Paying the price: redeeming and exchanging hostages

On Tuesday and Wednesday evening in shul, Rabbi Kenigsberg filled the gap between mincha and maariv with a riveting two-part shiur on the halacha relating to the redemption of hostages. This was not a political presentation. It started with two famous quotes from Rambam (right) about the primacy of the mitzvah of redeeming captives (basically “there is no greater mitzvah”), then reviewed modern approaches to this topic from, among others, Rabbi Ovadyah Yosef, the Chazon Ish and Rabbi Yisraeli.

Among the topics Rabbi Kenigsberg discussed was the relationship between pidyon shevu’im (redemption of hostages) and pikuach nefesh (the imperative need to preserve life), the relevance of probability theory to the calculations involving the exchange of hostages for terrorist prisoners and the applicability of pre-state rulings to modern conditions.

You can follow the first half of this shiur here on the Hanassi YouTube channel; the second half is here.

What berachah do you say on seeing a hostage being released?

This evening, between minchah and maariv, Rabbi Kenigsberg asked a highly topical question: what berachah should one recite on seeing a hostage being released? While the words "shehechiyanu vekiyemanu vehigianu" may spring into one's mind, the range of possible available options is much greater. As Rav Rimon explains, there are really five possible options:

• Shehechianu
• HaTov vehaMetiv
• Matir Assurim
• Mechayeh haMetim
• Say no berachah at all

At first blush, Matir Assurim ("Who releases those who are bound") looks like the most promising verbal formula--but we know that this blessing, which we say every morning when we get up, is recited in an entirely different context and is therefore inappropriate. As for the other berachot, well, the best way to weigh up their strengths and weaknesses is to click onto the YouTube recording of Rabbi Kenigsberg's shiur (it's just 15 minutes long) here. By the way, there's more to come. Rabbi Kenigsberg will be continuing his discussion of this issue tomorrow. You can follow it by coming to shul between minchah and maariv or wait a little and it will be posted on the Hanassi YouTube channel too.

Emunah and Bitachon in times of crisis

An audience of nearly 60 people came to Beit Knesset Hanassi last night to hear what Tziva Mor (right) had to say about the Tikva Forum -- a band of families of hostages who maintain that, whatever the personal cost to themselves and their loved ones, the interests of the State of Israel come first. 

Tzvika's son Eitan, who was guarding the Nova Festival, was captured by Hamas on 7 October. The eldest of eight siblings, he was only 23 at the time and the family have heard no news of him since March. Tzvika spoke movingly and eloquently about the impact Eitan's absence has had on the family, and of their collective decision to be brave for his sake, knowing that he would not want to be a bargaining chip in a Shalit-style exchange deal.

The Tikva Forum, Tzvika explained, represents around one-third of the hostage families. Of the rest, approximately one-third are pressing the government vociferously to bring back the hostages at any price. The rest are silent, do not make their views known and do not greatly engage with the rest.

Tzvika cited references in Tanach to no fewer than nine instances of hostage-taking, pointing out that in none of these cases did the innocent party indulge in negotiations. This showed, he argued, that the right path is through victory over the forces of evil, not entering into discussion with them. The correct path, therefore, is to refuse to have to do anything with our enemies and to stand up to them wherever necessary.

The talk concluded with a question-and-answer session in which several members of the audience were asking what they could do for the hostage families and how they could offer support, financial or otherwise, to the Tikva Forum. Tzvika confessed that he had nothing to do with the fund-raising side of things: it simply wasn't in his mission statement. He did however urge anyone who was interested to take to the social media and spread the word.

All in all, the evening was informative, educational, stimulating and well worth the effort that went into putting it on. 

Beit Knesset Hanassi thanks the Iriyah, Yerushalayim, for its support for this event.