The cross : How does the verse “You will choose life” (Dt 30:19) does it have a particular importance in Jewish tradition, and how can we read it in the light of the last war?
Yann Boissière: Taken from Deuteronomy – the fifth book of the Torah – this verse is central in Judaism. To give his context more precisely, he tells us: “I have set before you life and death, you will choose life so that you and your children may live” (Dt 30:19). Choosing life may seem obvious here, and yet it is not so simple – the resurgence of terrorist attacks bears witness to this. It is an extremely realistic biblical passage, the great novelty of which lies in the fact that it poses life as a moral choice. The choice of life is a fundamental value in Judaism, perhaps the greatest… So much so that the Shabbat – weekly day of rest, during which it is forbidden to work according to our religious prescriptions – can be transgressed in the case where it would involve saving a life.
As for the rereading of this passage from the Torah in the context of the Hamas offensive, it always seems difficult to seek out a verse with universal, spiritual value, and to contrast it with the reality of the human world – in occurrence, here, of the savagery that we have just witnessed. Children and old people were targeted… We were confronted with a total negation of life. The difficulty, in this case, is to respond to the aggression without falling into savagery in turn. We are never safe from things getting out of hand, but IDF (the Israeli army, Editor’s note) has developed an ethical code to discern how to act in these situations.
More than a hundred Israelis are still held hostage by Hamas… How is this captivity viewed and understood in Israeli society?
Y. B. : This is indeed another major aspect, in my opinion, of the current situation, which will have an impact on the development of future military operations. There is, within the Jewish state, an absolute desire to recover those who were captured alive. The redemption of captives has always been central to Jewish tradition and to Israeli society. The Jewish people have always been confronted with kidnappings, as during the Crusades…
Human life is considered sacred, everything must be done to recover it. This also manifests itself on the ground for the dead combatants: we will then absolutely seek to recover the bodies in order to bury them. This demonstrates a very strong ethical vision.
On social networks, voices are being raised to denounce the fact that “the life of a Palestinian would not have the same value as that of an Israeli”…
Y. B. : The various verbal escalations of recent days are unworthy, predictable and abject. From an ethical point of view, all human life is obviously valuable.
At a more political level of analysis, it is totally wrong and scandalous to place on the same level a terrorist organization like Hamas, killing indiscriminately, and the Israeli government, democratically elected in a state of law that operates according to rules. policies.
On the question of response to the offensive, does the Torah legitimize violence and under what conditions?
Y. B. : I would not use the term “legitimize” here. But the Bible is once again a very realistic book which recognizes that violence is at the heart of man… The Torah wants above all to magnify human life – it is enough to reread here several of its great verses, placing life at the heart of religious consciousness: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, ” You will not kill “, “He who destroys a life destroys humanity, and he who saves a life saves humanity” … –, but it is true that it also recognizes the right to self-defense. It states that we must defend ourselves, in a proportionate manner, when we are attacked.
What spiritual resources do you think can help calm the situation?
Y. B. : Beyond everything we have just talked about, we must encourage very concrete solidarity, by standing alongside the victims. As for families torn apart by tragedies, perhaps we should remember here that the rites of Judaism make it possible to support and organize the management of the pain of survivors by helping them to grieve.
On the question of a life in the afterlife, there is, in Jewish tradition, this affirmation that everything does not disappear at the death of man. The soul is supposed to return to its Creator: this belief, which is not shared by everyone, can help some. But above all there is a strong insistence on the fact that it is above all at the level of this life that we must act, by being virtuous… and by loving our neighbor, here and now.
2023-10-09 19:44:39
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