IF, ALONG THE ROAD, YOU CHANCE UPON A BIRD'S NEST, IN ANY

TREE OR ON THE GROUND, WITH FLEDGLINGS OR EGGS AND THE MOTHER SITTING OVER THE

FLEDGLINGS OR ON THE EGGS, DO NOT TAKE THE MOTHER TOGETHER WITH HER YOUNG. SEND

THE MOTHER AWAY, AND TAKE ONLY THE YOUNG, IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY FARE WELL AND

HAVE A LONG LIFE.

(Devarim 22:6-7)

Send the mother

away – a Scriptural Decree

or Empowerment of Woman's Virtue?

The commentators made many efforts to explain this commandment,

as they did in connection with other commandments. However, though their words

were agreeable and their intentions for the sake of heaven, they always

remained refutable. The reason for this is that the commandment is founded in

the Supreme Wisdom of which it is said, It is hidden from the eyes of all

the living… God understands the way to it, and He knows its source (Job 28:21, 23). Therefore human thought

exhausts itself trying to conceive its mysteries and reach its final purpose. Truly,

the main benefit of the commandments is not found in knowledge of their

purposes, but rather in their practical observance. It is enough for us to know

that we are commanded by Him, may He be blessed, and that we observe His

commandments out of our fear of Him. That is why the passage [from Job]

concludes with the verse, He said to man: See! Fear of the Lord is wisdom;

to shun evil is understanding (28:28).

(Rabbi Y.S. Reggio on Devarim 22:7)

Now the Torah moves on to

commandments most of which touch upon the establishment of family life,

beginning with the commandment which makes every Israelite aware of womanly

virtue. This

commandment expresses the special importance attributed by the Torah to the

woman's activity in running her home, tracing it even into the animal domain. The

Torah guarantees immunity from harm to the female bird while she functions as a

mother and demands that every person should express this appreciation for a

female performing her role when the opportunity to do so arises.

(Rabbi S.R.

Hirsch ad loc)

When you go to war against your enemy…: Reflections On War, Violence,

Hiroshima And Judaism

Rabbi Yehonatan Chipman

In recent weeks the world marked

the sixtieth anniversary of the explosion of the first atomic bomb over

Hiroshima, Japan, August 6 1945 (27 Menahem Av 5705).

This awesome event, in which over 100,000 innocent human beings were killed in

one blinding flash, in a fraction of a second, and myriads more were maimed,

blinded, suffering horrific burns and other injuries, or died slowly and

painfully from various radioactively generated diseases over the course of

months or years, perhaps unwittingly ushered in a new era in human history. (There

are many historians and others who question whether this terrible display of

might was necessary, even from a narrow strategic, military or geo-political viewpoint  –  but that is another issue which we cannot

discuss here.)

Not long ago I came across a

book by Arthur Koestler, Janus:

The Summation, in which he describes the change brought about by the Bomb

in the existential situation of humanity itself: whereas previously the

individual knew that he was mortal, but that the human race per se was

presumably eternal, and that human culture would continue indefinitely into the

future, the atomic bomb raised the very real possibility of the

self-destruction of humanity itself. Such a thought is so frightening that the

mind balks at even thinking about it for too long.

Koestler goes on to connect this idea

with the human potential for violence, raising an idea propounded by

philosophers of previous ages: that the human race suffers from an innate flaw,

a kind of "insanity" or paranoia, reflected in a propensity for

intra-species violence that barely exists in most animal species, expressed in such

things as child sacrifice, "garden-variety" or "ordinary"

murder, and warfare. To put matters simply: whereas mankind's intellect, in

which he takes such pride, has engendered impressive accomplishments in science

and technology, in the conquest of and mastery over matter, in the emotional

and moral realm there has been virtually no "progress," hardly any

change since the dawn of history. To invert Rambam's

words about the prophet, for the vast majority of human beings, "His Urge

is not in his hands, but he is in the hands of his Urge."

