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The following is an expression of the very deep emotional pain and moral dilemma felt by people in Migron and from this letter one can understand how the residents were split and agonized as per how to address the terrible crime about to be perpetrated on their community.
Spokesperson of Migron: (loose translation)
This is a black day for the State of Israel. A day where the basic civil rights of people on the right are being trampled.
Today the Prosecution gave permission to a Price Tag operation by clerks on the entire settlement community.
The government of Israel will not be able to cleanse her hands from the brutal rape that was done under her watchful eyes with silent agreement.
On this day, the Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu joins in contributing to the decline of the world, with previous governments that chose to raise their hand on the settlement enterprise. We are confident that the citizens of the Zionist State will know how to bring him to account for this.
The Settlers of Migron raise their heads on this difficult day and believe that settlement will grow and flourish and very very soon the story of Migron will end with at least 2 settlements.
Neemanei Eretz commentary Shoshana Greenfeld: (Abridged translation)
Questions and Answers: "And G-d was good to the midwives and made them houses"
The obligation to scream
"The Brutal Rape of Migron" The author gives the analogy of the situation brought in the Torah about a married women being raped in a city setting and her obligation to scream.
When one is raped, she has the moral obligation not to participate in the rape. She is obligated to scream against the brutal crime. If she does not scream, she is a guilty party along with her rapist and both are sentenced to die. The author of this post went into specifics. She can not in any way be a willing participant like undress, unbutton or open her legs. The scream is necessary because that is the resistance to the brutal crime and evil. The scream is supposed to bring people to come and help her, to stop the rape and if she doesn't scream she allows the terrible crime to continue.
That is to say: When they are raping a settlement with brutality, there is an obligation to scream. and not only screaming but one is not allowed to disrobe willingly, to pack willingly and or participate in any activity in cooperation with the rapist.
Those who live nearby are obligated to come and help and cries must not fall on deaf ears. Otherwise what is the point for her to scream?
Another example in the Torah that was mentioned was the chapter of Egla Arufa where we learn about mutual responsibility, and what is required from the nearby city. If a body is found in a field the elders must come from the neighboring villages and wash their hands in the nearby streams and declare that the're hands had no part int he spilling of the blood and their eyes didn't see anything and they didn't hear anything. Otherwise if they could have prevented the crime and didn't, they would be guilty. That is, they are clean only if they did not hear and did not see and therefore did not prevent the crime. But if they did hear and see and closed their eyes, then they are partners in the rape, in the evil deed and in the crime. That is agreeing in silence.
Like the Migron spokesperson writes, the government of Israel can not cleanse her hands, this is also the case regarding nearby settlements and the entire nation who are silent against this crime, and do not arrive in order to establish a tent city and in this way prevent the brutal rape - is guilty. Surely this is true for those who are active participants in being an arm in implementing the rape in one way or another.
The Moral and Torah way is for all friends,neighbors and acquaintances to come and prevent the brutal rape and to scream and stop it as it says "Al Taamod al Dam Reiacha". Don't stand by the blood of your fellow Jew. They are obligated to come and stop the rapist.. Otherwise there is no point in the scream.
"And G-d was good to the Midwives and made them Houses" The Midwives overturned Pharohs evil decrees so G-d built them houses. Hashem also built for Moshe a house because he stood up against evil and was rewarded. One who stands up against evil, the end is good. He diminished the evil decree and had put his life in danger when he didn't know the outcome.
The author concludes. Every one must choose whether to build his moral house and in this way a house in the world or whether to destroy a house.
With Blessings, from those who fear the word of Hashem and loves His people.
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My comments: The author seems to be warning the residents of Migron who choose to leave silently of not being active participants in their own rape since then they too would be accountable.
However, it seems quite clear to me that Migron has been screaming for a long time. Not screaming loud enough? I heard them loud and clear and forwarded their cry to my list and posted it on my blog.
The author is correct that one is required to scream to prevent a brutal crime like rape and one is required to come to the rescue and prevent the crime from happening.
This analogy is quite a shocking one and perhaps those that left Migron without supporting a mass protest were very offended and pained by the analogy of their brothers/sisters of being compared to an active participant to their own rape who is held accountable.
The analogy however misses an important point. This point is that the expulsion of Migron, is the nullification of G-d's Covenant with the Jewish people and not only with those who happen to live in Migron.
It is the rape of the Jewish People and not just 50 families.
It is the Jewish People who are not screaming about this brutal rape but rather have been prostituting to the powers at large such as World opinion, American opinion etc.
- She has yet to proclaim! "I am married to the Land exclusively in holiness and NO OTHER PEOPLE can be sanctified when they possess this LAND. ONLY a Holy Nation, and a HOLY People called the Nation of Israel is the rightful marriage partner." Not only the people of Israel is being raped but so is the Land itself. If the intention of the gov't of Israel is to give the land to a strange owner (baal) that is like raping a married women. The sanctity of the marriage is then defiled.
On the Sabbath morning prayers we say "And You did not give [the Sabbath, the Sabbatical Year, the Shemittah] Hashem, our G-d, to the nations of the world, and nor did you make it an inheritance, our King, of the worshipers of idols; and also in its rest will the uncircumcised not be sheltered, FOR TO ISRAEL, YOUR PEOPLE HAVE YOU GIVEN IT WITH LOVE, TO THE SEED OF JACOB WHOM YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE PEOPLE THAT SANCTIFY THE SEVENTH, ALL OF THEM WILL BE DELIGHTED FROM YOUR GOODNESS, MOST COVETED OF DAYS YOU CALLED IT a remembrance of the act of Creation!
"In the beginning of His creating, Hashem created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the spirit of Hashem hovered over the face of the waters. And Hashem said, "Let there be light, and there was light.'" (Bereishis 1:1-3)
Rashi, in his first commentary in the Torah, asks, "Why does the Torah begin with Bereishis, the account of the creation of the world? If the Torah is a book of mitzvohs, why doesn't it start with the mitzvoh of Rosh Chodesh, the Torah's first mitzvoh found in Parshas Bo, the 3rd Parsha in the book of Shemos?"
Rashi answers with a verse (Psalms 111:6), "'The power of His works He has declared to His people by giving them the inheritance of the nations (Eretz Yisrael).' For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, 'You robbed the Caananites of the their land', Israel will have a ready answer. 'The entire world belongs to Hashem. He created it and He gave it to whomever He deemed worthy in his eyes. He gave it to the Caananites when He wanted to, and now He took it from them and gave it to us."
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Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) a great activist and lover of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichrono Baruch.
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Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Personal emails to individuals will not be posted to my blog.