There are a lot of people with very harsh words to say about the Jews who allegedly killed the arab boy recently. Some of them are prominent Torah authorities, while others are just talk backers who are enjoying shooting their mouths off.
I'm trying my best not to get into this one as I'm sure there are loads of misinformation being put out there on it, and additionally in my heart of hearts my mind is already made up as to how I feel. If Rov haPoskim come out and say a certain act is assur, then we have to follow the halacha "even if they say left is right and right is left," right? However if that ends up being the case it would be easier to move a mountain then change the way I feel. No matter how many declarations are made and condemnations spread, I just can't bring myself to remove pity from these poor boys whose futures will be tarnished for the rest of their lives and instead place that pity on some arab who probably hated us anyway and for all we know would have grown up to do such things to Jews himself G-d forbid.
Let me just pose things like this: Is what these boys allegedly did any worse than what the Hamasnikim did to our 3 young kodshim? Yet the police found the time and ability to nab the Jewish perps while the arab murderers are still at large, and if they indeed ever are found they will most likely be let out in another cockamamie prisoner release far sooner that these boys will set free.
I don't know how many remember this off the top of their heads, but I thought I would bring up this little blast from the past. Shortly after the massacre at Merkaz Harav several years ago, Rav Kanievsky came out saying that it was assur to hire arab employees as, "After all we are at war with them."
See here:
Top Hareidi Rabbi Bans Arab Labor Following Merkaz HaRav Attack
and here:
Prominent rabbi to yeshiva heads: Don't hire Arabs
In light of this from Rav Kanievsky we need to remember that we are in a constant state of war and that as a nation the arabs are all our enemies. I won't go so far as to extrapolate that the Rav meant it extends to being allowed to kill any random arab you wish, however there is an inyan that each and every one has a status of potential enemy combatant. No matter what the final psak din is with the current parsha we're going through, I think we need to keep this in mind when trying to frame things in the appropriate context.
And no matter who is halachikly eligible for a target of Jewish blood and Hashem's name being avenged, may He sanctify His name by doing it for us Himself in an open way which is undeniable to all the world so that justice may be wrought uncontested.
Yasher koach!
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