be doing the same thing that the Arabs did when they were dragging our servicemen thru the streets tied to the bumper of a car. However if we celebrate the fact that Hashem has enable us to rid ourselves of a monster КТО threatened to kill us, then I say L’Chaim !…and celebrate………..

Any evil removed is a cause of celebration and the rabbi’s last sentence acknowledges this. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” is a motto found on many war memorials at Returned Services League clubs in Australia (established to honour ex-service and serving military personnel). It can be applied to matters of the spirit as well.

Once the Japanese were Australia’s mortal enemies, but now they are close friends, because Japan gave up its militarism and accepted defeat by higher powers (the Pacific War allies, mainly the US and Australia) and changed its ‘spirit’, so I pray that militant Islam with its hatred of Jews and Judaism, Christians and Christianity, Israel, the ‘West’ and western ‘freedoms’, will eventually be overcome but it won’t be by military force alone. It requires a change of spirit. We can assist in this, but ultimately only ‘ ‘ G*D can change the ‘spirit’ in the hearts of humanity.

If we ‘celebrate’ the killing of ‘the wicked’ too much, we run the temptation of seeing evil defeated by our own strength. Such an attitude is fatal to the spirit and Torah and Talmud warn us constantly against this. Parading the bodies of one’s enemies is a very primitive and, dare I say, ‘uncivilized’ act and I think your President made the right decision in this matter.

If you can allow criticism by a non-American friend, I feel you Americans, whether Jew or ‘goy’, are too used to seeing violence as entertainment and you’ve become inculcated and somehow inoculated to the horror of violence in all forms. We Australians are not much better though, on a per-capita basis, we have a much less violent society and this is reflected in our generally much lower crimes rates.

As an old Levi Jew КТО has already seen too much hate and violence in his life, I urge everyone to see that spark of the spirit in even the worst of our enemies. That is not to say we can tolerate their actions and allow them to continue with their evils, but, yes rabbi, we should not glorify in their destruction.

Thank you for hearing me out. Love and Blessings, Richard (Rafael Joachim ben Serai)

VERY WELL WRITTEN, FULL OF WISDOM. SHABBATH SHALOM RAV. MYRIAM LUGER

Perhaps indeed there is an AMALEK in every generation but before we start killing men, women, children and animals — we had better be damn sure that we know КТО it is. G-d identified the first Amalek for us. Without that kind of direct command from G-d, it would have been absolutely forbidden to ruthlessly murder innocent human beings and animals. Now that G-d is no longer speaking to us directly, we are not simply empowered to decide КТО will be the Amalek of our generation. You say that Hamas, Hizbollah and bin Laden are Amalek but there are Haredim КТО say that you (as a Zionist) are Amalek. There may be an Amalek in every generation but there is no commandment (or license) to utterly destroy a group that *we* (limited human beings) decide is the Amalek of our generation.

The Romans and the Catholic Church and the Nazis killed millions and millions of Jews. And even they were not utterly destroyed. The grandchildren of Nazi Party members are now Israel’s trading partners. Nuns and priests hid Jews during the Shoah. Be careful when you decide that you are empowered to identify Amalek just because Jews now have an army. An army brings with it not only power, but the responsibility to use that power morally.

Ay, Pinchas. All the way from the safety of Brookline with its terrible dangers (such as crossing the street or perhaps having a latte served lukewarm) you bring us such harsh words.

Since when is feminized an insult? Are you suggesting that there are no warrior women in Israel like the Miriam you mention? Are you suggesting that weak people are the ones to make peace between friend and friend or between nation and nation? The people КТО make peace are the toughest of all. Only a warrior can make a lasting peace — as Israel’s leaders have shown.

There was nothing Christianized О НАС your Jewish ancestors КТО valued study over war. There was nothing Christian О НАС the authors of the Talmud КТО also told us to pursue peace. You stand on the shoulders of men steeped in study and discussion, not cruelty or bloodthirst. Do not insult them.

The yidden КТО care О НАС the moral and ethical future of the Jewish people do not deserve your insults. It is right to question the correct reaction to bin Ladin’s death even if we decide that rejoicing is appropriate. A Jew unable to defend him or herself may not survive physically but a Jew without compassion is no longer a Jew at all. We can have both physical safety and moral integrity — do not imply otherwise.

When any person chooses to kill as a way of life, that person debases the entire human community. Osama Bin Laden was such a person and his actions caused great personal pain to many and to the world.

