Chapter 34 of Genesis tells a relevant story about civilian casualties in war. An evil prince kidnaps and rapes Jacob's daughter, Dina -- and then wants to marry her. Jacob's sons pretend to entertain the offer, and then Simeon and Levi enter the city, kill everyone, and rescue Dina.
The Bible suggests the residents of the city deserved to die for their evil behavior. But Jacob is furious, and rebukes his sons: "You have troubled me, to discredit me among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and among the Perizzites, and I am few in number, and they will gather against me and attack me, and I and my household will be destroyed." (34:30)
The next chapter tells us what actually happened: "Then they traveled, and the fear of God was upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue Jacob's sons." (35:5) So what Jacob feared did not come to pass.
But Jacob never forgives Simeon and Levi. On his deathbed, he rebukes them again: "Let my soul not enter their counsel; my honor, you shall not join their assembly, for in their wrath they killed a man, and with their will they hamstrung a bull."
The point of avoiding civilian casualties is not just that the world will object. The world does not object to civilian casualties generally (anyone heard from Nagorno Karabakh lately?); it respects victory and strength, perhaps perversely.
But Jacob's point is that cruelty is corrosive, internally. That, ultimately, is the reason he cannot forgive his sons. Their murder of the entire town was immoral. Rescue the captive, and punish the guilty, but do not lose yourself in the process.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
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- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
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- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
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And more!
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- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
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This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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