Wednesday 26 August 2009

CiF Watch

CiF Watch

A group of apparently British folks has launched a blog/website called CiF Watch. They have set themselves the goal of holding the Guardian to account for the antisemitism routinely spewed by its writers at Comment is Free and in the moderated comments section beneath each article. They have clearly done their preparatory work. See for example their survey of the various authors and their opinions as expressed so far, and their page about some of the commenters.

Will they succeed in holding the Guardian to account? No. Will they even be noticed? I hope so but am not holding my breath. Will they manage to preservere at the odious task of regularly reading CiF? That depends on how masochistic they are. Still, if they do, their effort will at least serve as a valuable resource.

The one quibble I have is their choice to remain annonymous. Their explanation is that they're wary:

Due to intimidation suffered by those that have spoken out about the very issues
that we raise, we have regretfully decided to remain anonymous.


I'm not a fan of such decisions. They don't live in Hamas-controlled Gaza, or Iran, or Egypt, or Syria, or all the many other places in the world where it's dangerous to have an opinion. And if they do, why stay there?

That one issue aside, however, they look like a group that should be encouraged. All you need do is bookmark them.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

Israel Matzav: ElBaradei protects the 'Iranian brothers'

ElBaradei protects the 'Iranian brothers'

Last week, I reported that the IAEA was covering up information that indicated that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. In Wednesday's New York Times, a similar story is presented in which outgoing IAEA director Mohammed ElBaradei is trying to protect the 'Iranian brothers' by resisting pressure from the United States and Europe for a public airing of the evidence against Iran.

The request has touched off an internal debate in the agency over how directly to confront Iran over its continued refusal, over several years, to answer questions about documents and computer files suggesting military-led efforts to design a nuclear weapon. Iran has charged that the documents, many of which came from American, Israeli and European intelligence services, are fabrications. The agency, according to current and former officials there, has studied them with care and determined that they are probably genuine.

“What we and all the allies are pressing for is for the full case to be laid out, in public,” one senior Obama administration official said last week, speaking anonymously because he was discussing intelligence data.

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Israel Matzav: ElBaradei protects the 'Iranian brothers'

Sweden's hatred for Israel boils to the surface...

Sweden's hatred for Israel boils to the surface...

Sweden's Refusal
to Condemn Organ Libel is Bogus

by Alan M. Dershowitz

Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

Posted: 25 Aug 2009 03:58 PM PDT


The Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has refused to condemn a “blood libel” published by one of Sweden’s leading newspapers, Aftonbladet. The article outrageously claims that Jewish soldiers in Israel killed Palestinians in order to harvest their organs. The writer of the article, Donald Bostrom has acknowledged, according to the New York Times, that “he has no idea whether the accusations are true.” Yet a widely-read Swedish newspaper was prepared to publish this undocumented and highly volatile accusation, without requiring its author to present any credible evidence.

This false accusation is reminiscent of the medieval blood libels that falsely accused Jews of killing Christian children in order to use their blood for religious rituals.

Not only has foreign minister Bildt refused to issue to a personal condemnation of the current “organ libel,” his foreign ministry explicitly disavowed the denunciation that was issued by Sweden’s Ambassador to Israel, who had called the article “shocking and appalling.” In a self-righteous statement, Mr. Bildt claimed that condemnation of the article would be inappropriate because freedom of expression is a part of the Swedish Constitution.

This is a bogus and ignorant argument, as anyone who understands freedom of speech will attest. I have devoted much of my life to defending freedom of speech and consider myself something of an expert on the matter. Nobody is talking about censoring the Swedish press or imprisoning the writer of the absurd article. What we are talking about is expanding the marketplace of ideas to include a completely warranted condemnation of sloppy journalism and outrageous accusations that foment an already increasing anti-Semitism in Sweden. Freedom of speech is based on an open and vibrant marketplace of ideas. No journalist is immune from criticism for bigotry and defamation, even from high ranking government officials.

Recall that virtually every government official in Europe went out of their way to condemn the depiction of perfectly innocent cartoons that offended some Muslims by portraying Mohammed. (More recently, the Yale Press withdrew these cartoons and other classic art depicting Mohammed out of fear of violent reaction.) Without getting into the business of comparative offensiveness, no reasonable person could argue that depicting a long-dead religious figure comes anywhere close to falsely accusing contemporary Jews of murdering innocent Palestinians to steal their organs.

