The humanitarian crises in Gaza
are a result of the terrorist attack on Israel
by Hamas on Shmini Atzeres-October 7,
2023.
Hamas’s continued behavior demonstrates cynical
indifference to the fate of the inhabitants of Gaza. Israel was
fully justified in responding militarily.
Hamas and its partners – including “civilian”
collaborators who aided and abetted atrocities such as murder, hostage-taking,
imprisonment and torture – are ultimately responsible for the
horrific conditions in Gaza.
Yet this does not free Israel’s government from
responsibility for conditions within Gaza that it can monitor and
improve.
These conditions are dire. Seventy percent of the buildings,
including hospitals and schools, have been reduced to rubble.
Inhabitants have been displaced many times.
The war has continued for close to two years and
malnutrition is leading to famine.
We acknowledge the many millions of meals Israel has
supplied from its own resources
as well as the vast amount of aid from other agencies
that the army has allowed in
during these 22 months of war. Israel must continue
to attempt
to the utmost extent of its capacity
to alleviate the lack of minimal food and medical care
for millions of
people,
men, women and
children in Gaza.
We are not naive.
We realize that some food aid
will end up in Hamas' hands
and that this aid provides them
with economic and social weapons
they will use to brutally hold on to power.
However, given that the policy of withholding food
aid
was shown to be ineffective,
erring on the side of mercy is called for.
The evils perpetrated by Hamas
have provoked much justifiable
anger
amongst Israelis and Jews all over the world.
This anger does not justify vigilanteism and reprisals
against the Arab population in Yehuda and Shomron (the West Bank).
All Orthodox Jews should protest the lawlessness and
cruelty of that behavior.
In the long course of this war,
ministers with yarmulkes and tichels
have advocated strategies and tactics such as
mass deprivation and indiscriminate
suffering.
We repudiate such perspectives and positions as inimical
to the morality and ethics of a nation described
as rachmanim,
bayshamnim v’gomlei chasadim –
merciful, self effacing,
and performers of kindness (Yevamos 79b).
Orthodox Jewry,
who are the most loyal supporters of Israel,
have a special responsibility to encourage
maximizing
humanitarian aid in Gaza
and to contribute to that aid.
We must publicly declare
that Judaism is committed to the biblical teaching
that all humans are created in the Divine image,
and that we are true descendants of the Avos
who follow the path of God
in living a life of righteousness and compassion.
In this regard,
we quote from the the Netziv (Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda
Berlin) zt”l’s
introduction to Sefer Bereishis.
In explaining why Chazal refer to this first Book
of the Torah as Sefer HaYashar, he writes
these still stirring and fundamental words:
This was the greatness of
our forefathers.
In addition to being righteous,
pious, and lovers of God to the utmost degree,
they were also yesharim.
That means they were
civil with the [other] nations of the world, despite [the latter]
being detestable idol worshipers. Our
forefathers nevertheless extended them love
and evinced concern for their
welfare,
as this fortifies [God’s]
creation…
we see how our forefather
Avraham exerted himself greatly
in prayer for the welfare of
Sodom.
He desired their
survival,
even though he totally
detested them
and their king
due to their evil ways .
Avraham was the father of a multitude of nations. For even when one’s
son is not walking in righteousness,
A father still]
seeks out his wellbeing and benefit…
See how magnanimous our
forefather Yitzchak was with his enemies
and was reconciled
to a much greater extent
than befitted the insufficient
minimal words of appeasement
articulated by Avimelech .
Our forefather Yaakov was justifiably
furious with Lavan
who clearly wanted to murder him
and it would have happened
were it not for God’s
intervention.
Yaakov nevertheless spoke
with Lavan in a gentle manner,
and quickly accomplished a
rapprochement with Lavan,
in a way that was extolled by
our sages in Bereishis Rabbah (Parasha 74),
“[Better] the anger of the
forefathers than the modesty of the descendant…”
This is the
behavior that sustains the world, which is the theme particular to this
Book, the Book that describes Creation.
A Book known as Sefer Ha-Yashar,
highlighting what
was embodied in so much of our forefathers’ actions.
We the co-creators of Rischa Daraiisa
call on Orthodox Jewry to model these
attitudes
and on Medinas Yisroel
to put this legacy into practice
in dealing with the
civilian Arab populations of Gaza, Yehuda and Shomron.
Rav Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kivelevitz
