Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has fallen ill. The reactions are as emotionally charged as they are diverse. In the beautiful language of Rabbi Zevin, הללו מהללים והללו מחללים. Media outlets that have earned a name for their left-leaning bias have begun to refer to him as "a longtime hawk turned peacemaker", "man of great courage", and other titles with rather positive connotations.
In the meantime, a few people dare to speak their mind on the issue that has plunged the Prime Minister into the news in the first place.
Let us for a moment cast aside the poor Jewish souls in Chevron that are celebrating much as their
landsleit in Hebron are rejoicing. Let us also disregard the ethical and moral aspects of judgement on a person who has done much good as he has done much bad. Let us forget the political ramifications of a country that is in the middle of a war and suddenly without a real leader.
That all said, the simple fact remains that a standard has been upheld. From the days of Menachem Begin, not one single Israeli leader has played around with the Jewish ownership of the land of Israel without speedy downfall. This downfall has taken on various forms, but the point remains the same, be it through losing office in disgrace, assasination, losing office in even greater disgrace, losing office in yet greater disgrace, or being hauled out of the show without any human intervention at all.
Pat Robertson's remarks were in every aspect readily discernible from blind rhetoric. At every turn he emphasized his personal sympathy for a friend, and distinguished between that and the act of calling a spade a spade. Even a close friend can be wrong - dead wrong.
Contrastly, the knee-jerk level reactions to those comments were shallow and unenlightening. Mostly, they were by Jews, who were terribly frightened that the world - the
goyim - may actually take seriously the child's observation that was being made. The
shande far di goyim would be too much to handle.
ADL chief Abraham Foxman was first on the damage control scene, saying that "His remarks are un-Christian and a perversion of religion. Unlike Robertson, we don't see God as cruel and vengeful". This is a curious comment, coming from a person who is not religious, less so Christian, and his comments on how we view G-d only show that he obviously hasn't read the Jewish Scriptures, Talmud, Codes, or any other credible sources anytime recently.
Regardless of whether one agrees with him or not, Robertson's remarks have objective validity, and were expressed in a most thoughtful and sensitive manner. The point is potent enough to shine through nonetheless: Our religion is one that recognizes retribution on this earth for our actions. In a case such as this, when an overweight but otherwise perfectly healthy person totally collapses in what seems to be a perfectly orchestrated place and time, is one truly doing something so bad by speculating openly on what is apparent to all? But the gods of not saying what ought not be said will not be denied.
To be Continued