The title of Koestler's

book is taken from the Greek myth about the god of war, Janus,

whose two faces turn in opposite directions, but it could easily be applied to

human beings as well: a "two-faced" being, suggesting the moral

antinomies, paradoxes and ambivalences that mark human life. This idea is well

expressed in many Rabbinic midrashim

about the creation of man, such as the following, that appears in Genesis Rabbah 8.5:

R. Simon said: When the Holy One

blessed be He set out to create Man, the ministering

angels were divided into different factions and groups. Some of them said: "May

him be created," and others said: "May he not be created." Concerning

this it is said: Loving-kindness and truth met; justice and peace kissed

(Ps

85:11). Loving-kindness

says: "May he be created, for he will perform

acts of kindness." Truth says: "May he not be

created, for he is full of lies." Justice says: "May he be created, for he does acts of righteousness/justice."

Peace says: "May he not be created, for he is filled with disputes and

quarrels. " What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He took truth and threw him down to earth, as is

written, And He threw truth to the earth

(Daniel

8:12).

This midrash sheds sharp light on the struggle between

good and evil impulses within humankind. Each person has within him/herself a

certain potential for love, an ability to act kindly and selflessly, to

overflow with generosity, caring, empathy, nurture, etc. But by the same coin,

every human has a tendency towards weakness, which most typically come out when

he/she withdraws into the self, adopts an egocentric attitude, and thinks only

of his own interests: he then lies, cheats others, conceals the truth, and this

in turn leads to arguments and quarrels, which may in turn cross over into

violence and even bloodshed and, on the tribal or national level, warfare. This

and other midrashim, and sources in other branches of

Jewish literature, provide a rich store of discussions on mankind's propensity

towards violence; in the limited space available here, I must limit myself to a

few general comments about Judaism's approach to this issue.

Let us begin on the level of the

individual. The halakhah is strongly opposed to

virtually all expressions of aggression, whether of a verbal, psychological, or

physical nature. "Resh Lakish

said: He who lifts his hand against his fellow, even if he did not strike him, is

called a sinner, as is said And he [Moses] said to the evil-doer, "Why

shall you [i.e., in the future tense] strike your neighbor?" (Sanhedrin 58b;

quoting Exod 2:13). Rambam, in portraying the basic

character traits a person ought to cultivate, speaks of striking a "golden

mean" between the two possible extremes in almost every aspect of life, a

kind of neo-Aristotelian, Hellenic ideal of balance, equipoise and inner

harmony. But there are two notable exceptions to this rule: pride (govah lev) and

anger (ka'as). Even the slightest measure of

arrogance and haughtiness is forbidden: a person must be humble, modest and

self-effacing. The same holds true for temper and anger:

Anger is an extremely bad trait,

and it is fitting that a person should separate himself from it to the other

extreme, and train himself never to be angry, even concerning those things

about which it might be appropriate to be angry. And

if he wishes to impose fear upon his children and the members of his household….

so that they may return to the good, he may make himself before them as if he

is angry so as to chastise them, but his mind is calm within him, like a person

feigning anger but who is not really angry. (Hilkhot

De'ot 2.3)

But as soon as we turn to the

collective level, of the nation and of the Collectivity of Israel as a whole,

matters become more complex. There are abundant biblical and halakhic precedents for warfare, and an understanding of

the use of violence as something that is at times necessary, and even positive.

The Torah clearly makes allowance for warfare, and even lays down, at the end

of Parshat Shoftim and the

beginning of this week's parashah, various definite

rules and regulations governing warfare – both "volitional' and "required"

wars, and even milhemet mitzvah, "a

commanded war." The historical books of the Former Prophets are filled

with accounts of battles and sorties against enemies; some of the best-known

biblical poems – the Song of the Sea, the Song of Deborah, the Song that David

sang on the day that God delivered him from all his enemies (2 Sam 23, Ps

18), the lament

over Saul and Jonathan (indirectly), Psalms 68, 110, 144, and more – celebrate

warfare, victory and heroism in battle (including the Divine element in which

the Almighty Himself, a man of war, strides at the head of the serried

forces, His garments, so to speak, crimson with the blood of His enemies).

