In This Moment: The Ground War Begins..on Shabbat; The Day the Music Died (and the month it came back)

 

In This Moment Shavua Tov - It was a Shabbat filled with significance. Click to see photos, video and the dvar Torah of our Bat Mitzvah, Eliana Nadel. Above: Sen. Blumenthal, speaking at our service last night, co-sponsored by AJC. Find the service archived at https://www.tbe.org/tbe-live/. Below: Click to watch this running loop featuring the names of those who perished in Hamas's terror attack on southern Israel, from Israeli TV. The Ground War Begins..on Shabbat I am not surprised that Israel chose to begin its ground attack on the Sabbath. While some might consider it bad luck, or even a sin, a war such as this one can - and must - be fought on Shabbat. It was also one of the few ways Israel could use the element of surprise, since the "devout" Hamas brass would think that Jews wouldn't dare risk angering Adonai by fighting on Shabbat. Fighting on Shabbat is what israel's enemies do when they want to pull a surprise attack, which is what happened on Oct 7. In the second century BCE, Seleucid armies adopted the strategy of attacking Jewish renegades on Shabbat. The Jews offered little resistance and were slaughtered. In 1 Maccabees, the Hasmonean patriarch Mattathias rejected that blind piety, stating, "If anyone comes against us on the Sabbath day, we shall fight against him and not all die as our brothers did in their hiding places." The Talmudic sages taught that one who is vigilant in saving a life on Shabbat is praiseworthy. The Talmud presents several scenarios involving permissible Sabbath violations to save a life including rescuing a child from a pit or saving someone drowning in the sea. The rabbis applied the principles of Pikuach Nefesh both to saving the lives of Jews and gentiles and also made it clear that the risk of death did not need to be certain or immediate. (See this parsha packet on Pikuach Nefesh) By any definition, rescuing hostages, one of the prime goals of the invasion, justifies fighting on Shabbat. --------- Here is the Ha'aretz summary of today's happenings: ■ Israel’s military operation in Gaza has entered a "new phase," says Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, amid reports of a far more significant Israeli incursion into Gaza involving infantry, armor, engineering and artillery forces in cooperation with the air force. IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi reiterated that the objectives of the war require a ground operation in Gaza. “To expose the enemy, to destroy it, there is no choice but to enter forcefully into their territory,” he said. Israel says it assassinated Hamas' naval and air force commanders overnight Friday. ■ Amid an almost complete internet and cellular blackout in Gaza, heads of major international aid organizations, media outlets and charities said they’d lost contact with their local representatives. ■ U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking with his Israeli counterpart, emphasized the “importance of protecting civilians” during IDF operations and and on the “urgency of humanitarian aid delivery for civilians in Gaza," according to a Pentagon statement. ■ The U.S. has deployed its second aircraft carrier strike group, the USS Eisenhower, in the Mediterranean, further bolstering its military presence amid concerns of an escalating conflict with Iran and Hezbollah. ■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas since October 7. Netanyahu told the families that he’s “not sure people understand how” the effort to return the hostages “is conducted and in what scope, including instructions to the forces in the field and in very broad, global, and local contexts - and it continues all the time." ■ A Hamas spokesperson claimed that the organization was about to reach an agreement with Israel over the hostages held in Gaza, but that Israel had "stalled" on that possibility. He added that Hamas would only release all the hostages if Israel freed all of its Palestinian security detainees. ■ Rocket barrages targeted northern and southern Israel throughout the day. IDF exchanged fire with Hezbollah fighters near the Lebanon border; a surface-to-air missile from Lebanon intercepted by Israeli air defense system. ■ The IDF’s spokesperson said Israel was “expanding the humanitarian effort” to bring water and medicine into Gaza, adding that Gazans who moved to the south “will receive assistance." ■ A Palestinian man was shot and killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and Israeli military sources, as violence continued to soar in the area. ■ The Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel "committing genocide in Gaza" and claimed that 7,300 Gazans have been killed so far, and 19,000 were wounded. ■ At least 29 journalists have died covering the Israel-Hamas war so far, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. ■ Israel has ordered its diplomats