Question

Hello Rabbi
 
Kirk’s widow, Erika, said at the ceremony held in his memory that she forgives the murderer, just as Jesus did (apparently a reference to his words, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” on his way to the cross) and as he surely would have wanted. I wanted to ask what you think about this. On the one hand, I think there is nobility and a high moral level here—the ability, even at a very difficult moment when an evil and corrupt person has more or less destroyed your life, to find love and compassion in your heart. (Jesus’ argument in the Sermon on the Mount for acting this way is that this is the attribute of the Holy One, blessed be He: He makes His sun rise even on the wicked. Philosophically this is also correct, because God’s existence is certainly absolute good toward His creatures; the question is whether this is an appropriate ethical implication.) On the other hand, there is the issue of having compassion for the cruel and of eradicating evil—can these things coexist, or are they an antithesis? Thank you, and have a sweet year.