The reality is that the Swedish government, long known for its cowardice, simply does not want to get into a fight with the Muslim world, much as it didn’t want to get into a fight with the Nazi’s during the Second World War. Sweden is perfectly willing to sell out the Jews in the name of neutrality, or in this case, in the false name of freedom of expression. Its silence is beneath contempt.

I am offended by Sweden’s craven complicity with evil not only as a Jew, but also as a strong defender of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech carries with it certain obligations as well. One of those is to condemn false speech. The best answer to false speech is not censorship, it is truthfulness. By remaining silent in the face of the bigoted falsities contained in the Aftonbladet article, the Swedish foreign minister inevitably creates the impression that he sympathizes with the writer, and perhaps even with his conclusions. Mr. Bildt, too, has freedom of speech, which he has exercised on many occasions. By choosing not to exercise it on this occasion—or even worse, by exercising it to criticize the Swedish Ambassador to Israel for her condemnation of the article—Bildt becomes a facilitator of bigotry. He should be ashamed of himself. His country should be ashamed of him. And if his country is not ashamed of him, then every decent person in the world should be ashamed of Sweden.

Silence in the face of evil is not an option. As Edmund Burke reminded us many years ago: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” To that I may add, “Or say nothing.”

taken from B'NAI ELIM (Sons of the Mighty)

Chester Chronicles - Are You An Islamophobe?

Are You An Islamophobe?

Take This Test To Be Sure

The greatest danger is a closed mind and a finger-on-the-trigger. The minds are closing all over Europe; rather late in the day, the small resistance emerges. American minds have also been shutting down for many years. For example, one is really not allowed to talk about race or religion (gender is fair game–look at all the photos of naked women that still surround us). One cannot say “black” or “African-American” without raising a storm. One dare not say “Islam” or “Muslim” without raising an even bigger storm.

Americans (students, professors, journalists, film stars, media talking heads, left-liberal bloggers) are especially sensitive to the wrongs done to the Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims–and, no doubt, wrongs have been done. But these same Americans are a lot less sensitive to the sorrows, nay, the atrocities, that these very groups (Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims) inflict upon their very own and upon infidels.

Try to talk about this, try to raise the issue of Islam’s long history of colonialism, genocide, and gender and religious apartheid and you will quickly be demonized as a “racist” or as an “Islamophobe.”

Lorna Saltzman, a really good writer, an environmentalist, and once a Green Party Presidential candidate, has written a Test Guide for all those who are genuinely worried about their own racism or Islamophobia. She writes:

Are you an Islamophobe? Here is a simple test.

Lorna Saltzman’s Test

Do you favor equal rights and treatment of women and men?

Do you oppose stoning of women accused of adultery?

Do you favor mandatory education of girls everywhere?

Do you oppose slavery and child prostitution?

Do you support complete freedom of expression and the press?

Do you support the right of an individual to worship in her chosen religion?

Do you oppose government- and mosque-supported anti-Semitic publications, radio, TV and textbooks?

Do you oppose the wearing of burqas in public places, schools and courts?

Do you oppose segregation of the sexes in public places and houses of worship?

Do you oppose the death penalty for non-Muslims and Muslims who convert to another religion?

Do you oppose “honor” killings?

Do you oppose female genital mutilation?

Do you oppose forced sexual relations?

Do you oppose discrimination against homosexuals?

Do you support the right to criticize religion?

Do you oppose polygamy?

Do you oppose child marriage, forced or otherwise?

Do you oppose the quranic mandate to kill non-Muslims and apostates?

Do you oppose the addition of sharia courts to your country’s legal system?

Do you disagree with the quran which asserts the superiority of Islam to all other religions?

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Chester Chronicles - Are You An Islamophobe?

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Israel Matzav: 'A Disneyland version of hell'

Israel Matzav: 'A Disneyland version of hell'

Israel Matzav: Human rights groups blasted for ignoring Shalit

Human rights groups blasted for ignoring Shalit

Today is the 23rd birthday of kidnapped IDF corporal Gilad Shalit. Shalit has spent more than three years in captivity, being held by the Hamas terror organization.

