Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 13:09:09 -0500
From: Mark Rosenblit
To: letters@courant.com
MISJUDGING A MISCREANT
By entering into the 1993 Olso Accords, Yasser Arafat and his Palestine Liberation Organization have formally repudiated the use of violence against Israel. Despite this, Yasser Arafat's inner circle recently ordered a 50-ton shipment of weapons from Iran, including 3000 pounds of C-4 explosives, with which to more efficiently murder Jews; yet he earnestly denied knowing anything about the matter, and even promised an investigation. Moreover, although Arafat's own minions have continued to perpetrate terror attacks against Israel's civilian population on a daily basis, he professes to be so shocked and saddened by these atrocities that he now condemns these outrages publicly -- also on a daily basis. And, in this Age of Moral Darkness, most of the World -- to the great distress of most Jews -- continues to insist upon believing in his sincerity.
However, there is nothing new under the sun; and, consequently, Jewish history is merely repeating itself. At its dawn, Abimelech, king of the Philistines -- the very people after whom the "Palestinian" Arabs have named themselves -- anxiously sought out Abraham, the progenitor of the Jewish people, in order to conclude with him a peace treaty.
As the Torah relates: "At that time, Abimelech and Phicol, general of his legion, said to Abraham, 'God is with you in all that you do. Now swear to me here, by God, that you will not deal falsely with me nor with my son or with my grandson. According to the kindness that I have done with you, do with me and with the Land in which you have sojourned.' And Abraham said, 'I will swear'. Then Abraham disputed with Abimelech regarding the well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. But Abimelech said, 'I do not know who did this thing; furthermore, you have never told me; and, moreover, I myself have heard nothing of it except for today.'" (Gen. 21:22-26).
We learn from this episode that even the very best of Jewish leadership is capable of misjudging a miscreant. Yet, if fatalism and inertia are firmly put aside, we are not doomed to forever repeat our righteous progenitor's error.
© Mark Rosenblit