Rischa D'Araisa Season 11 Finale:
For Your Tisha B'Av Listening:
Reflecting on Vanished Kehillos:
Ukraine●Germany●Provence●American Heartland
https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/104978
Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer הרב יוסף גבריאל בקהופר
https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/104978
Thanks for another interesting season! Looking forward to the next one!
ReplyDeleteEarly in this episode, it was mentioned that Reform and Conservative rabbis condemned alleged starvation in Gaza. You noted that you could not find any similar statements from Orthodox rabbis and it seemed to me that you expected them to condemn the alleged starvation as well.
As someone living in Israel, I believe the reason for this silence is quite clear. The prevailing message in the Israeli media is that there is no starvation in Gaza. The narrative here is that Hamas is hoarding humanitarian aid, that the terrorists themselves are well-fed, and that if there is any hunger (which is yet to be proven), it is entirely due to Hamas's actions. Images circulated of so-called "starving children" are explained here as depicting unrelated medical conditions or misrepresented situations. The dominant view is that Israel bears no responsibility for any humanitarian crisis—if such a crisis even exists, which is not at all evident.
Like most people, I don’t have firsthand knowledge of what is actually happening in Gaza, so I remain open to the possibility that the media here does not reflect the facts. However, based on the information available, it seems to me that Orthodox leaders have remained silent on this issue because, from their perspective, there is nothing to speak about on this matter; nothing to condemn the IDF or the government for.
That Reform and Conservative rabbis have taken a position that aligns with Israel's critics is, unfortunately, not surprising.
Hopefully I’ve misunderstood what you were saying. Otherwise, I’m troubled that you have seemingly accepted the narrative being provided by those condemning Israel.
In what might seem to be a paradoxical comment, it’s also clear to me that many Rabbanim totally feel that the population in Gaza should be starved as a tactic to end the war and free the hostages. So if the population would actually be starving (which does not seem to be the case at all), that could also be the reason for no condemnation. However, it is clear that the government has not taken that tactic to heart and sends in literally hundreds of truckloads of supplies weekly.
It is very simple. All one needs to say is: "I doubt that deliberate starvation has taken place. If it did, it was wrong, and must stop if it continues. To the extent that Israel can, it must work to alleviate civilian suffering and ensure adequate supplies of humanitarian aid, notwithstanding the culpability and wickedness of Hamas." And, yes, because there are men in yarmulkes and women in tichels who have advocated deliberate starvation of the entire populace of Gaza, these things must be said. That they are not, is a big problem.
DeleteWe have dinei milchama, and I assume this specific scenario is discussed explicitly.
DeleteWhen attacking a city, there is a well known requirement which the Rambam mentions of leaving one side open for the enemy to escape. Does the halacha also require us to allow them to resupply — not with weapons, but with basic necessities like food? That’s the question being discussed here.
I didn't get a chance to extensively check but I couldn't see this case being explicitly discussed.
Do you know of any source on this subject in shas or poskim?
It is not. I reviewed an article someone is writing on the topic and hopes to publish. If and when it is published I will refer to it. I can put you in touch with him if you want to correspond with him. It is important to add a point here. The laws of Milchama have not been updated in 2000 years - with a few exceptions that were mostly not l'ma'aseh. The parameters have changed dramatically since WW2, let alone since the Bar Kochba rebellion. In any event, as relevant sources I refer you to Yevamos 79a and the Netziv's Hakdama to Bereishis.
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