On June 22, 2009, Dr. Elena Bonner, the 86-year old widow of former Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, spoke to the Oslo Freedom Forum. In her speech, she blasted the 'human rights' groups who have ignored Shalit's fate for the last three years (Hat Tip: Jeff Jacoby via Twitter).
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Israel Matzav: Human rights groups blasted for ignoring Shalit

Israel Matzav: Poll: Legalize 'outposts,' no freeze, Peace Now harmful

Poll: Legalize 'outposts,' no freeze, Peace Now harmful

A poll by Ma'agar Mochot shows that wide majorities of Israelis agree with statements made by Moshe (Boogie) Yaalon (pictured with Netanyahu) at a meeting of the Likud's Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) faction last week, and will disagree in the event that Prime Minister Netanyahu reaches a 'settlement freeze' deal with the Americans, as appears increasingly likely.
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Israel Matzav: Poll: Legalize 'outposts,' no freeze, Peace Now harmful

Israel Matzav: Netanyahu and Obama reach a deal?

Netanyahu and Obama reach a deal?

Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is meeting in London on Wednesday with US Special Middle East envoy George Mitchell amid reports that Israel and the United States are on the verge of reaching an agreement regarding a 'settlement freeze' (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). The bottom line is that Israel is going to trade a 'settlement freeze' for a purportedly tougher US line on Iran.
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Israel Matzav: Netanyahu and Obama reach a deal?

Israel Matzav: Iran's automatic majority comes through

Iran's automatic majority comes through

Nearly two weeks ago, I reported that Iran would seek to introduce a resolution at the September IAEA meeting that would ban any attacks against nuclear facilities anywhere in the world. The resolution is obvious intended to protect Iran's facilities from attack by Israel.

On Wednesday, the 118-member Non-Aligned Movement announced that it would support the Iranian initiative. Since there are 150 members of the IAEA, that ensures that the Iranian initiative will pass.

The IAEA's 150-nation general conference convenes September 14. The annual conference regularly pits Israel backed by the US and its other Western nations, against Islamic states and other nonaligned countries seeking to censure Israel and its nuclear secrecy.

The Iranian proposal was revealed to the AP last week. That and the nonaligned support, outlined in a letter shared with the AP on Wednesday, aims to give Islamic nations additional leverage at the conference.

The IAEA conference already passed a resolution in September 1990. But Iran argues a new resolution is called for because the use of nuclear power - and the corresponding international damage that any attacks would cause - have greatly increased since then.

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Israel Matzav: Iran's automatic majority comes through

Israel Matzav: Iran's deeply disturbing missile development

Iran's deeply disturbing missile development

Uzi Rubin, who oversaw the development of Israel's Arrow missile from 1991-99, discusses Iran's disturbing progress in offensive missile development.

It's not just Israel's problem anymore. The cumulative weight of Iranian missile development achievements in the last two years puts Iran's programs into a context which might be wider than the Middle East. Up to now, the Iranian programs could fit only a local scenario. However, recent developments may show not necessarily the intention but at least the capability of the Iranians to extend their missile program to potential targets beyond the Middle East.

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Israel Matzav: Iran's deeply disturbing missile development

Israel Matzav: Son of former SLA member serving in the IDF

Son of former SLA member serving in the IDF

The IDF reports on the son of a former member of the South Lebanon Army, who is now serving in the IDF.

Staff Sergeant A’ is a child of parents who served in the South Lebanon Army (SLA). He grew up in southern Lebanon and escaped Israel with his family when the IDF pulled out of Lebanon in 2000. Nowadays, he serves in the IDF as an aircraft technician and feels a sense of belonging to Israel.

The last loss of Hassan Nasrallah, in the Lebanon elections, has a special significance to Staff Sergeant A’; a first class aircraft technician in the IAF. A’ was born in Lebanon, during the time his father served in the South Lebanon Army. The SLA was supported by Israel during the 1982-2000 South Lebanon conflict against Hezbollah and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Before permanently moving to Israel, A’s family often visited Israel. “I can’t remember my first visit to Israel,” tells A’, from his station at the Tel Nof Airbase. “Our visits to Israel were in order to visit family relatives living in Israel. Even my four older sisters were born here.”

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Israel Matzav: Son of former SLA member serving in the IDF

Israel Matzav: Swedish Chancellor of Justice to determine charges of racial agitation

Swedish Chancellor of Justice to determine charges of racial agitation

The Swedish Chancellor of Justice has been asked to determine whether the Social Democratic party's daily tabloid Aftonbladet is guilty of racial agitation in light of its unsubstantiated blood libel that charges IDF soldiers with having murdered 'Palestinians' and stolen and sold their organs.

"Is that true? I am perplexed," Åsa Linderborg, Aftonbladet's culture editor, said after being informed by the The Local of the report on Tuesday.

