Q&A: Redeeming Captives
Redeeming Captives
Question
To Rabbi Michi, happy holiday.
Do you think that the price, and everything surrounding it—the division among the people, and the ride Netanyahu’s haters took on the event in order to suck his blood—the release of the hostages from Hamas, puts what is happening this morning under the definition of “redeeming captives”? In my humble opinion, it requires serious analysis whether that is indeed the case.
Answer
A semantic question devoid of any real meaning or value. You can ask whether it was worth making such a deal (no one knows; we have to wait and see what follows). But it is obvious that one should rejoice over the return of the hostages and be saddened by the rift (which is not really connected to the hostages). No one chose this whole package, so there is no meaning to asking whether it was worthwhile not to choose it.
If you heard about a case in which a person urgently needed a heart transplant, and in order to obtain the heart for the transplant two other people were put to death, would you call that event “healing the sick”? And would you dismiss the semantics and the title given to such an occurrence?
I’m a little surprised by the feigned innocence.