Human life transcends nearly all. If a Jew is held hostage and ransom is demanded, our rabbis permit us to sell holy objects, even a Torah scroll or a synagogue, in order to redeem the prisoner. The Rambam, Rabbi Moshe son of Maimon, writes, “There is no greater commandment than that of redeeming the prisoners…as they stand in danger of their lives, and one who turns his eye away transgresses the biblical command of ‘Do not stand idly by when your fellow man is in danger’ (Leviticus 19:16), and ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself’ (Leviticus 19:18), and ‘You have no greater commandment than that of redeeming prisoners’” (Rambam, Laws of Gifts to the Poor 8:10).
Today, we see the same value for human life as Israel routinely exchanges one thousand …show more content…
As much as I tried, I could not call it home.
I fought for every nation and I died for every land, but in my hour of need no one lent a helping hand.
(Ibid.)
Wandering the world for two thousand years, the Jew has learned to make lemon juicelemonade out of lemons. At times he has sold his lemonade juice and made a profit, and has been criticized for doing so. He was denied citizenship, barred from owning land, kept out of professional guilds, denied entry to schools and colleges, deprived of natural rights and privileges, and all too often expelled from lands he called home. And still the Jew adapted and survived.
Without a home or an army, without a government to stand up for his rights, without a church or a pope to plead his case, the Jew survived. The culmination of being hosted in other nations’ lands was the Holocaust, the systematic murder of a people: genocide. With this the Jewish people faced the worst nightmare of human history.
We were burnt, we were gassed, we were shot at Babi Yar [blockquote]
Numbers on our forearms, covered with scars and yet we continue to hold our heads up high, eyes wide open, facing the clear blue …show more content…
This attitude is not a simple matter, not just an easy going way of looking at things; it is an attitude of hope, of change. A man’s physical body may be shattered but his soul is intact. Israel may be bleeding but its spirit strong. This is not the broken Jew of the exile, this is not a Jew who only grieves and hopes. This is the Jew of Israel, the Jew of hope, the Jew of redemption. No matter how bad things may appear we are, in fact, living in the best of times. We have witnessed the miracles return to Zion; we have witnessed the great victories and the revival of the Jewish people. We can cope with
Today, we see the same value for human life as Israel routinely exchanges one thousand …show more content…
As much as I tried, I could not call it home.
I fought for every nation and I died for every land, but in my hour of need no one lent a helping hand.
(Ibid.)
Wandering the world for two thousand years, the Jew has learned to make lemon juicelemonade out of lemons. At times he has sold his lemonade juice and made a profit, and has been criticized for doing so. He was denied citizenship, barred from owning land, kept out of professional guilds, denied entry to schools and colleges, deprived of natural rights and privileges, and all too often expelled from lands he called home. And still the Jew adapted and survived.
Without a home or an army, without a government to stand up for his rights, without a church or a pope to plead his case, the Jew survived. The culmination of being hosted in other nations’ lands was the Holocaust, the systematic murder of a people: genocide. With this the Jewish people faced the worst nightmare of human history.
We were burnt, we were gassed, we were shot at Babi Yar [blockquote]
Numbers on our forearms, covered with scars and yet we continue to hold our heads up high, eyes wide open, facing the clear blue …show more content…
This attitude is not a simple matter, not just an easy going way of looking at things; it is an attitude of hope, of change. A man’s physical body may be shattered but his soul is intact. Israel may be bleeding but its spirit strong. This is not the broken Jew of the exile, this is not a Jew who only grieves and hopes. This is the Jew of Israel, the Jew of hope, the Jew of redemption. No matter how bad things may appear we are, in fact, living in the best of times. We have witnessed the miracles return to Zion; we have witnessed the great victories and the revival of the Jewish people. We can cope with