to return from Turkey to Israel in response to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan repeating, in front of a mass pro-Palestinian rally, that Israel was an occupier but Hamas was not a terrorist organization. ■ In London, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched to demand the UK government call for a ceasefire. Meanwhile Egypt’s foreign ministry said “Israeli obstacles” are impeding the delivery of aid to Gaza. The Day the Music Died and the month it came back Click to watch a telethon held a few days ago, called "We are here," a show of support for residents living on those communities devastated on October 7. The program raised over 8 million shekels and featured some of Israel's most famous musicians. There are no subtitles, but music is an international language and these songs are all pretty well known among Israelis - for good reason. ---------- October 7 was literally the day the music died. Israelis love music and especially to sing together at festivals, so the fact that a music festival was a prime Hamas target was, in a sense, an attempt to kill music itself. Because of that, it is more important than ever to restore music to its rightful place in Israeli and Jewish culture. We have to keep on playing and singing. Every war in Israel has had its signature songs. As the tanks rumble into the fray this night, it's still too early to know what tunes from this war will capture the hearts of a grieving nation. But already, musicians have been working overtime to lend comfort to troops and to those on the home front, and to raise money for victimized families. I'll share some of what has come out this far, in the hopes that it might restore music to our lives as well, and in the hopes that quiet and safety might soon return in a more permanent way for all those who live in the region, Israelis and Palestinians alike. The Israel Philharmonic has been working overtime. Not only did they provide accompaniment for the telethon, but they performed a program of classical music before an empty hall (for security reasons) but which has been seen all over the world. Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, Yuval Dayan released a new song titled "Keep Your Heart." Dayan shared that the song was born out of a meeting with a bereaved mother who requested a song capturing the situation and the power of togetherness. Dayan never considering releasing a new song right now. Instead, she found solace in connecting with fighters, wounded individuals, evacuees, and finding comfort in consoling those in mourning. Each encounter inspired her even more. (See 'Waiting for You at the End:' Yuval Dayan releases new Gaza war song - JPost). The song is below, and English lyrics below that: If the light goes out between us, it will reignite in its place If the sea becomes entangled between us, We will navigate away and return in due time Let the sadness peel away, aiding its passing If you are unsure, I will provide you with reasons, just take care of this heart Remember the good because I promise to protect us, I will not leave Just trust this heart, focus on the girls because I promise to safeguard us. Israel specializes in songs to comfort and strengthen the spirit in troubled times. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a cottage industry. A nice collection of these songs has just been put together by an Israeli music site: See below: The Maccabeats came up with this new version of the traditional prayer for Israel. Here's Zamir's version of the Prayer for the IDF, performed several days ago. (Yes, that's Dan in the third row). And below that, David Burger's exquisite version of the Prayer for the State of Israel. Last week, Israel's top satire show, Eretz Nehderet, returned to the air. Remember how SNL returned after 9/11 (seeing Mayor Giuliani in the opening is a little freaky)? Well, this was similar, with a song led my Shlomo Artzi. David Broza did a full concert at B'nai Jeshurun in NYC lsat week. The concert begins about 30 minutes into the video, and you'll find Yihye Tov where it belongs, as the finale. Sunday's Israel Headlines The Jerusalem Post Ha'aretz (English) Yediot Achronot Recommended Reading Opinion | I'm Not Angry at Hamas or Bibi. I'm Angry at Those Who I Believed Were Just Like Me- A feeling of terrible loneliness envelops me. I am a left-winger, I still believe that part of the harsh criticism of Israel is fully justified, I know what we are doing in the territories and in Gaza, I haven’t forgone my solid opinions. But I will not justify – and I expect of others not to justify – the barbarism, and not to “understand” it, not even by an iota, but to struggle against it. Every justification, every explanation, is unacceptable. And anyone who doesn’t get the point needs to shut up. Simply shut up. Temple Beth El 350 Roxbury Road Stamford, Connecticut 06902 203-322-6901 | www.tbe.org    A Conservative, Inclusive, Spiritual Community

