By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — Judaism holds that human life is absolutely and fundamentally sacred. With three exceptions (murder, sexual assault/incest/adultery, and public idolatry), any mitzvah in Judaism can be violated in order to save a human life. It may even be argued this violation is not voluntary but obligatory: mitzvot must be violated when human life is at stake.
It is for this reason that religious traditions that praise murder and martyrdom are so foreign to me. As a Jew, I believe that there is never a religious justification for murdering another human being because of their religion, ideology, or lifestyle.
Regardless of whether the Orlando murderer is sane or mentally ill, before his killing spree he pledged allegiance to ISIS, an Islamic terrorist organization which gleefully and routinely perpetrates and praises the killing of innocent human beings.
ISIS clearly inspired him. I don’t know to which “god” these fanatics pray, but it is certainly not the God of Israel and the Universe who treasures human life and weeps over the death of the innocent.
In this week’s parasha we read: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the Lord….” (Num. 5:5-6) Rabbi Yehoshua Trunk of Kutna (1821-1893) noted that this verse corresponds to that which the Rambam (1135-1204) wrote in his Mishna Torah: Any sin against a human being is a sin against God.
Those who murder innocents do not serve God-they sin against God. Until they replace hate with tolerance and love, the battle against them will need to be fought.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. He may be contacted via leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com . Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)