It?s been the moral question of the year (and February is just beginning) ? can we trade more than 400 prisoners for one kidnapped businessman and the bodies of three dead soldiers?
Judaism stresses the importance of freeing captives. Throughout history it has not been unusual for Jewish communities to gather funds to pay ransoms and bribe corrupt officials in order to secure the release of imprisoned Jews.
The recent prisoner exchange with Hizbullah is another case in the long line of exorbitant ransoms paid to corrupt anti-Semites to save Jewish lives. The only difference is that in last week?s case the merchandise used to pay the ransom was a huge group of prisoners Israel was holding.
It is also safe to bet that in many other cases throughout history, the price that Jews paid to save one of their own was excessive. The Mishna clearly states that paying more than the market value for a ransom will only encourage more kidnappings.
Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg (the Maharam) understood the danger of establishing such a precedent. Rabbi Meir, who was a great halachic authority in 13th Century Germany, was imprisoned at the fortress at Ensisheim when he was 70 years old. Emperor Rudolf I demanded a large ransom for Rabbi Meir?s release. The Jewish community was more than willing to raise the sum.
Rabbi Meir, however, refused to let the community pay the ransom. The scholar knew that if the ransom were paid, it would only encourage the gentiles to abduct more Jews in order to extort heavy ransoms.
Rabbi Meir lived the last seven years of his life in prison. After his death, the community raised the money to have his body released.
It doesn?t bother me that we traded 440 prisoners to save one life and give closure to the nightmares of three families. After all, many halachic authorities agree that it is permissible to pay an inflated ransom if the kidnappers are likely to kill the victim. We also have been taught that whoever saves one life, it is as though he saved the entire world.
The government is hoping that as a result of last week?s prisoner exchange, Hizbullah will now help in obtaining information about missing Israeli air force navigator Ron Arad. Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has already stated that in the second stage of negotiations, information about Arad would be exchanged for more prisoners.
Nasrallah already gave Israel a bone he claimed belonged to Arad. I?m not sure whether Nasrallah knew the bone did not come from Arad. Chances are he believed the bone was Arad?s, because Nasrallah knows he?s on to something good.
Nasrallah also stated last week that Hizbullah may abduct more Israelis. If Nasrallah follows through with his threats, he knows Israel will retaliate and attack Hizbullah positions in Lebanon. This does not concern him. Actually, he is hoping Israel will retaliate.
All Hizbullah has to do is abduct more Israeli soldiers. If Hizbullah is lucky, Israel will retaliate by bombing targets in southern Lebanon. If Hizbullah is really lucky, Israel will strike Syrian targets. In either case, Lebanon and Syria will condemn Israel in the United Nations for violating the cease-fire terms of the withdrawal from Lebanon.
At the UN, new resolutions may be passed and more pressure will be placed on Israel to show restraint. As always, Israel will then cower and agree to release more terrorists in exchange for soldiers who may or may not be alive.
Another tragic outcome of this scenario, as in the other prisoner release deals, is that the released terrorists, who are unrepentant, will return to participate in terrorist activity. We must now live with the fear that one day, one of the released prisoners will once again have more blood on his hands.
The other negative result of the prisoner swap was quite predictable and has now become a reality. Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, upon seeing the success of the Hizbullah deal, has issued the order to abduct Israeli soldiers to trade for imprisoned Hamas terrorists. Now that we have opened the can of worms, is there no end to the matter?
Judaism stresses the importance of freeing captives. Throughout history it has not been unusual for Jewish communities to gather funds to pay ransoms and bribe corrupt officials in order to secure the release of imprisoned Jews.
The recent prisoner exchange with Hizbullah is another case in the long line of exorbitant ransoms paid to corrupt anti-Semites to save Jewish lives. The only difference is that in last week?s case the merchandise used to pay the ransom was a huge group of prisoners Israel was holding.
It is also safe to bet that in many other cases throughout history, the price that Jews paid to save one of their own was excessive. The Mishna clearly states that paying more than the market value for a ransom will only encourage more kidnappings.
Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg (the Maharam) understood the danger of establishing such a precedent. Rabbi Meir, who was a great halachic authority in 13th Century Germany, was imprisoned at the fortress at Ensisheim when he was 70 years old. Emperor Rudolf I demanded a large ransom for Rabbi Meir?s release. The Jewish community was more than willing to raise the sum.
Rabbi Meir, however, refused to let the community pay the ransom. The scholar knew that if the ransom were paid, it would only encourage the gentiles to abduct more Jews in order to extort heavy ransoms.
Rabbi Meir lived the last seven years of his life in prison. After his death, the community raised the money to have his body released.
It doesn?t bother me that we traded 440 prisoners to save one life and give closure to the nightmares of three families. After all, many halachic authorities agree that it is permissible to pay an inflated ransom if the kidnappers are likely to kill the victim. We also have been taught that whoever saves one life, it is as though he saved the entire world.
The government is hoping that as a result of last week?s prisoner exchange, Hizbullah will now help in obtaining information about missing Israeli air force navigator Ron Arad. Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has already stated that in the second stage of negotiations, information about Arad would be exchanged for more prisoners.
Nasrallah already gave Israel a bone he claimed belonged to Arad. I?m not sure whether Nasrallah knew the bone did not come from Arad. Chances are he believed the bone was Arad?s, because Nasrallah knows he?s on to something good.
Nasrallah also stated last week that Hizbullah may abduct more Israelis. If Nasrallah follows through with his threats, he knows Israel will retaliate and attack Hizbullah positions in Lebanon. This does not concern him. Actually, he is hoping Israel will retaliate.
All Hizbullah has to do is abduct more Israeli soldiers. If Hizbullah is lucky, Israel will retaliate by bombing targets in southern Lebanon. If Hizbullah is really lucky, Israel will strike Syrian targets. In either case, Lebanon and Syria will condemn Israel in the United Nations for violating the cease-fire terms of the withdrawal from Lebanon.
At the UN, new resolutions may be passed and more pressure will be placed on Israel to show restraint. As always, Israel will then cower and agree to release more terrorists in exchange for soldiers who may or may not be alive.
Another tragic outcome of this scenario, as in the other prisoner release deals, is that the released terrorists, who are unrepentant, will return to participate in terrorist activity. We must now live with the fear that one day, one of the released prisoners will once again have more blood on his hands.
The other negative result of the prisoner swap was quite predictable and has now become a reality. Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, upon seeing the success of the Hizbullah deal, has issued the order to abduct Israeli soldiers to trade for imprisoned Hamas terrorists. Now that we have opened the can of worms, is there no end to the matter?