Jews Are Morally Obliged To Try And Stop The Massacre ...

Mevater

Sun, Apr 08 2018, 10:34 pm

Rishon L’Tzion: Jews Are Morally Obliged To Try And Stop The Massacre In Syria

"As Jews who have experienced genocide, as Jews whose Torah is a light to the nations, it is our moral obligation to try and stop this murder. It is an obligation no less important than the moral obligation to destroy the nuclear reactor in Syria”.

https://www.theyeshivaworld.co......html

What does the Rishon L’Tzion feel Jews should do?

PinkFridge

Mon, Apr 09 2018, 9:46 am

That is a good question. And is the answer different in E"Y and in chu"l?
When I davened this morning I davened for peace, and that the people who get hurt should be the bad guys, not the good guys fighting them and the innocents.

ProudMommie

Mon, Apr 09 2018, 11:07 am

Think .. there is a lot of "talk" ? Words are paid for... you know? so what?

Fox

Mon, Apr 09 2018, 11:23 am

I spent a lot of time thinking about this last night, though I was too busy swapping snarky rejoinders with Marina on another thread to respond. Smile

Obviously, our first response should always be to follow the advice of our talmidei chachomim. However, I'm not sure if that extends to matters of military strategy in our times, nor is it clear that any civilian has all the facts about what's going on in connection to Syria.

From the news reports and Twitter/Gab conversations I've been reading, former military and warfare experts seem to think that MbS and the GCC have got this one. They're basing this on aircraft movements, deployment of Saudi "microteams," the convergence of a number of Saudi generals on the East Coast of the US last week, and a number of other details that, frankly, I don't have the military background to fully appreciate.

On one hand, all that might just be a conspiracy theory hatched by a bunch of retired Special Ops guys with too much time on their hands. On the other, it would be good -- at least in the short run -- for Middle Eastern Muslim countries to take care of a brutal dictator in their midst without overt involvement by the US or Israel. It's always good when nations are able to increase their self-esteem and international standing without killing Jews in the process.

Of course, we can't lose sight of the fact that Eisav soneh Yaakov. It's hard not to feel optimistic when MbS essentially tells the world that he's not going to bother Israel; tells the Palestinians to sit down and shut up; and announces that Muslims don't need to go around spreading Islam by force -- especially after many, many years where Israel was repeatedly expected to serve as the policeman in the Middle East and then violently reviled for it.

But all good things come to an end. The Iranian/Shiite problem will eventually be solved or managed. MbS may be effectively or permanently removed from power by hardliners. Russia could seek to offset losses in Syria by becoming involved in another Middle Eastern conflict. A Democratic administration in the US could reverse support for Israel and MbS's priorities.

So there's plenty to daven for. Not only, as PinkFridge said, that innocent people are unharmed, but that Hashem directs the hearts of these leaders to protect us all.

Mevater

Mon, Apr 09 2018, 12:50 pm

Im still wondering how the Rabbi wants Jews to help other than by davening.

etky

Tue, Apr 10 2018, 12:29 am

Mevater wrote:

Im still wondering how the Rabbi wants Jews to help other than by davening.

Words are cheap. Blood isn't.

merpk

Mon, Apr 23 2018, 9:02 am

It would be a horrible mistake for Israel to do anything militarily (beyond what it already does, hitting weapons depots, etc.)

Because the only thing that would unify Syria would be being able to blame Israel for Syrian deaths. And then we'd have a whole 'nother level of problems.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Apr 23 2018, 9:27 am

Israeli hospitals treat hundreds of Syrian citizens who cross the border looking for help. They are never charged a single shekel, it's coming out of our tax money.

I am happy that Israel is taking a humane stance on the injured, and I am happy that some of my tax money is going to help them.

Of course, hardly any of this makes the news outside of Jewish media.

marina

Mon, Apr 23 2018, 10:27 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Very little makes the news outside the actual country where it happens, whether good or bad.

Ruchel

Mon, Apr 23 2018, 12:29 pm

We probably try much more than many bigger nations so...