Author Topic: Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!  (Read 1299 times)

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Offline muman613

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Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!
« on: May 12, 2011, 02:01:57 AM »
While reading google news I just came across the story which relates how the father of Gilad Shalit, the poor IDF soldier who has been held captive by Hamas for five years without any contact with the outside world. Instead of getting mad at Hamas, the father is getting mad at Israel because the government, as it should, is not willing to pay 'any price' for his freedom.

The terrorist Hamas organization is demanding that thousands of terrorist prisoners in Israels prison system be set free. The demand keeps getting greater and greater, and if the Hamas thinks that they can exact 'any price' on Israel it would be a reward for future kidnappings.

The Jewish sages put a great merit for freeing or redeeming a Jewish captive. But the sages did not say that it should be at 'any price' especially when it comes to the fact that terrorists who are released will usually pick up arms and go out and kill Jews immediately after being released. This is a clear and present danger to the security of Israel and it would be foolish to pay 'any price' for Shalits release no matter how it hurts Mr Shalits father.



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4066902,00.html

http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/66481/news-of-a-kidnapping/

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What is known is that Hamas is currently demanding that Israel release 1,000 prisoners for Shalit, in two stages. At first, 550 prisoners chosen by Israel would be freed in return for Shalit being delivered to a third party, presumably Egypt. Then, Israel would release 450 more prisoners, from a list of names that Hamas has provided. Israel has also discussed another release of 400 prisoners as a gesture to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Both sides have agreed on the mechanism by which the prisoners would be released. The heart of the problem remains the group of 450 prisoners Israel says has blood on its hands. Many of these prisoners are serving life sentences for their involvement in the murder of hundreds of Israelis during the Oslo peace process and the Second Intifada. Hamas expects the release of some of its senior prisoners and also of Marwan Bargouti, one of Fatah’s leaders in the West Bank, and Ahmad Saadat, the leader of the Palestinian Popular Front. According to reports printed in the Arab press, the debate now concerns a few dozen prisoners. Israel insists that some of these men remain in jail. Others, it suggests, will not be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank but will be kept further away, in Gaza or in Europe, since they might help Hamas rebuild its terror networks if they were permitted to stay in the West Bank. Netanyahu has said lately that most of the discussion now regards the number of prisoners to be deported.

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2011, 02:03:28 AM »
http://www.closetotorah.com/2010/11/modern-day-ransoms-too-high-a-price-a-halachic-perspective/



Modern-Day Ransoms: Too High a Price?
A Halachic Perspective
by Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

One of the most tragic and delicate halahcic questions of the modern day, which must be addressed both by halachic decisors and by political leaders of the State of Israel, is the question of redeeming soldiers or civilians that are taken hostage by terrorist groups. Invariably, the demands of terrorists include the release of imprisoned terrorists, who generally await their return to their former profession. What does halachah have to say on this matter? Can the monetary ransom demanded by conventional captors be compared with the modern-day requests for release of terrorists? Indeed, how would the demand for monetary payment be seen in today’s halachic eye. Inspired by this week’s parashah, which chronicles the most famous case of ‘kidnapping’ in the history of the world–the sale of Yosef to Egypt–we seek to address these issues in this week’s article.

Our Parashah includes the description of what is surely the most famous ‘kidnapping’ in history: The snatching of Yosef by his brothers, and his subsequent sale to the Egypt-bound group of Ishmaelites. It was this fateful episode that led to the descent of our entire nation to Egypt, the exile and hardships it went on to experience, and, ultimately, the miraculous redemption in the hands of G-d.

We will take the opportunity to dwell on the halachic aspects of captors and captives, and, in particular, the delicate questions of how to react to captors’ demands for ransoms in exchange for freeing their prisoner.

Throughout the generations, both halachic and historical literature reveal how Jews, in their various countries of exile, suffered greatly from bandits, who found a way to make easy income by capturing Jews and demanding exorbitant ransom money. At certain times, this ploy for making money was employed not only by vagabond anarchists, but even by state machinery. State coffers could be filled by fabricating legal cases against Jews, in order to demand money for their release.

Today, the question of redeeming captives remains tragic, difficult, and very delicate. Instead of money, the demand of modern kidnappers, namely terrorist groups who capture soldiers or civilians, is the release of terrorists.

This, of course, presents a terrible dilemma to decision-makers: The life and freedom of every Jew is priceless, but practically, how much should we be prepared to pay? Is the release of murderers, who are most likely to return to their previous ‘occupation’, justified halachically? In this article we will try and discuss this question.

Paying More than the Captive’s Value

The Gemara teaches that the mitzvah of redeeming captives from their captivity is a “great mitzvah,” a term reserved for only a number of mitzvos. Based on its unique importance, the redemption of captives is given first priority when allocating charity money. In the words of Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 252:1), “No mitzvah is as great as the redemption of captives.”

The Gemara also highlights the dire plight of the captive, who finds himself at the mercy of his captors, who are liable to torture him, place him through unspoken suffering, and even kill him. Shulchan Aruch (252:3) thus writes that he who is able to redeem a captive, yet fails to do so, is considered to be a murderer.

Nevertheless, the Mishnah (Gittin 45a) teaches that captives should not redeem for any price: “Captives are not redeemed for more than their value.” The reason for this is discussed by the Gemara, which mentions two possible reasons. One is that it would prove too weighty a load on the community. According to this reason, a private individual is permitted to redeem his own family or loved ones, even for great sums of money.


Another suggested reason, is that payment of large sums of money would encourage captors to continue in their evil ways, taking as many captives as possible, for the purpose of making quick and easy riches. According to this rationale, even a private individual would not be permitted to use his personal wealth in order to pay exorbitant sums for the release of his relatives.
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You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Dr. Dan

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Re: Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2011, 02:48:28 AM »
the deal should be 2600 dead terrorists wrapped in bacon unless shalit is released alive and well.
If someone says something bad about you, say something nice about them. That way, both of you would be lying.

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Offline Manch

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Re: Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2011, 05:15:17 AM »
the deal should be 2600 dead terrorists wrapped in bacon unless shalit is released alive and well.
I like your thinking! Perhaps 2600 is not enough
Hayot Araviot Masrihot

Offline Meerkat

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Re: Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2011, 08:32:35 AM »
the deal should be 2600 dead terrorists wrapped in bacon unless shalit is released alive and well.


i say either release shalit or we give them all of our muslim nazi prisoners dead and wrapped in bacon

Offline mord

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Re: Free Schalit at Any Price? I say NO NO NO!
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2011, 08:33:43 AM »

i say either release shalit or we give them all of our muslim nazi prisoners dead and wrapped in bacon
Thats the answer
Thy destroyers and they that make thee waste shall go forth of thee.  Isaiah 49:17

 
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