Rabbi Howard Morrison

A colleague of mine relates a lesson he had with his high school students. If you found yourself visiting an island on the other side of the world and the inhabitants worshiped with human sacrifice, what would you do? Most of the students responded that while they would not believe in such a thing, they would not intrude on the ritual practice of another culture. We have our truth, and they have theirs.

Really? Is all morality relative?

Can it simply be that we call Hamas pure evil, and their followers call them resistance fighters, freedom fighters, fighters for decolonization? And all is morally relative?

Can it simply be that there is a moral equivalence between Hamas monsters, not killing, but murdering peace lovers at a concert? babies, some barely out of their mother's wombs? hurling grenades in bomb shelters filled with innocent people? torching bodies? abducting elderly Holocaust survivors?  That all of this equivalent to an Israel Defense Force patiently and with calculation seeking to eradicate only evil and not innocent life?

Can it simply be that an Israeli nation compelled to defend its own be expected to have an equal obligation to defend innocent civilians who are being purposely used as pawns, propaganda, and as human shields by evil Hamas?

Can it simply be that when Hamas or Egypt refuses to provide refuge for civilians that Israel be the one condemned for not being humanitarian?

If there is one lesson that Parshat Noach teaches us, it is that there are some absolutes in life for all humanity. Noach is not considered the first Jew. That will be Abraham, whose saga begins next week. Noach is considered the father of all humanity. After evil is allegedly flooded from the world, and a rainbow is brought in as a sign that God will never flood the world again, seven universal norms are introduced according to Jewish tradition so that basic decency and ethics will govern all mankind. The first of these seven universal norms is the prohibition of murder. The Parsha is very clear; "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in His image did God make man (Genesis 9:6)."

It is sad and tragic that all over the world, even in Canada and the U.S., there are politicians, journalists, academics, and even clergy who refuse to call Hamas terrorists; who refuse to specifically refer to Israel and Jews as the victims of monster-like savagery and barbarism; who even before Israel began to respond argued for a proportional response, whatever that means.

One journalist, from England, perhaps gave the best definition of a proportional response in a rhetorical way. Perhaps, then, Israel should look for a peace festival and murder everyone there. Perhaps, then, Israel should look for a bomb shelter and hurl a grenade at those inside trying to survive. Perhaps, then, Israel should look for a Kibbutz and murder babies and burn parents of children. Oh! But there would be no peace festivals or protective bomb shelters or kibbutzim of ethically minded people under the tryanny of Hamas.

Rabbi Angela Budahl, the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue, a large Reform synagogue in Manhattan, laments that after all the work she has done in multi-faith clergy dialogue, she could not find one Christian or Muslim body of clergy to call out unconditionally the evil perpetrated by Hamas, which was directed at Israelis/at Jews. She is not alone!

At last week's meeting here of the Toronto Board of Rabbis, we, an organization of rabbis from all the streams of Judaism, were admittedly chagrined that we had not received any outreach from any organization of local clergy. In years past, when churches or mosques were attacked, we rabbis formed rings of solidarity around non-Jewish congregations to show our concern and compassion for all people created in God's image. We were so saddened and upset that we posted a statement of our anger and frustration, which I will share with you now:

An Open Letter to Canadian Faith Leaders

From the Toronto Board of Rabbis

On October 7, Hamas slaughtered over 1300 Israelis and abducted more than 150. They kidnapped children, tortured elderly Holocaust survivors, murdered entire families, slew over 250 concertgoers, paraded the dead as war trophies, and did unspeakably worse. It was the largest murder of Jews on a single day since the Holocaust. These are indisputable facts. 

We are grateful to those of you, our colleagues, who have reached out to us, and we thank you for your ongoing comfort and support. For those who have kept quiet, we who formed Rings of Peace around your churches and mosques when terror struck your communities must ask: Where are you? Your silence is both sobering and clarifying.

Some of you have issued statements. Distressingly, many minimize Hamas’s massacre of innocents by decrying violence “on both sides,” woefully failing to recognize the moral distinction between those who butcher and those who are butchered, between intentional carnage and self-defense against that carnage. Like you, we also pray for the safety of all civilians and for peace. However, Hamas is a Canadian-designated terrorist organization whose stated goal is the annihilation of Jews. Their callous disregard for life extends even to their own people. There are no “two sides” to that reality.

We call upon Canadian faith leaders and organizations to unequivocally condemn Hamas for their murder, torture, and kidnapping of Jews and non-Jewish Israelis, permanent residents, and tourists; to call for the immediate return of hostages; and to denounce the horrifying and deeply un-Canadian displays of support for Hamas in our streets and online. Since Hamas claims to act in the name of Islam, we especially call upon leaders within the Muslim community to speak out publicly against these inhumane acts of terror. 

Your Jewish friends and neighbours are suffering. We hope we can count you as our allies. We, your colleagues in spiritual leadership, await your response.

My friends, if you were to visit an island on the other side of the world only to see human sacrifice taking place, I hope that you would not consider that act to be appropriate to a particular place or culture. Unprovoked murder is MURDER, "Shefichut Damim," the spilling of blood, and is forbidden for all humanity.

At this time, Israel's goal is to eradicate an evil whose purpose is to murder Jews here, there, and everywhere. Israel's purpose is not to hurt anyone else. The fact that Israel warns a citizenry with texts, leaflets from the sky, and a delayed ground response are all evidence of Israel's concern for life.

As Golda Meir famously said - if only they would care for their children more than wanting to murder our children.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Howard Morrison