Killing Kaddafy - Was it Ethical?

See http://www.thejewishweek.com/features/hammerman_ethics/killing_kaddafy

Q - Was it ethical to kill Muammar Kaddafy and Osama bin Laden on the spot, apparently in cold blood, rather than arrest them and bring them to trial? Didn’t it work for Iraq to try Saddam Hussein?

A – Yes, it was ethical to kill them right then and there.

It would have been nice to bring both to trial, but in both cases, it would also have been impractical and dangerous. The trial of Saddam Hussein proved cathartic to the Iraqi people and a boost to the nascent Iraqi justice system. But in Baghdad the Americans kept watch over the prisoner and the process to keep nefarious parties at bay. Such was not the case in Libya, where Kaddafy’s compatriots were still fighting to the finish on the day he was killed. Meanwhile, bin Laden’s buddies would have gone to great lengths to disrupt a trial, likely killing, maiming and kidnapping many along the way. Who knows what his Pakistani protectors would have done.

Think about it. If one Israeli soldier was traded for a thousand unknown terrorists, how many innocents would have been kidnapped to exchange for these prize prisoners?

Since the Shalit deal, in fact, some Israelis have argued for capital punishment for terrorists. They argue that imprisonment is hardly an impediment these days, given the current “rate of exchange” of a thousand to one. But the Israeli judiciary’s dedication to due process and the lack of capital punishment should not give too much comfort to those bent on terror – because Israeli drones are not nearly so charitable, and its security services have ways of making ticking-bomb terrorists disappear. The “ticking bomb” ethical scenario has been used to justify targeted killings and torture. This approach provides ample deterrence. Still, it is comforting to know that once terrorists are taken prisoner, Israel follows the norms of civilized nations ruled by law and protects the rights of prisoners to be kept alive and given a fair trial (with one controversial exception – the Bus 300 affair in 1984).

Gone are the days of Nuremberg Trial; those postwar proceedings neatly closed the door on a genocidal era that had commenced with the racist laws enacted in the same city just over a decade before. Perfectly symmetrical – what began in Nuremburg ended there. There was no such tidy culmination for families of the victims of 9/11 or Lockerbie, with no trial for the ringleaders. But the facts of those crimes were incontrovertible long before the prime perpetrators were killed, the guilt long since proven, confessed and even boasted, without need of a trial. History will be the ultimate judge of Kaddafy and bin laden. No jury is necessary.

Killing those two likely saved many lives, so on utilitarian grounds alone these were defensible acts, especially in wartime. That Kaddafy and bin Laden were also monsters responsible for the deaths of thousands only serves to further justify their treatment. They needed to be eliminated and buried in secrecy, so that they and their movements might be simultaneously snuffed out.

Anguish, Amichai and Warfare

This week’s portion, Shoftim, contains the basis for the value system behind Jewish warfare. Judaism is not pacifist – hardly – but it does very much believe in war as a last resort and as viable only when it is moral. Am excellent and comprehensive summary of the halachic position can be found here, at the site of Jlaw. It’s entitled "Fighting the War and the Peace: Battlefield Ethics, Peace Talks, Treaties, and Pacifism in the Jewish Tradition," by Michael J. Broyde. Also see this article for related information on this subject.

Maimonides included several laws of warfare in his listing of the 613 commandments in the Torah, and he placed them “last but not least.” To see them, scroll down to the bottom of http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm.

It’s a complicated topic, one that I have spoken about frequently. We need to understand it, but understanding, alas, will not help us to overcome the helplessness we all feel in a world where the ethics of warfare have become so murky.

The great poet Yehuda Amichai probably expresses that frustration better than anyone. See his poem, "I Want to Die in My Own Bed," as one example, as well as "Temporary Poem of My Time". Check out the home page of this site. It’s very moving.

Amichai ironically died just days before the second intifada erupted. Despite his death, his quintessentially human voice became the “voice of Jacob” as the fires raged, however, even in translation.

Perhaps his most oft-cited poem with regard to warfare is “The Diameter of the Bomb.”

The diameter of the bomb was thirty centimeters

and the diameter of its effective range about seven meters,

with four dead and eleven wounded.

And around these, in a larger circle of pain and time,

two hospitals are scattered and one graveyard.

But the young woman who was buried in the city she came from,

at a distance of more than a hundred kilometers,

enlarges the circle considerably,

and the solitary man mourning her death at the distant shores

of a country far across the sea includes the entire world in the circle.

And I won’t even mention the crying of orphans that reaches up to the throne of God and beyond,

making a circle with no end

and no God.