Mase: Making an enemy into a Friend

By Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman on July 21, 2006 - כ"ה תמוז תשס"ו

This week’s Torah portion which ends the Book of Bamidbar (Numbers) is double portion – Matot/Masai. The haftorah is the second of the three haftorahs of warning before Tisha B’Av. Wednesday will be Rosh Khodesh Av, ushering in the intensive mouring period leading up to Tisha B’Av. Parashat Matot contains the description of a cruel war. No doubt many sermons will be given using this as support for relentless war. In our current situation, it is clear that when facing a merciless enemy like Hizbollah, we must find the way to defend our citizens. We must defend ourselves against Hamas as well, even if we believe that, as opposed to the Hizbollah, the ongoing occupation of the West Bank and stranglehold on Gaza give them legitimate claims against. However, is there nothing in these Torah portions for those of us who believe that there must be red lines even to what can be done in the name of self defense? Is there anything for those of who believe that the command in Tractate Sanhedrin 74a to use only the minimum necessary force not only means to prefer to injure the one coming to kill us instead of killing him/her but also to prefer solving conflicts with words or even making an enemy into a friend, rather than injuring?

First, let us point out that our understanding of Tisha B’Av includes a good measure of self-criticism. Our sages taught that the two Temples were destroyed “Because of our sins.” One of the reasons for the destruction of the First Temple was bloodshed, while the reason for the destruction of the Second Temple was causeless hatred.

oday also, even as we feel that our cause is just, we must maintain our ability to look at ourselves critically. We must remember that there is only a hairbreaths difference between being a victim and a victimizer, and one can even be both at the same time. We must therefore bend over backwards to insure that we don’t harm civilians or cross other red lines.

The issue of civilians brings us to the cities of refuge mentioned in Masai. Today one justification heard for the killing of civilians is that every Gazan and every Lebanese is collectively guilty for not stopping the terrorists operating among them. In the Torah, if one killed somebody by accident one could flee to a city of refugee. It was forbidden to harm a person there, although one couldn’t leave until the death of the high priest. That could be a matter of days or years. Somebody who intentionally murdered somebody could still be killed, even if they made it into the city of refuge. The cities of refugees were necessary in a world that accepted blood vengance and in which the drives of anger and vengeance would carry the day. Today also the urges of anger and vengeance masquarade as the desire for self protection, while the illusion that violence alone can provide security or resolve conflicts often lead us to justify the unjustifyable

Some question why the person who accidentally kills somebody needs to be imprisoned, perhaps for tens of years, in the city of refugee? One answer is that this person has responsibility for his/her negligence, but not the same responsibility as a murderer. In other words, he Torah provides protection for these people of whom it must be said that they did kill somebody, as opposed to the Gazan or Lebanese citizen for whom the responsibility is much more tenuous and who may never have hurt anybody. Yes, there certainly are times when a government and/or individuals should be expected to take responsibility to control the fanatics in their midst. This can not be swept under the rug. On the other hand, what can an ordinary person do when somebody with a weapon demands to shoot rockets from his/her yard? Even where Lebanese and Gazans do have some level of responsibility, that responsibility does not justify targeting them or justifying “collateral damage.”

It is said that in the end of days Tisha B’Av will become a day of rejoicing instead of one of mourning. If in the two weeks remaning until Tishab’Av we canact critically towards ourselves also when our cause is just, bend over backwards not to harm civilians, and dedicate the efforts some put in to war Into finding ways of defending ourselves that do not entail harming our enemies, it is still concievable that this will be a Tisha B’Av of rejocing. As we will say when we finish the Book of Bamidbar on Shabbat, “May we have strength and strengthen each other.”

Rabbis for Human Rights recommends that you read these articles in Mase

Mase: Making an enemy into a Friend - July 21st, 2006
Mas'e: Expulsion, Democracy and Civil Disobedience - August 4th, 2005

Categories: Mase
Tags: Bo, fen, human rights, ISM, palestinians, settlers