Rabbi’s Shmooze Here is a Q & A from the “Ask the Rabbi Column”  Isn't Israel's Response Disproportionate? By Aaron Moss   Question: I am the only Jew in my office so I face a daily barrage of questions about Israel's actions in Lebanon. I don't know who appointed me as Israel's spokesman and I am not armed with the answers. Can you help? Answer: At times like this, every Jew becomes an ambassador for Israel. Even if you don't agree with everything Israel does, any decent person must stand up for Israel's right to self-defense. We can leave the military and political issues to the experts, but we should all be clear on the moral questions raised by this war. Let's look at a few of the most commonly asked questions. Q: How can Israel justify killing civilians if their intent is to crush Hezbollah? A: The death of innocents is a tragic inevitability of war. Our hearts go out to all those caught in the middle. The sad fact is that the Lebanese people are being held hostage by Hezbollah. Just as it is clear that Hezbollah is morally culpable for any harm done to the two Israeli hostages that they hold, so too are they culpable for the fate of Lebanese innocents amongst whom they hide. A civilian who is killed while being used by a terrorist as a human shield is a victim of the terrorist, not the Israeli army, who does not target innocent civilians. Q: Isn't Israel's response a bit disproportionate?  A: If Israel were merely taking revenge, then it would need to be proportionate. But Israel is waging a defensive war. Since when is war proportionate? In war, you don't measure your response to the enemy by what they have done to you in the past, but rather by what needs to be done to stop them attacking in the future. Israel's actions are proportionate to the threat, not the damage done. Q: Doesn't Israel understand that they are just creating more terrorists? The anger and fury at Israel as a result of bombing Lebanon will only make more people want to join Hezbollah. A: Feelings of frustration, anger, fear and rage do not make you into a terrorist. A culture of death and an education of hate does. Israel doesn't need to do anything to create terrorists - Islamic extremism does that - but Israel must act to destroy those who threaten its people. Q: Hezbollah indeed has a militant wing, but it also does a lot of good. They are responsible for social programs, educational projects and humanitarian work in South Lebanon. By destroying Hezbollah, Israel also destroys all the good they do. Isn't that demonising a group that is not all bad? A: If a serial killer also happens to volunteer for his local hospital, has donated money to an orphanage, and looks after his ailing grandmother, he is still a serial killer, and should be treated as such. The danger he poses far outweighs the concern for any good he may do. Q: By using violence, how is Israel any better than its terrorist enemies? A: That is as ridiculous as saying that a woman who fights off an attacker is no better than her attacker. Israel would not touch Hezbollah if it did not attack. Israel seeks to live in peace with its neighbours; Hezbollah and its allies seek to destroy Israel, no matter what Israel does. Look at the Hezbollah flag. It depicts a rifle lifted in the air. Violence is a part of its very identity. On the other hand, the very name of the Israeli army defines its purpose: The Israel Defense Force. Its flag depicts an olive branch and a sword: peace is a priority, war is a last resort. For Hezbollah, war is holy. For Israel, war can never be holy. War may be necessary, like when your citizens are being attacked unprovoked; war may be moral, like when innocent lives are being threatened; but even then, war is never holy. There is a world of difference between a moral war and a holy war. A moral soldier fights reluctantly, while holy warriors glory in the fight. A moral soldier is burdened by the obligation, while holy warriors delight in the pain inflicted on the enemy. A moral soldier fights when there is no other option; a holy warrior seeks violence as a way of life. A moral soldier takes measures to limit innocent casualties; a holy warrior seeks to maximise them. A holy warrior fears times of peace, because then he has no purpose. A moral soldier dreams of a time when peace will reign. Then, the Israel Defense Force will be made joyously redundant, as "one nation will not lift a sword against another nation, and they will no longer learn to wage war".

 

	What's New @ Chabad
Lunch And Learn this Thursday! The Last session was quite well attended with vigorous conversation in the exchange of ideas.  This Thursday, at 12.30 at the Weinstein Building, (1st or 3rd floor conference room).  We will talk about the midrash on the parsha and about the nine days.  RSVP to Rabbi@jewishenrichment.com  New Phone Number for the York Office. 717-848-2280. It will be active this coming week IYH. The old phone number 717-779-1117 will be deactivated in 30 days. Please make a note of it.  Community Announcements: Recipients of our emails are able to submit an announcement of Jewish or General interest to our readers. It can be 2 or three lines and will be featured in this section. As of today we send out close to 300 emails every week.  Emails If you know of someone who wants to be included in our list they can email me, or they are able to add themselves through our service. Simply Forward this email to them, and they will get an option to add themselves to the list by clicking the link on the bottom of the email. Although you don’t see the subscribe link in yours, when they get it they will.