Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael Steinsaltz is one of the most notable Jewish scholars in the world today, whose lifelong work on making the Talmud accessible to all Jews earned him the Israel Prize, his country’s highest honor.
In this interview, he answers 5 most common question that are asked during these challenging times for Israel and Jews worldwide.
1. Why is God doing this to His people? Some Rabbis and so-called fortune tellers claim to know the Divine reason behind this Gaza war (i.e. baseless hatred, not observing the Shabbat). What is your take on this?
A: It is not in our hands to find answers for such a question. In the age of the Prophets, at least people had a way of getting answers to their questions: the prophets spoke directly in the name of God and had authoritative answers – even though some of the prophetic answers are not as sharp and clear as one would like.
In our times we do not have these means, and the best-intentioned rabbis are not much better than soothsayers of all kinds.
Of course, we have the general admonition always to understand troubles as calls for us to change, to do better. But that is a general call which can be applied to any good purpose, whenever there is reason to raise an issue.
What one has to do in any kind of trouble is to mend whatever one can. But in that sense, rabbis are not like plumbers who can tell what happened to the water pipes.
2. Is there real evil? Even in a war such as this one, should we be distinguishing between evil acts and evil people?
A: There surely is real evil; in fact, in the book of Isaiah (45:7) God says: “I make peace, and create evil.”
There is one conclusion we can draw from the last month’s events. Perhaps we are not aware enough that evil exists, and therefore we don’t always defend ourselves enough from it. The comparatively easy life that people lead — and the belief in progress — have created the illusion that evil does not exist. But it does, and it is not weaker now than it has ever been at any other time.
But even when one knows that there is evil, it is not at all simple to attribute it to specific places or people. There are evil ideas and also evil countries, and there is a fair number of evil people who do wrong things.
In many cases it is important to make clear definitions. Sometimes, it is possible to perform a “surgical process” to separate between the evil part and the rest.
And sometimes our only reaction should be to kill and destroy that evil – regardless of whether it is an individual or a collective body. (Think of it as the same way one should treat the virus of smallpox, or cancer).
In practical life, we should distinguish between people who are driven by evil ideas or evil countries but are themselves rather normal — like most of the residents of the Gaza Strip — and individuals who identify themselves with that evil, who have evil within themselves The latter group are like the kidnappers of the three boys or the perpetrators of some other atrocities.
3. Do we celebrate our enemies’ destruction when it comes with so much collateral damage?
A: We are admonished not to rejoice in the downfall of our enemies, even when these enemies are evil (Proverbs 24:17: “rejoice not when your enemy falls”).
The Midrash (Sanhedrin 39b) says that when the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea, the Almighty said to the angels: “my handicraft is drowning and you want to sing before Me?!”
The Almighty said this even though it was He Himself who drowned them. It is perhaps a fine distinction that says that we have to act, but not always to rejoice.
Here, too, however, there is a natural human reaction which is understandable and should not be condemned completely: “when the wicked perish, there is joy” (Proverbs 11:10).
4. How can we best help our brethren in Israel during these difficult times? Some say we should pray more, others way we should simply write a check to Israeli organizations dedicated to helping the IDF and our brothers and sisters in crisis, many also say that we should “take upon ourselves a mitzvah.” If you had to pick the most effective way we can help our brethren at this moment, which would it be?
A: All the possibilities suggested here are good things to do, all of them together or any one of them. I would suggest to our brethren in the Diaspora two more things that they can do, each according to his ability. Both would be helpful.
The first is to try to influence public opinion by explaining the purpose and the merit of what is being done. For instance: what the Israeli army is doing — by warning people of Gaza ahead of time to evacuate in order to escape the harm of shelling — possibly has no precedent anywhere in the world.
The other way is internal: to strengthen everyone’s connection with our people, especially for the younger generation. We should be strengthening our feelings of unity and the connection with the State of Israel.
5. What should our response be when Israeli citizens (or the government) commits acts that are wrong? Are we necessarily always better?
A: We should comment on, or criticize these things. However, this should be done very carefully, not only for appearance’s sake; because by-standers don’t always have enough information about and knowledge of what really happens. We should therefore get the right facts and be accurate and we do criticize – to do so without animosity.
goooo leah!!
-gitty
Again answer number three seems to attempt to say opposite things.Should on rejoice or not.Not clear from answer number three.
The talmud says binfoil oyvecho refers to another yisroeli, so im not sure if answer number three is an attempt at “ma yofis” or not
please clarify
The wonderful pshat you quote from the Chasam Sofer is one of the more famous divrei torah said by the rebbe Reb Heschel, the Shach’s rebbi ,in the famous sefer Chanukas Hatorah.It would be surprising that the Chasam Sofer would not quote the rebbe reb Heschel who lived many years before him??
When I visited Yeshiva Lubavitch in Toronto last year, Horav Y Schoichet showed me a Chasam Sofer (in Sefer Toras Moshe al HaTorah) that has a completely different pshat to this gemarah: The Chasam.Sofer cites that Sancherev’s entire Army died because the malochim allowed the Army to hear the shira of the malochim – causing the Soldier’s of Sancherev souls to expire. At Yam Suf, the malochim also wanted to sing shira, thereby using it to kill the Egyptians by allowing them to hear the shira, however, Hashem refused the malochim’s request by saying, “the Egyptians drowned the Jewish children… Read more »
Actually i do not see a clear answer.He brings to different pesukim which say opposite things but does not clearly explain when joy or no joy is applicable
Exactly what the rabbi said… Just read it again
I don’t really understand answer number three.Are we supposed to rejoice when our enemies “fall”?
The rabbi is quoting two different pessukim with two opposite answers??
What gives.
I do think the Talmud addresses the question…..
Can someone clarify, or is this specially answered in a murky way?
Besurot tovot
The rabbi wasn’t saying that the average Palestinian want Israel out of the way but if i may explain in my own terms. halacha has a law that if someone is coming after you to kill you it is a mitzvah to kill them first. Here comes the differentiation not all Palestinians areactivly coming to kill us therefore i believe it is wrong to say kill them by that you would be stooping down to there level. We as jews have laws that must be followed. To number three the Egyptians were activly coming after the jews.
And thats also one of the reasons why we dont say halel in shvii shel pessach….
Where does the Rav get the idea that the average Gazan citizen is “normal”?
The majority of Gazans voted for Hamas and the alternative was Fatah…the ‘moderate’ Arafat party.
Sanhedrin 39 B says
G-d does not rejoice …
But he causes others to rejoice
And that’s why the Jews sang and sing AZ Yshir…to this very day.
Brilliant mind and answers
Excellent answers by Rabbi Steinsaltz