On the other hand, there is the

great vision of universal, nay, cosmic peace, as the crowning glory of the End

of Days: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears

they learn war any more (Isa 2:4) – and, again, many similar

passages.

It is one of the strange ironies

of history that, almost coterminous with the beginning of the atomic age, we

witness the creation of the "new Jew," as a kind of by-product of the

Jewish national renascence. The old stereotype of the passive, self-effacing,

physically weak, pale and non-aggressive ghetto Jew was replaced by that of the strong, tanned kibbutznik

– working the fields by day, patrolling his settlement at night. After two

thousand years of Exile, there are once again Jews who know how "to hold a

shield and spear," a state with an army, advanced weaponry, tanks, an

outstanding Air Force, and a tradition of military history and even of heroes

who were, in some cases, legends in their own lifetime. Needless to say, all

this was largely a fruit of necessity: readers of Shabbat Shalom hardly

need be told that the young State of Israel, surrounded by enemies, required a

strong army for its very survival; and yet at times it is hard to avoid the

feeling that this situation has led to no small degree of confusion and

uncertainty regarding the underlying value issues of war and peace.

Not that these questions are

simple ones: there are just wars, against powers of stark evil which threaten

to inundate and enslave the world; and there are wars that are no more than the

result of obstinacy on both sides, of the will of nations and their leaders to expand

and to snatch territory and resources at the expense of other, weaker peoples. Perhaps

the two great world wars of the twentieth century may be taken as object

lessons of these two types. But happy is one who can always clearly distinguish

the two: a knave with a good speech-writer can easily turn a cynical, ruinous

exploit into a great moral crusade.

Throughout most of the era of

the Cold War, one could say that "the land was quiet for forty years."

The US and the USSR, as rival nuclear super-powers, enjoyed a kind of modus vivendi – or, as some would prefer to have it, a

balance of terror. But after the fall of the Soviet Union the dams burst, and

the world once again confronts the awesome threat of total destruction. Once

again, the famous clock on the cover of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists shows

but a few moments to midnight. What then is to be done?

1) First and foremost, the issue

of the significance of warfare in the atomic era, with all of its grim

seriousness, must be placed on the public agenda here in Israel. It is of the

greatest conceivable concern, not only for us, but for the future of the entire

human race on the planet earth. There are those who, at great personal cost,

have attempted to raise the issue of Israel's atomic policy, in defiance of the

establishment – and they have paid a very heavy price indeed. The government

decision makers still seem to believe in the efficacy of the policy of "nuclear

vagueness." As citizens, we must no longer give our consent to the most important

decisions about our future and that of our children being made by a small

group, operating in secret, in the name of "national security" – no

matter how wise and patriotic they may be.

2) Second, more generally, and

quite apart from the nuclear issue: the time has come for a renewed, wide and

broad public movement that will constantly call upon the government to be

proactive, to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of a real peace with the

Palestinian people. "Gaining time" is no substitute for policy, nor

is at a worth-while goal in any sense, but merely an excuse to avoid making

decisions. There is no certainty that we will, in the end, attain the

long-sought peace, but so long as there is the slightest glimmer of a

possibility that it can be done, it must be pursued. Unfortunately, it would

seem that the late Abba Eban's cynical statement

about the Palestinians, that "they never miss a chance to miss a chance,"

applies to ourselves as well.

3) Netivot

Shalom, in particular, must become the "herald before the camp." For

many years we have been hearing voices identifying religious Zionism with one

particular political approach – that of a narrowly construed nationalism, that

denies de facto the human rights of the Arabs, that has made the "Whole

Land of Israel" into the be-all and end-all. It is important to create the

structure for an alternative view. Perhaps now, after the disengagement from

Gaza, the time is ripe for a religious movement that will teach Judaism as a

religious culture that addresses the human condition as such, that is concerned

with the situation of the "sons of Adam" in this world. "Precious

is man who was created in the Divine image." A man, when he brings a

sacrifice to the Lord  –  the verse does not speak of priests, Levites

and Israelites, but rather of man.

