Terrorism and the Loss of Jews
Since the discovery of those precious, unfortunate souls I have felt so weak and empty; this whole thing just is so senseless to have three young boys murdered for nothing. Although it might not be so fair to say this (I can only express what I feel), I sort of feel like we were robbed by G-d to let us keep on praying for weeks when those poor boys were already dead and buried; what’s the point of praying for something that is already gone?! Why would G-d keep us all in suspense and mental torture just to keep praying for nothing?
Life vs. Life
One of the most beloved ideals we uphold is the utmost value that we place on human life. What do we do when we have to choose between two innocent lives?
Let me set out an example: Someone is driving along a narrow cliff road. That person is coming around a bend at a reasonable speed. At the same moment a cyclist is rounding the same bend on his bicycle from the opposite direction. Then, at the worst possible time, the cyclist loses control and heads straight into the path of the car. The driver’s only two options are:
attempt to brake (but will still hit the cycler with deadly force), or
navigate the car off the cliff (which will cause certain death).
Although there is fault on both sides (the driver should have slowed down more and the cyclist not lost control), neither party meant to harm the other. Whose life should the driver choose?
What Are The Three Cardinal Sins?
In general, as you mentioned, if a person were to say to a Jew, “violate one of the commandments or I will kill you,” the Jew should violate the commandment and not be killed, since that the Torah says “You shall observe My decrees and My laws, so that you shall live by them.” (Leviticus […]