Baruch Goldstein and more
Hello Rabbi.
I would like to clarify the attitude towards the man Baruch Goldstein. On the one hand, this is a doctor who saved many Jews and Arabs, including Arabs who were harmed by Jews (he only refused to treat terrorists). On the other hand, this is a man who brutally murdered innocent people during prayer, as is well known. It is clear to me that the act is a crime and if his intention had been known to anyone, that person should have been handed over to the police, etc. Some say that at the end of his days he really went mad from all the sights he saw and following the murder of many of his comrades. I don’t know…
Elie Wiesel testified that after the liberation of the Buchenwald camp, many of the survivors stormed in a rage into one of the nearby cities (Weimar, I think) and murdered people, raped women, robbed and abused the residents. I have never heard any condemnation of these terrible acts, and I probably never will.
Meir Har Zion, after his sister was murdered, went on his own initiative and murdered innocent people as revenge. But for some reason he is not remembered as a heinous murderer; on the contrary, he is a hero of Israel, receiving a state funeral in the presence of senior officers and statesmen, etc.
I have known the chairman of the ZAKA organization, Meshi Zahav, for years. Until now, it is hard for me to believe that such a good person was capable of harming so many people.
What is the appropriate treatment for a person who has committed both terrible and unforgivable acts?
Undefined question. Good deeds should be given due consideration and bad deeds should be given due consideration. Why do you need to reach a general bottom line? You need to decide whether to put him in hell or give him heaven?
Rabbi, but it is a fact that we do paint people's personalities with certain titles, Bibi the liar, Ben Gvir the racist, Olmert the corrupt, Yigal Amir the murderer, Emmanuel Moreno the brave hero (let's be honest). And in the examples above, Goldstein is a heinous murderer and the Jews who raped German women out of revenge will forever be remembered as noble Holocaust victims, Meir Har Zion a national hero, and as for Meshi Zahav, his reputation has apparently gone, and all this regardless of his other good/bad deeds. So my question is, on what basis do we do this and is it true?
If someone has a consistent and clear line in their personality, it is certainly possible to attach such a title to them. There is no right or wrong here. The question was about judging a person, and there is no need to reach a bottom line here. Judge him for each act separately.
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