While Osama Bin Laden’s death may be just, and it has brought a measure of relief and perhaps closure to those КТО were personally affected by the СОБЫТИЯ of 9/11 — to celebrate the death of anyone is an enigma and oxymoron that only brings the entire world a step down.

Justice was done and that is good. But violence, even justified violence, is never a cause for true celebration.

In this short paragraph, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides a clear and concise answer to a difficult question.  This distinction between a “personal enemy” (which can be viewed as simply a “rival”) and a truly wicked person is very enlightning and will remain with me forever.  Thank you Rabbi!

OBL was a villain of enormous magnitude.  On the evening of his killing my Jewish friends and I talked О НАС that OBL’s life leading directly or indirectly to the killing of enormous numbers innocent Americans, innocent Iraquis, innocent Afghans as well as our (and other’s) troops and al Kaieda troops.  The hundreds of thousands of lost people must be mourned as we celebrate OBL’s demise.
Norman Stern, Athens, GA, USA

I understand your stance.  Then, maybe all КТО don a uniform to protect your freedoms should be placed alongside obl.  There is this knowledge that you are correct, maybe not to relish death.  But when it is to a person or organisation sworn to finish what the nazi machine attempted, think again.With or without my uniform, I would gladly perform what needs, to insure those creatures don’t live!  I remain, a United States Marine.

when i was О НАС 20yrs. old  my son was born and it  was ask of me to circumize however you spell that and i declined because i thought it be just not nice at all to inflict that kind of pain on a new born baby and i believed in GOD and  thought  He  could love me  even  if i didnt do that but i  understand its importance and  it should not,not,not be abolished not to mentione that it cost money that i didnt have.  КТО wants to hurt their baby that they love so deeply how you do that  when i think О НАС what it took  of the Father to allow that  to be done to his beloved son OUCH he  must of needed a serious amount of hugs when that was going on. it really breaks at your heart to think О НАС it. im glad its finnished and that they dont have to be hurt any more,ever. YEA.

To show you how important circumcision is, G-d almost killed Moses” son because Moses, in all the tumult in getting the Jews out of Egypt, forgot to circumcise  own his son.  His son was saved because his mother, Sehpora, ( КТО was warned what was О НАС to happen,)  took a stone and circumcised her son, thus saving his life.  It’s not О НАС what you think of G-d (being loving etc)  it’s О НАС fullfilling is commandments.

  (This segment also appears in the movie “The Ten Commandments}

Being born into a  humanist Muslim family in India my best friends have been and still
are Hindus, Jews, Christians and Budhist. Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists and socalled Muslims КТО knowingly caused deaths and destruction to a single innocent human souls because of  their  religion, race or citizenship  are nothing but cold blooded murderers and enemies of  peace and humanity. Hence their elimination from earht planet is a matter of great relief for the rest of  peace loving mankind. Same rules of  God applies to all the Children of  Adam and Eve, КТО unfortunately are engaged since long in self-carnage and self-destruction of  their  Human Family, originating from the same One One Human Parents, Adam & Eve,  on the behest of  the  Saitan, the greatest enemy of mankind since their existence. So called Collateral damage of human soul/s  are the terminologies pleasing to the same Saitan and against the laws of  God  of  Mankind.  Faraoh of Egypt had gotten killed more than hundred thousands of male infants to get rid of  Moses? He was also justifying this human carnage as  collateral damage? Similarly the King ruling Jerusalem had gotten killed thousands and thousands of children  to get  rid  of  Jesus,  and  claiming this gruesome human carnage as collateral damage? In Quran Book 5:32 it is very clearly commanded that, deliberate killing of  a single innocent  human soul  is  like the mayhem of  entire mankind.”
This shows the value of  a singel innocent human life in the eyes of God? It is the same in all the
Holy Scriptures? But the Children of  Adam and Eve  having engaged  in  self-carnage since the first wicked human child Cane killed his righteous brother Abel, have turned the human lives  as  the cheapest commodity of the earth planet? Whenever there is any killing between two humans he is always the Saitan КТО is benefitted.
 

Do we not take part in unholiness when we allow our heart to rejoice in revenge,it does belong to the LORD and its hard to feel Love in our heart if we take part in this, I  would not feel sadness for this thing nor joy either but be greatful that he can not do any more harm to any one YEPPI

Karen,

The key to you statement lies in the first sentence “rejoice in revenge.”  This is not allowed—however if you rejoice in the fact that G-d reigned justice upon Obama ( as he did in Morechais’/Esthers time) then rejoice as they did in that time, because his death is the work of Hashem……