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Israel Matzav: Swedish Chancellor of Justice to determine charges of racial agitation

Israel Matzav: Venezuela's Jews on the run

Venezuela's Jews on the run

The Miami Herald reports that Jews no longer feel safe in Venezuela. The community is shrinking as many Jews flee to Miami - and probably to Israel. The main motivation for fleeing is an education law that requires even private schools like the local Jewish schools to teach something called “Bolivarian doctrine,” a vague catchall for whatever Hugo Chávez wants it to be. The schools will be supervised by “communal councils” (read: commissars from the socialist party) and the central government will decide who can and who cannot enter universities and the teaching profession. They have also restricted the teaching of foreign languages, i.e. Hebrew.

As it happened in Cuba under Fidel Castro, the number of Jews in Venezuela has dramatically decreased since Hugo Chávez came to power. The Hebrew community has been the object of invectives from the president himself and the government media. Which prompts me to ask: What will be the fate of the vibrant Jewish community in the land that gave refuge to my ancestors and served as a model to the Jewish diaspora?

``The fact is, many members of the Jewish community have left Venezuela,'' said Abraham Levy Benshimol, president of Venezuela's Confederation of Israeli Associations. ``The more people we lose, the more difficult it becomes to maintain our institutions.''

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Israel Matzav: Venezuela's Jews on the run

Israel Matzav: An unanswered question

Israel Matzav: An unanswered question

Poor Planning by the Elders of Zion

Poor Planning by the Elders of Zion

A commentor at Harry's Place asked the other day why Aftonbladet isn't following the story of the Swedish harvesting of Norwegian fishers' feet. Seemed a good question to me.

In the meantime, someone at the Elders of Zion isn't coordinating efforts very well. According to this item in Haaretz today, Israeli researchers have made an important breakthrough in treating heart disease. I'm not an expert in any of this, but it seems to me, having read the item, that if they succeed there may be less of a need for heart transplants. Which would indicate different parts of the conspiracy are contradicting each other.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations

Netanyahu to UK: Jerusalem is Sovereign Capital of Israel - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

Netanyahu to UK: Jerusalem is Sovereign Capital of Israel - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

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IDF Foils Terrorist Attack in Hevron - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

IDF Foils Terrorist Attack in Hevron - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News
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Peres: Kennedy Studied Israel's Health Insurance - Politics & Government - Israel News - Israel National News

Peres: Kennedy Studied Israel's Health Insurance - Politics & Government - Israel News - Israel National News
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Synagogues Flourish in Secular Kibbutzim - Jewish World - Israel News - Israel National News

Synagogues Flourish in Secular Kibbutzim - Jewish World - Israel News - Israel National News
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Unprecedented Miniature Carving of Alexander the Great Found - Inside Israel - Israel News - Israel National News

Unprecedented Miniature Carving of Alexander the Great Found - Inside Israel - Israel News - Israel National News
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RubinReports: If Everyone Else was Jumping off a Cliff, Would You do it? Middle East Answer: Yes, if Israel Didn’t Like It

If Everyone Else was Jumping off a Cliff, Would You do it? Middle East Answer: Yes, if Israel Didn’t Like It

By Barry Rubin

Who won that Lebanese election again?

True, Hizballah doesn’t control the majority, but with a president who is pretty submissive to Syria and Hizballah having a veto, the next government of Lebanon won’t be too independent-minded. Forget about condemning Syria for its involvement in past (and future?) terror attacks against Lebanese leaders, journalists, and judges. Forget about stopping massive arms’ smuggling to Hizballah or keeping Hizballah from treating the south of the country as its own private estate.

Saad Hariri, who will probably be the next prime minister and whose father was assassinated by Syria says:

"The national unity government will include the [Hariri’s] March 14 alliance, and I also want to assure the Israeli enemy that Hezbollah will be in this government whether it likes it or not because Lebanon's interests require all parties be involved in this cabinet.”

Wow, sounds like a real tough guy. But the problem, as Hariri well knows, is not that Israel won’t like it but also that he and most Lebanese won’t like it. If Hizballah again provokes Israel into a war, as happened in 2006, Lebanon’s interests will be once again smashed because of the interests of Iran, Syria, and Hizballah, using Lebanon as a battlefield to achieve regional hegemony and spread Islamism.
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RubinReports: If Everyone Else was Jumping off a Cliff, Would You do it? Middle East Answer: Yes, if Israel Didn’t Like It

RubinReports: Let’s Pretend We’re Making Arab-Israeli, Israel-Palestinian Peace

Let’s Pretend We’re Making Arab-Israeli, Israel-Palestinian Peace

By Barry Rubin

Here’s one of my favorite stories explaining how the Middle East works. It was told by Muhammad Hussanein Heikal, the famed Egyptian journalist. Like all Heikal’s stories, it may or may not be true, which is also part of the lesson being taught.