In conclusion, a brief remark

about the balance between emunah and hishtadlut: between faith and trust in God, and

human effort and responsibility. There are many people among us who see the

imminent coming of Messiah and the anticipation of supernatural miracles and

wonders as the only solution to our problems. But a true and deeply rooted

faith, as I understand it, must be rooted first of all in human initiative and

responsibility and active involvement in the process of Tikkun

Olam, correcting the evils of the world. "The

labor is not for you to complete, but neither are you free to desist from it."

Rabbi Yehonatan

Chipman is a professional translator, specializing in

Jewish studies. He writes a weekly Parashat Ha'Shavu'a sheet in English, called Hitzei

Yehonatan. To receive a sample

or to subscribe write to yonarand@internet-zahav.net.

Readers respond

The State of

article (Shabbat Shalom issue 407)

Rabbi Reiner ranks the relative

importance of the people, the land, and Judaism (Torah), while, in fact, they

are interdependent, at least from a principled religious standpoint. Even the

membership card of Rehavam Ze'evi

HaYaD's "secular" Moledet

Party carried all of them in terms of the Land of Israel for the People Israel

in accordance with the Torah of Israel. I fear that stigmatizing those who "see place as being central to that identity

– the Land and its settlement" ignores the crucial contribution made by

the settlers and their children in setting up splendid Torah communities in Tel

Aviv, Ramat Gan, and many other

locales. It appears that the proliferation of yeshivot

and mekhinot came precisely from within the

settlement project – think of Eli, Yatir, Beit El, and so on. Indeed, this was also true of the Katif region, with its celebrated yeshivot

and mekhinot. It was the crowning achievement

of the Jewish, Torah-oriented, agriculturally productive communities. The place

where they lived only strengthened their rooted Jewish identity.

It seems to me that the other camp will not be enthusiastic about being

defined as viewing "the social fabric as being central." I am also

afraid that the alleged concern about "Israel's future as a Jewish and

democratic state" shatters in the face of the roaring silence regarding

the Prime Minister's modus operandi, i.e., stealing the votes of his

electoral supporters, acting in breach of promises and of referenda that he

himself initiated, silencing opponents, and defiling the entire military and

security elite. One who espouses a principle must fight for it, even when its

content does not serve his political dreams. This is the source of my deep

disappointment. In a genuine democracy, the ends cannot justify the means. Is

democracy just a technical matter of numbers? Does it also espouse the notion

of following the majority for evil? For instance, does the State of

Israel follow the decisions of the majority in the U.N.? I am not sure that R. Reiner would obey a law supported by a majority

illegalizing circumcision – in the Diaspora.

How is it that the voices which now praise Gush Katif

went silent in the hour of its need? Is it really fair to remember it only now

and call upon the evacuees to mobilize forces for "the next stage of

Zionism" (…?) because "Israeli society is in great need of you"?

And by the way, how are they supposed to take action? Should they follow the

instructions of those who supported the destruction of their lives' work, who

exploited their naiveté when they moved to the settlements and who now

fought for the destruction of those settlements? What great arrogance is

required to call to them to place themselves once more at the vanguard of

action of "the next stage of Zionism – the building of society."

They have already done much – if unpretentiously – in that area. Perhaps they can

be left to decide the nature of their public activities for themselves – if

they want to engage in such activities at all.

It is clear that they must be left to decide for themselves whose "chug"

they wish to accept. I am afraid that R. Reiner fails

to realize his own proposal. It is hard to talk about an embrace while

simultaneously speaking in terms of "the work of years that is lost."

