To Love Life
The Talmud teaches that one can learn a lesson from everyone, even from one's enemies.
Just a few days after the horrific massacre on October 7th, a senior Hamas official was interviewed and asked how they had successfully taken the Israeli people by surprise.
The Hamas official responded, “The Israelis are known to love life” — Hamas view this as Israel's weakness and a weapon to be exploited. “We, on the other hand, sacrifice ourselves, we consider our dead to be martyrs... We made them think that Hamas was busy governing Gaza and assisting the people living there…All the while… Hamas was preparing for this big attack.”
His response speaks to the essence of what Judaism represents and what we are really fighting for in the Middle East, on college campuses, and in our own communities around the world.
This may be one of the reasons why it is so difficult for so many people who grow up in societies that cherish the inherent value of life to truly comprehend the nature of Israel's war against terror.
The war is not about a piece of land, equality, or the right to self-govern; rather, it is a war of those who love life versus those who glorify death. The ultimate battle of good versus evil.
It is no surprise, then, that Hamas decided to launch their attack on the holiday of Simchat Torah, when we rejoice with the Torah. The juxtaposition of Jewish celebration and war underlines the essence of the conflict. Simchat Torah marks the completion of the Torah, the five books of Moses, which is read aloud weekly in synagogue. Near the end of the Torah is one of Moses' last teachings from G-d: “Therefore choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).”
According to the teachings of Judaism, the life of a human being takes precedence over all other considerations, even the most noble ideals.
The Sages of the Talmud debate various sources for the fundamental principle that saving a human life supersedes all the commandments of the Torah, including desecrating Yom Kippur or Shabbat, and they conclude that the source is found in this week's Torah portion Acharei Mot:
“Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: If I would have been there among those Sages who debated this question, I would have said that my proof is preferable to theirs, as it states: “You shall keep My statutes and My ordinances, which a person shall do and live by them” (Leviticus 18:5), and not that he should die by them. In all circumstances, one must take care not to die as a result of fulfilling the mitzvot". -Talmud, Yuma 85b
The Torah is G-d's blueprint for creation and serves as an instruction manual to live a meaningful and moral life. Every teaching, word, letter, vocalization and even context and juxtaposition contains the depth and often subtle messages and secrets which must be deciphered, analyzed and applied to modern conundrums and events.
The Sages of the Talmud, Kabbalah and the leading codifiers of Jewish law have the tools, wisdom, and divine inspiration to uncover these truths which are hidden in the Torah. The above mentioned example is one of many where this concept is demonstrated. The seemingly superfluous words “shall do and live by them” in the context of Mitzvot observance indicate that saving a human life precedes all of Torah and Mitzvot.
That is not to say that we disregard Torah and Mitzvot when it conflicts with life-threatening situations. Rather, by saving a life we are in fact fulfilling the very purpose and goal of Torah. As Maimonides expresses, “From this you may infer that the laws of the Torah are not meant to wreak vengeance upon the world, but to bestow on it mercy, kindliness, and peace.”
This principle highlights the inherent infinite value every life contains and guides our approach to many sensitive medical ethical issues which may arise.
To live means more than just occupying space and resources. It is not enough that we concern ourselves just with self-preservation and existence, we must live with purpose and meaning.
The phrase “ live by them” can also be read, “in order to imbue life-force within them,” implying that not only do G-d's commandments enhance our lives; by observing them we bring them to life. For instance, when a person gives Tzedakah or feeds the hungry, the money, food and resources which are used come to life so to speak by becoming a force and tool for goodness and kindness. When a Jewish woman lights a Shabbat candle, the otherwise ordinary candle and flame now become a source of physical and spiritual warmth and light for the world. When a Jewish man dons Tefillin, the apparent simple leather boxes, parchment, and straps become a vehicle to draw G-dly energy into their life and the world around them. We are thus the catalyst that brings G-d's plan for creation to fruition, through fulfilling His commandments. In order to “enliven” G-d's commandments, we ourselves must be “alive,” i.e., healthy, strong, happy, enthusiastic, and optimistic.
One of the fundamental Jewish beliefs, included in Maimonides thirteen principles of faith, is the belief in the resurrection of the dead during the era of redemption.
Judaism teaches that following a person's death the soul ascends to G-d to receive its reward for all the good they have done in this world. However, according to the Sages of Kabbalah, that is not the ultimate reward. Even souls that have enjoyed spiritual bliss in the afterlife for thousands of years will descend and live again in a material body in the Messianic era of redemption. For G‑d's essence is invested in this material world, and it is through life in this world that the most encompassing bond with Him can be established. Through transforming this physical world into a beautiful home for G-d we fulfill the ultimate purpose of creation.
