How long must we tolerate this outrage?

Ein milim (there are no words). Yet our only way to communicate our disgust is with words, as inadequate as they are.

While every “release” has been a sorry and sordid spectacle, this one was the most egregious, designed to torture, torment and humiliate. Not satisfied with murdering babies Ariel and Kfir and their mother Shiri, Hamas pulled a shocking bait and switch, substituting an unknown female corpse for that of Shiri.

Then, as other hostages were being released on Saturday (why always on Shabbat?) two more young men were kept in a vehicle feet away from freedom, torturing them with the taste of liberation only to whisk them back into captivity. And before their release, other Jewish captives were forced to debase themselves and “kiss” their captors.

How does one process such cruelty? What should be the Jewish response — or better yet what should be the Jewish expressions of power to prevent such humiliations from recurring?

• • •

Let us turn to a hostage situation recorded in the Torah. Dina, daughter of Leah and Yaakov, was kidnapped and violated by Shechem. Upon hearing this, Dina‘s brothers are “extremely angry, for he (Shechem) had committed an outrage in Israel. … Such a thing may not be done” (Bereishit 34:7).

Through subterfuge and guile, the brothers turn the tables on Shechem and his entire family and townsfolk, seemingly offering to make peace in exchange for their entering the covenant of circumcision, only to have Shimon and Levi slaughter every male as they lay aching in pain from their circumcisions.

Yaakov, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole ordeal, admonishes his sons (and specifically the leaders, Shimon and Levi) not because what they did was wrong but because “you made life difficult for me with our neighbors; how are we going to continue to live here?”

The two brothers respond defiantly, “Ha-kezonah yaaseh et achotenu (should he treat our sister like a harlot)?“ (34:31). No response by Yaakov is recorded, although later on his deathbed, Yaakov will curse their anger, although not their act (49:5–7).

• • •

While multiple commentators disagree as to the extent of why the actions by Shimon and Levi were legitimate, but they also justify Yaakov’s curse of their anger.

Chazal tell us in the Eleh Ezkera midrash that we recite on Yom Kippur, that the execution of the 10 great Holy Sages by the Romans is an atonement for our collective sin of the sale of Yosef by his brothers — a sin that the brothers never clearly did teshuva for.

On the face of it, this seems like a monstrous notion, that our greatest Mishnaic and Talmudic sages, who provided our understanding of the oral law and the framework for Rabbinic Judaism would die in the most heinous ways for sins committed by their forbearers. In fact, the idea is so outrageous that the Eleh Ezkera itself records the angels beseeching Hashem, “How can you destroy these Holy Saintly souls?” Where upon G-d, brooking no dissent, answers, “one more word and I will end the entire world.”

That is because no rational explanation would suffice. Only He knows and understands the reasons why.

Shabbat shalom.

Dr. Alan A. Mazurek is a retired neurologist, living in Great Neck, Jerusalem and Florida. He is a former chairman of the ZOA. To reach him, write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com