Shalom Pollack

 Dear Rabbi,

It saddens me to say that your words at this time about Am Yisroel and  Judaism in this critical time  do not "reach" me as they used to.

As I read your words about  Jewish morality and war, I see the image of a  "split screen"; on one side, a row of  Israeli soldiers, dead after having defended our land and us,(and their weeping families). The other screen: an equal number of dead  -   enemy ( Arab Nazi) civilians killed by our holy soldiers.

You. like our "beacon of Jewish morality",  former chief of staff Benny Ganz, would prefer the "lesser evil" screen;  the dead Jewish soldiers and their weeping families and not enemy civilians dead. The latter represents true Jewish morality according to you and Ganz and the like and is preferred.

You are not alone. Other, more "liberal" rabbis express the same.
In fact, I put the question to a prominent rabbi at "Yeshiva University '' and he said that he would indeed rather send his own son into harm's way and not risk enemy (Nazi) civilians.
You are not alone.

I have provided you  Torah sources that totally oppose this view and you chose not to not respond to them. I can send more sources, like Moshe's war of revenge against Midyan,   the revenge of Deborah against  Sisro, the Song and Joy of Moshe on the Red Sea,  David's Psalms asking for and praising revenge against our enemies, the "Av Harachamim '' prayer and revenge upon the pogromists.  The Avinu malkenu prayer. and more
I don't expect you to respond to this second list either.

Yes, rabbi, revenge is forbidden in the Torah - that is revenge against brother Jews(!). There are those amongst us, including rabbis, who have a visceral need to expand and extend the category of the prohibition of revenge thus creating their own halacha.
They are infected with the false morality of a false Christian ethic and the progressive West, and a need to be accepted by it.

Just to mention one of many classic Jewish authorities, Maimonides rules that there are no "innocent civilians" in a nation that wishes to destroy the Jewish nation. No innocent civilians.

The allies in WW Two may have read this ruling when they defeated the Germans/Nazis by any means  (even though the Nazis were not coming after every single  British and American). We Jews face the Nazis of our day who are indeed coming after every single Jew.

You wrote to me that Jews avenging themselves against Nazis after the war was indeed," fighting evil" and so it was acceptable (desirable?).
I asked you if the Arab Nazis and their indoctrinated population (like the Germans) are any different?
You did not respond.

I have been deeply involved with our people's struggle and survival in our land for a very long time and so  I  have learned much and heard many facts and opinions.
I have observed that there are people so entrenched in their ("moral") comfort zone that intelligent, honest conversation is not useful. That is a pity.

I have consulted with numerous rabbis about this subject and have received clear halachic direction from them. It is from them and by delving into the classic Jewish sources  -  plus a healthy survival instinct, that I have formed my opinion.

Your response to me is that "they are wrong" and that you "do not agree with me".
That is not a  serious rabbinic or intellectual response.

I am saddened and disappointed on a personal level since for many years, I have considered you one of my teachers.
On a national level, I fear that your misrepresentation of Torah values and indeed halacha does have a following. They are ultimately a  misguided audience and such ideas weaken us as a  Jewish nation fighting for its survival.

Sincerely,
Shalom Pollack