When Muammar Qadhafi first became Libya’s dictator, Heikal was dispatched to meet and evaluate him by Egypt’s ruler, Gamal Abdel Nasser. After returning to Cairo, Heikal was quickly ushered into the president’s office.

“Well,” said Egypt’s president, “what do you think of Qadhafi?”

“He’s a disaster! A catastrophe!”

“Why,” asked the president, “is he against us?”

“Oh no, far worse than that,” Heikal claims to have replied. “He’s for us and he really believes all the stuff we are saying!”

The point was that the Egyptian regime took the propaganda line out of self-interest that all Arabs should be united into one state under its leadership, all the Arab monarchies overthrown, Israel wiped off the map immediately, and Western influence expelled, but it knew itself incapable of achieving these goals and to try to do so would bring disaster. Indeed, when Nasser had tried to implement part of this program in 1967, he provoked Israel into attacking and suffered his worst disaster.

Come to think of it, Arab regimes are still playing this game of systematically purveying radicalism, hatred, and unachievable goals to distract their populace, excuse their own failings, focus antagonism against foreign scapegoats and seek regional ambitions.

Western governments do this kind of thing a bit differently.

In this regard, recent statements by a number of leaders including President Barack Obama, prime ministers Gordon Brown and Benjamin Netanyahu, and others, establish an important principle:

Actually achieving Middle East peace is of no importance. The only thing that is important is saying that progress is being made and that peace will come soon.
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RubinReports: Let’s Pretend We’re Making Arab-Israeli, Israel-Palestinian Peace

HonestReporting - Christian Science Monitor: Erasing Jewish Rights

Christian Science Monitor: Erasing Jewish Rights

Walter Rodgers goes far beyond a simple debate over settlements.

Rightly or wrongly, the settlement issue continues to dominate headlines and op-ed columns. Settlements are by no means a consensus issue both inside and outside of Israel and the debate surrounding them is part of a legitimate public discourse.

An op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor by former CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Walter Rodgers, however, presents a distorted and one-sided argument that goes beyond the settlement issue, touching instead on the very legitimacy of Jewish rights to the land of Israel.

Here, we deconstruct some of Rodgers' more egregious statements.

  • "Does any serious observer of the region believe that Israel's appetite for land – owned and occupied for generations by Palestinians – is going to abate?"

Considering Walter Rodgers spent 5 and half years living in Jerusalem, his grasp of history is evidently very weak. Rodgers ignores continuous Jewish habitation dating back over 3,000 years while exaggerating Palestinian claims. This, despite the fact that no independent Arab or Palestinian state has ever existed on the land that is now Israel and the Palestinian territories.

In addition, how can Rodgers accuse Israel of an uncontrollable "appetite for land" while ignoring Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005?

  • "Just weeks ago, the Israeli government evicted two extended Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, clearing the way for more houses for Jews in traditionally Palestinian neighborhoods."

Once again failing to add context, Rodgers fails to mention that the two Palestinian families were evicted for non payment of rent following a long and drawn out legal dispute. Instead, Rodgers prefers to imply far more nefarious motives behind Israeli actions which were the result of Israel's court system and not the government as Rodgers charges.

  • "Israeli settlements have become a kind of concrete kudzu to Palestinians. The Fatah party recently renewed its commitment to resisting them, holding that "the Palestinians have the right to resist the Israeli occupation by all possible means.""

Is Rodgers suggesting that threatening violence and a return to suicide bombings and terror is understandable or acceptable due to the existence of settlements? The extremist language employed by Fatah at its recent convention did not apply specifically to settlements but to all Israeli presence in the West Bank and beyond.

Rodgers appears to be undisturbed by Palestinian threats of violence but excessively concerned by building taking place within pre-existing settlements. This willingness to excuse or look the other way when Palestinians threaten or carry out violence is symptomatic of a double standard in the media and diplomatic processes.

  • "Further, religious and ultrareligious Jewish settlers insist they have divinely bestowed title to the land. Few passages in the Bible are more frightening to Arabs than Deuteronomy 11:24:

"Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.""