Beyond the lack of empathy and the unnecessary hurtfulness of that unfortunate

phrase, it simply is not true. Every day and every hour of their lives were lived

to the fullest and brimmed with creativity. Is the life work of every person

who dies "lost"? True, the "wood and stone" remain there in

depressing ruins. But the great spirit which built

them lives on. Inalienable assets have remained with them – movable assets: the

Torah they studied there across the years, their creations and inventions. But

most of all, the further generations raised at the

knee of wonderful parents – they are the "work of years" which

blossoms and rises up and improves from within itself. They will carry forth

their legacy.

Meir Gross, Beit El

(the one mentioned in Bereishit, the Prophets, etc.)

R. Reiner, author of the article, comments:

Greetings to my friend Meir

I think that my words were not properly understood; I did not intend to

set up a ranking of the people, the land, and Judaism. The commandment to

settle the land may be interpreted in two different ways. One interpretation

speaks only of settlement: the important thing is where one settles. The other

speaks of the form and significance of the settlement; settling in the right

place is not enough, the social fabric must also be considered. In other words,

what is the importance of the "People Israel" for the manner in which

"the commandment to settle the Land of Israel" is to be observed. I

did not ignore the creation of wonderful communities in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, that topic was simply

not addressed by my letter. It appears that your comments focus on issues that

are incidental to my main point. The letter dealt with a different matter and I

am pleased that we are in agreement concerning it.

If you enjoy Shabbat Shalom,

please consider contributing towards its publication and distribution.

·       

Hebrew edition distributed in Israel $700

·       

English edition distributed via email $ 100

Issues may be dedicated in honor

of an event, person, simcha, etc. Requests must be

made 3-4 weeks in advance to appear in the Hebrew, 10 days in advance to appear

in the English email.

In Israel, checks made out

to Oz VeShalom may be sent to Oz VeShalom-P.O.B.

4433, Jerusalem 91043. Unfortunately there is no Israeli tax-exemption for

local donations.

US and British tax exempt contributions to Oz VeShalom may be made through:

New Israel Fund, POB 91588,

Washington, DC 20090-1588, USA

New Israel Fund of Great Britain, 26 Enford

Street, London W1H 2DD, Great Britain

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEW ISRAEL

FUND IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING DONATIONS UNDER $100.

PEF will also channel donations and provide a tax-exemption. Donations

should be sent to P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc., 317 Madison

Ave., Suite 607, New York, New York 10017 USA

All contributions should be

marked as donor-advised to Oz ve'Shalom, the Shabbat

Shalom project.

About us

Oz Veshalom-Netivot

Shalom is a movement dedicated to the advancement of a civil society in Israel.

It is committed to promoting the ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and justice,

concepts which have always been central to Jewish tradition and law.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot

Shalom shares a deep attachment to the land of Israel and it no less views

peace as a central religious value. It believes that Jews have both the

religious and the national obligation to support the pursuit of peace. It

maintains that Jewish law clearly requires us to create a fair and just

society, and that co-existence between Jews and Arabs is not an option but an

imperative.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot

Shalom's programs include both educational and

protest activities. Seminars, lectures, workshops, conferences and weekend

programs are held for students, educators and families, as well as joint

seminars for Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. Protest activities focus on

issues of human rights, co-existence between Jews and Arabs, and responses to

issues of particular religious relevance.

5,000 copies of a 4 page peace

oriented commentary on the weekly Torah reading are written and published by Oz

VeShalom/Netivot Shalom and they are distributed to

over 350 synagogues in Israel and are sent overseas via email. Our web site is www.netivot-shalom.org.il

Oz Veshalom-Netivot

Shalom's educational forums draw people of different

backgrounds, secular and religious, who are keen to deepen their Jewish

knowledge and to hear an alternative religious standpoint on the subjects of

peace and social issues.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot

Shalom fills an ideological vacuum in Israel's society. Committed both to

Jewish tradition and observance, and to the furthering of peace and

coexistence, the movement is in a unique position to engage in dialogue with

the secular left and the religious right, with Israeli Arabs and with

Palestinians.