The rabbis were right *UPDATED*
Bookworm on Jul 15 2008 at 11:59 am | Filed under: Israel
In a post I did yesterday about the way in which liberals cherry-pick religious writings to support their ideological viewpoints, I discussed Rabbi Gamliel’s ancient edict about hostages, to the effect that the general good (tikkun olam) mandates that families may not pay a premium for a kidnapped family member, even if they can afford to do so, because that will simply create more hostage situations. In a hostage market economy, the higher the price, the greater the incentive to kidnap.
As part of that discussion, I made a parenthetical, unsupported reference to the fact that modern Israel, which has reversed its long-standing policy of refusing to negotiate for hostages, is giving Palestinians and Hezbollah ever greater incentive to kidnap soldiers and civilians. Today, in a long, well-supported article, Bret Stephens makes precisely the same point about the market Israel is creating for the kidnapping of its own citizens.
UPDATE: A little info on the type of people Israel is using as payment for this no-win hostage negotiation.
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3 Responses to “The rabbis were right *UPDATED*”
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Is it any wonder that I refer to Olmert as Old Merde!
The decision to make a bad (one) is a direct result of not listening to the Rabbis. Modern Israel is a behaving like a child who has no respect for their elders.
It only sheds light on what I have been witnessing for the past 40 years plus. Once upon a time when Israel had their hands in the soil, there was a greater connection to the land both literally, spiritually. Making the desert bloom, building a bigger mall or being the center of hi tech doesn’t instill one iota of common sense. You cannot build common sense … you must set it as an example. If Israel was to stand as a light unto the world, someone must have turned the switch off.
HaTikvah is now Hesed Tikvah (Hopeless)
Israel has sold out her principles for the health and prosperity of her enemies. Is it any wonder God would smite such people for being so fundamentally wrong about which path is the righteous path?
Actions have consequences.
When you sacrifice weaker and more vulnerable individuals solely to sate your own personal interests or goals, can you really expect God to be on your side? Can you really expect your enemies not to take advantage of you, just as you have taken advantage of your own citizens purely for political and personal gain?
To clarify, I don’t see God as a human being with human emotions or intentions. I see him as a force, a power, a source of energy and life as well as death and entropy.
When I say “God smites you down”, that’s the same as saying “the Hurricane smote you because you carried a big long metal rod ontop of the highest building you could see and started a thunder dance with it”.