Attributing biblical passages to imply Israeli designs on vast tracts of the Middle East far beyond the borders of Israel or even the West Bank is a staple of Arab conspiracy theories. We seriously doubt that Arabs are genuinely frightened by this biblical passage, which has never been adopted as a policy by any Israeli government.

In stark contrast, the Hamas Charter, basing itself on religious claims, calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, while even the PLO's charter has never been amended to remove this threat. Rodgers may instead wish to ask whether Jews should be the ones fearful of the very real religious and ideological agenda promoted by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the global Jihad movement.

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HonestReporting - Christian Science Monitor: Erasing Jewish Rights

UNIVERSAL TORAH: KI SEITZEI

UNIVERSAL TORAH: KI SEITZEI

By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum

Torah Reading: KI SEITZEI, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19.
Haftara: Isaiah 54:1-10.

WINNING THE PEACE

On first examination, our parshah, KI SEITZEI, may appear to be a collection of many apparently unrelated commandments in a wide variety of different areas. It is not immediately clear in what way the opening words of the parshah -- "When you go out to WAR" (Deut. 21:10) -- set the theme for the whole of the rest of the parshah. The question is sharpened by the fact that in the previous parshah, SHOFTIM, we already had a Torah section beginning with precisely the same words: "When you go out to war against your enemy" (Deut. 20:1). As discussed in the commentary on SHOFTIM, it is in that section that the Torah sets forth the main laws relating to the conduct of actual war. Our present parshah of KI SEITZEI begins with a mitzvah that applies after the battle is already over -- what to do with a beautiful captive. Yet five verses later, the Torah turns to the laws of inheritance, education of children, lost property and other areas that have little apparent connection with war.

There are indeed a few more references to actual war later on in our parshah. The Israelite camp must be pure (Deut. 23:10); a newly married man is exempt from military service (Deut. 24:5); and at the end of the parshah, we are commanded to remember the first war against Israel, that of Amalek. However, the greater part of the parshah deals with laws that relate not so much to war on the actual battlefield as to life on the home front. In the home itself, in social life and in business, out and about in the town, out in the field and out in the wilds of our own hearts, we confront a different enemy: the Evil Inclination. It is against this enemy that we must learn the stratagems of warfare and battle. "The Torah speaks against none other than the Evil Inclination" (Rashi on Deut. 21:11).

Many of the situations we face every day confront us with choices. These include difficult choices between what reason, intuition and conscience may be telling us to do, and what our more impulsive side is pushing us to do. In parshas KI SEITZEI, the Torah provides us with guidance in making the right and good choices when fighting the battles of daily life in the home, at work, in business and in many other contexts.

The opening mitzvah of the parshah, that of the beautiful captive, addresses a fundamental issue facing all who seek to observe the Torah in the fullest way possible. Since the Torah regulates our interactions with the outside world down to the very food we take into our mouths and the clothes we wear, what, if anything, are we allowed to take from the alien cultures around us? The beautiful captive embodies all that is most alluring and enticing in the alien culture. The Torah tells us to "let her hair grow long and her nails grow like claws": instead of allowing ourselves to jump at surface attractiveness, we must take a little time to discover how quickly this fades and turns ugly. The Torah teaches us not to fall for immediate surface appeal but to consider the longer term consequences and ramifications of the choices and decisions we make. The beautiful captive may turn into a hated wife who bears a glutton, drunkard son. The Torah sees to the end of the matter.

One bad choice can lead to a lot of evil and suffering. On the other hand, a single good choice, even over something tiny, can lead to amazing goodness -- in this world and the next. What could be more insignificant than walking on a road somewhere and happening to find a bird's nest with a mother and eggs or fledglings? How can it be that sending away the mother bird before taking the eggs or fledglings (it costs you nothing) guarantees long life in this world and the next? (Deut. 22:6-7). Only the One who is above time and Who sees from the beginning of a thing to the end knows what are the long-term consequences of our actions in this world, for good or for bad. It is precisely because we do not see the long-term consequences of our actions that we need true guidance in making our choices. The commandments contained in TI SEITZEI give us practical guidance in our home and family life, in making a livelihood and doing business, in how we talk and many other areas "in order that He may bestow good on you and you will lengthen your days" (Deut. 22:7).

