Sunday, December 4, 2011

Vayishlah 5772: Kill Or Be Killed?

In Genesis 32:8, the Torah says that Jacob was both afraid and troubled. Why does the Torah use both of these words when would have sufficed? Rashi explains that Jacob was afraid that Esau would kill him and troubled that he might have to kill in selfdefense.

Rashi's teaching is an important commentary on the nature of war and conflict. No one should ever relish or celebrate the act of killing in self defense. Killing to save a life might be tragically necessary at times, but it is never a cause for joy.

Israeli prime minister Golda Meir put it this way: We do not hate our enemies because they kill our children. We hate them because they force us to kill theirs.

No comments:

Post a Comment