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Imperfect solutions
Rabin, a life by Josh Pollack
By Rabbi Berel Wein
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
THE COMMEMORATIONS of the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin
that take place over all of Israel at this time of the year are a sad
reminder of the futility of ideology-driven violent solutions to
difficult issues.
Our waning century is a weeping witness to
assassinations that have brought untold grief to humanity. The First
World War that cost millions of lives and destabilized Europe for many
decades to come was a result of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
and his wife by a Serbian extremist. The purpose of the killing was to
end Austrian dominance over Serbia. The result was the disappearance of
an independent Serbia for most of this century. Any objective observer
would certainly agree that assassinating Archduke Ferdinand was an
imperfect solution to the political difficulties of Serbia.
Our century has witnessed other assassinations and
attempted assassinations of public figures. The Armenian prime minister, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have all been shot
at by assassins. Whatever the purposes of those assassins may have been,
the common denominator in all of these incidents is that those purposes
were never realized. The victims became martyrs or heroes, the shooters
were judged either deranged or vicious bigoted killers. Their bullets
were also imperfect solutions to the perceived wrongs that motivated
their violent behavior.
Yigal Amir's murder of Yitzchak Rabin was the solution of
a fanatical idealogue to a political problem. If the purpose of the
killing was to arrest the Oslo peace process and prevent the transfer of
Israeli-controlled territory to the Palestinians, then the killing was
not only an immoral murder of an innocent man, it was a dismal political
failure. In fact, the Netanyahu government that campaigned for office on
a platform that was basically anti-Oslo, was hamstrung in implementing
such a policy from its first days in office onward and was forever
prevented from reversing Oslo because of the ghost of the martyred Rabin
that continually hung over Netanyahu. So, ironically Amir contributed to
the furtherance of policies that he was fanatically opposed to.
Assassination is certainly an imperfect solution to political
difficulties.
Idealism is a virtue and a necessity for the advancement
of civilization. Judaism and all of Jewish life is built on the
sacrifices and tenacity that only idealism can engender. But idealism,
like almost all other virtues and positive human traits, requires
self-discipline and common sense to control and channel it. Idealism
uncontrolled easily descends into fanaticism. And fanaticism almost
always finds a violent expression because fanatics are always frustrated
and deeply wounded by an imperfect world that does not bend to their will
and vision of human perfection. And they cannot tolerate different views
or opinions. The idealism of faith that religion brings to humans is of
little value if it is insensitive to the realities of the human condition
and blind to the true consequences of fanatical behavior.
The Torah
always warned us of the negative consequences of blind fanaticism. The
Talmud assured us that there would always be different opinions and views
amongst us --"just as no two people have the same appearance, so too no
two people share the same opinions and ideas." Therefore, our idealism
must always be tempered by realism and a sense of vision.
The idealistic and courageous Israelis who have populated
the other-side-of the Green Line-parts of the Land of Israel over the
past two decades are certainly possessed of idealism. They have made
great sacrifices and achieved much. Yet, they have been demonized as
being fanatics and as being an obstacle to peace. Their political
opponents have defined them as being not idealists but rather as a
violent threat to the ultimate welfare of the State of Israel.
And thus they run the risk of being tarred with the brush of fanaticism.
If that happens, then no matter what their short term goals and
achievements may be, in the long run, their behavior will prove to be
counter-productive to their ultimate goals. Idealism that can degenerate
into violent behavior is ultimately the enemy of the cause of those very
idealists.
Our society is far too violent. Domestic, political and
social violence is far too common. Most of this violence is not
idealistically driven. Nevertheless, any violence creates a certain
climate in society. Eventually we become accustomed and accepting of it
and our condemnations of such violence is trite, formal and insincere.
But in a society that accepts routine violence, traffic and road rage,
that shouts and never speaks softly, that prides itself on not being
service-oriented and is brazenly impolite, creates an atmosphere that is
dangerous for idealists. A violent society justifies fanaticism for
idealogues.
That is the dangerous ingredient for our society in this
fateful and perilous time in Israel's
Now, that
the "older settlers" have agreed to the dismantling of certain outposts
the chance of the "settlers" being viewed as idealists instead of
fanatics may have been improved. However, the "dor hemshech," the next
and younger generation of the"settlers," imbued with the heritage of
idealism and love of the Land of Israel oppose any concession to reality.
JWR contributor Rabbi Berel Wein is one of Jewry's foremost historians and
founder of the Destiny Foundation. He resides in Jerusalem. You may contact Rabbi
Wein by by clicking here or calling 1-800-499-WEIN (9346).
10/21/99: 'Holy loafers'
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09/28/99: Beauty
09/17/99: Blessing the children
09/10/99: A good year