Each of the commandments in the parshah must be taken on the level of PSHAT -- the simple meaning -- and each one involves detailed binding laws, as discussed in the relevant sections of the Talmud and Codes. At the same time, each word of each verse contains the deepest levels of SOD -- secret meaning -- so that when we fulfil these laws in practice, we even unknowingly create configurations of G-dliness and goodness in the world around us and in our own hearts and souls. In the following discussion of the commandments contained in our parshah, they are discussed not in the sequence in which they appear in the parshah but under themes.

THE HOME AND THE FAMILY

The opening mitzvah of the parshah, that of the beautiful captive, takes us directly inside the home, which is where the captive is taken to "grow her hair and nails". Life in the home and in the family is a central theme throughout the parshah. Immediately following the law of the beautiful captive comes a hint of marital discord (the hated wife), followed by the Torah law of family inheritance and the birthright. This is followed by the law of the gluttonous son, whose penalty is to be stoned to death. The requisite amounts of meat and wine the gluttonous son would have to imbibe were so gigantic that in practice no one would ever fulfill all the conditions that would make them liable to the death penalty. The Torah does not want to kill the son, but rather to teach the essence of good parenting, from childhood onwards and especially during puberty and adolescence. Children need not be given everything they want. They must be taught to listen to the voice of mother and father, wisdom and understanding.

The education of girls for the life of Torah and the holiness of Israel is no less important than that of boys. The stoning of the girl whose new husband found her to have been unfaithful after their betrothal is not only a terrible punishment for the girl. It is a bitter lesson for her father, outside whose house the execution takes place. "See the offspring you have raised" (Rashi on Deut. 22:21). The holiness of the Israelite home and family is based upon KIDDUSHIN, the act of betrothal whereby husband and wife sanctify and dedicate themselves to one another. In bringing up a new generation, the parental duty is to ensure that girls understand the holiness and seriousness of marriage and of marital fidelity. They must understand what is happening to their pubescent bodies and the attendant dangers in the outside world and from the lurking Evil Urge. This education is particularly important today, when the world is flooded with a culture that encourages teenagers to think of nothing but sexual attraction and romance all day every day. The laws of rape and seduction in our parshah underline how carefully parents must protect their daughters (and sons). Protection must start by lovingly teaching our children about the uniqueness and holiness of Israel and the special level of conduct required of BNEY MELACHIM, children of kings -- "for your are children of HaShem".

Our parshah contains the laws of marriage and divorce that make up most of SEDER NASHIM, the Order of the Mishneh relating to these areas. These include the laws of YIBUM, the Levirate marriage, and CHALITZA, the ceremony for nullifying it, with all their many secrets. Many of the basic laws of KIDDUSHIN and NISU'IM, betrothal and marriage, are learned from verses in our parshah, as are the laws of the GET, "bill of divorce". The prohibition against a divorced woman who married another man from subsequently remarrying her first husband sets Israel apart from the alien culture that licenses switching back and forth from one partner to another. The holiness of the bond between husband and wife is founded on its exclusiveness. In the realities of life in the world we live in, divorce is sometimes necessary and must be carried out with the proper procedure. However, there is no doubt that the Torah prefers not to license divorce (which "makes the altar-stones weep") but rather that man and wife should joyously build their home together to fulfil "and your camp shall be holy" (Deut. 23:15) for many long, good years. The first year of marriage sets the foundation for all that follows. In that year the groom is commanded that "he make joyous his wife that he took" (Deut. 24:5). The surest foundation for joy in the home is the study and practice of the Torah.

Bound up with the laws of marriage are the laws relating to personal status and those entitled to enter the community of Israel. The community excludes male Ammonites and Moabites (though King David himself was descended from a Moabitess), and Egyptians and Edomites to the third generation. A different status is that of the MAMZER, who as the child of an incestuous relationship of Israelites is also inherently flawed and may not marry into the community. The purpose of these laws is to protect the purity of the Israelite family.

The home is a private domain -- so much so that even a creditor may not enter to take a pledge but must wait outside for the debtor to bring it out. But while the home is private, it must be a place of dignity so that G-d's holy Presence may dwell there. Dignity begins with personal hygiene and cleanliness, which is why the Torah commands us to attend to our physical needs "outside the camp" and properly cover the waste. Within our homes, we are free to do all that the Torah permits, but we must keep our eyes open and take precautions against potential dangers. "Make a parapet for your roof". The law to make a parapet to prevent someone falling off the roof is the foundation of the general Torah law that potential hazards of all kinds should be removed (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat #427). Not only does the Torah govern how we build our homes. It even governs the clothes we wear: we may not wear mixtures of wool and linen, and men must wear Tzitztis. The Tzitzis are the first line of defense against immorality (which is why the commandment of wearning Tzitzis immediately precedes the laws of the betrothed maiden). A man must not wear women's clothes or ornaments and vice versa.

