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 into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall 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 Israel's Identity - a response to Rabbi Reiner's 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.

 

 

 

 

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