Q&A: The Value of “Bringing Someone to Burial in Israel”
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Value of “Bringing Someone to Burial in Israel”
Question
In burying the dead, there are several elements: a. Most simply—you have to do something with the body. b. A place of seclusion and remembrance with the deceased for the family and relatives. c. A religious matter—the commandment to bury the dead.
When a “definitely dead” person is being held hostage by Hamas, are considerations b + c worth a deal in which living murderers are released?
Answer
In my view, it is not worth paying any price in order to bury a dead person (I wrote about this here in the past when I mentioned a debate with Prof. Ravitzky). That is my value judgment. Of course, if the families are in distress, that is indeed a consideration.