MAKING A LIVING: BETWEEN MAN AND HIS FELLOW

Commandments relating to making a living -- from plowing the land to loans and the money economy -- also take up major parts of parshas KI SEITZEI. Just as the separation between Israel and the nations is part of G-d's order, so is the separation between different species of animals and vegetables. One must not drive the plow with an ox and a donkey together. One may not plant one field with diverse species. What distinguishes Israel is the trait of kindness and compassion, which must be carefully cultivated. When harvesting the crops, gifts must be left for the unfortunate and the needy: the proselyte, the widow, the orphan and the poor. The farmer must even be sensitive to the feelings of his ox: while threshing, he may not muzzle the ox to prevent it munching on some of the produce while at work.

Relevant to all are the laws governing the respective rights and obligations of employers and employees. The employee must work industriously and may not abuse the privileges the Torah gives him. Having completed his work, he is entitled to prompt payment: now the mitzvah is on the employer. The laws in our parshah relating to the money economy include those of giving interest-free loans to fellow Israelites and the strict prohibition of taking interest (RIBIS). Business activity is to be governed by the laws of fair weights and measures.

Not only are we bound to conduct our business dealings with integrity. We are responsible for the property of others if they loose it -- our parshah contains the laws of lost property. And if our friend gets into trouble -- if his donkey can't carry the load -- we must help him rearrange the load.

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DOUBLE STANDARDS -- AND AMALEK

The detailed laws in our parshah culminate in what on one level is a business law -- the prohibition of keeping a big and a small weight: a big weight to use in weighing what one buys, and a small weight in weighing what one sells. We are to use one standard in our business dealings, and likewise, one standard in all of our judgments and evaluations: the Torah standard. We may not judge ourselves and those we like favorably while judging those outside our preferred circle unfavorably. We are to examine ourselves and others and everything in our lives with sobriety, carefully examining to see how things measure up according to the Torah standard. It is this that protects us from Amalek.

From the proximity of the prohibition of double standards to the law of remembering and wiping out Amalek, we learn that having double standards is what brings the scourge of Amalek. The war against Amalek is a theme during this month of Elul, just as it is in the month of Adar, which is six months earlier and diagonally opposite/facing Elul in the circle of the months. Just as fighting Amalek is necessary in Adar in preparation for Nissan, the month of redemption, so it is necessary as part of the Teshuvah process during Elul as we approach Rosh HaShanah and the Days of Awe.

Amalek "encountered you [KORCHO] on the way" (Deut. 25:18). The Rabbis stated that Amalek "cooled [KAR] you" -- When the Israelites were flushed with joy and innocent fervor immediately after the Exodus, Amalek attacked with demoralization and despair. Amalek attacked with MIKREH, "chance" -- the philosophy that there is no order in the universe and that therefore everything is permitted. Amalek attacked with KERI, the wasteful emission of seed through sexual permissiveness and immorality. These are the very opposite of the holiness that is the foundation of Israel.

The alien culture around us is now reaching its climax in the espousal of the unholy. The Torah states that a man shall not wear the clothes and ornaments of a woman, and vice verse. Yet the alien culture is obsessed with gender and cross gender issues, and has legitimized homosexual relationships -- an abomination in the eyes of the Torah -- to the point that the countries which consider themselves most advanced are those that have legislated to give homosexual couples the same rights and benefits as husbands and wives. The Midrash clearly states that giving sanction to homosexual marriages brings ANDROLOMUSIA -- chaos in which the innocent suffer with the guilty. We can see with our own eyes how the very world that has sanctioned this mockery of marriage is reeling from the fires of war and terror, crime, violence, economic recession, disease...

The foundation of the holiness of Israel has nothing to do with this mockery of marriage, this vain emission of seed. The foundation of the holiness of Israel is KIDDUSHIN, the sacred bond of marriage and fidelity between man and his wife. This is the foundation of family, continuity, the education of children, refinement, modesty, compassion and all other good traits.

Shabbat Shalom!

Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum

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AZAMRA INSTITUTE
PO Box 50037 Jerusalem 91500 Israel
Website: www.azamra.org
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