Statistically, most Americans today are cremated after death, and accordingly, they find it difficult to understand why Israel makes such a big deal about the bodies of our hostages still in Gaza.

The answer is found in this week’s parsha that man was created in the image of G-d, and we each have a Godly soul, so holy that it hallows even the temporary body which houses it. Yes, Judaism is meant to be a Light to the Nations, and here is just another case where the State of Israel is influencing mankind to respect even the dead (KAL VACHOMER the LIVING!). Similarly Israel has by far the highest birthrate of any western country, for again this week’s parsha commands man from the very start: as G-d just finished creating the world, and commands us in the first mitzva: p’ru u’rvu: you are meant to also copy G-d (Imitateo Dei, in His image), and should also create worlds, by having children.

Similarly entire basic topics like tum’a and tahara, totally revolve around the ideology and hallowing of life, as opposed to justifying and sometimes even glorifying murder (where Ramalla streets and parks are named after “Shahidim” based on how many Jews they killed).
Sometimes it seems Hashem sends us the most opposite enemies, in order to contrast & clarify the Jewish view. When we compare our culture with the Hamasniks who filmed themselves decapitating with glee, and giving over their own Gazan bodies to Israel, thinking that we won’t notice that they are not our Israeli bodies, the difference is shocking.

I won’t pretend to be a specialist about Islam, but if Israeli Arabs, predominantly religious Moslems, so often kill each other (almost every day in the Israeli news), as well as even often killing their daughters and sisters throughout the Arab world for “כבוד המשפחה” (which often means wanting to marry someone not chosen by the father…), that’s a problematic sign, that they value love and life totally differently than we do.

I definitely don’t want to make generalizations, but notice we are talking about a widespread different mindset and a cultural and educational problem. I have no idea if this devaluing life is based on Islam or not, but if we live in the Middle East, it would be not only false, but stupid and counterproductive to pretend not to realize how our neighbors see the ideal of life differently than we. When they endanger our soldiers by using their own children and sick as human shields, we cannot pretend and not see the difference. I’m not saying it was correct or not to free hundreds of convicted terrorist murderers to save our hostages (for the lives of the future Jews they will murder are also super important), but just want to point out how and why we fight and even give our lives to save those of our brothers and sisters. As we begin Sefer Breishit once again, we must point out that Hashem is surely proud of the IDF and these are the shining examples of our generation. Even if anti-Semites refuse to note our life-giving Gevura, we have an obligation to teach this eternal morality to the rest of mankind, sometimes even by force. This is what Rav Kook terms “The war against wars”.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)