[Avodah] Dying al Kiddush Hashem

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Dec 04, 2008 at 07:56:41PM -0500, Yitzhak Grossman wrote:
: > See the hair raising and heartbreaking description in the Kinnah
: > "Haharishi Mi'Meni Va'Adaberah" of the unknown martyrs' decision to
: > implement a communal murder / suicide pact:
: > <Quote>
: > And they gathered B'Prishus and in purity
: > to sanctify God's great and awesome name
: > and each man strengthened his brother with support
: > to cling [to him] with pure awe
: > to refrain from bowing to Avodah Zarah

This was about choosing suicide over forced shemad. Not about being
given a choice to convert and avoid attack.

...
: > While Googling the subject, I turned up a rather provocative
: > revisionist article (David Malkiel, "Destruction or Conversion,
: > Intention and Reaction, Crusaders and Jews in 1096", Jewish History,
: > Volume 15 Issue 3 October 2001) which claims that, contrary to the
: > accepted narrative that the victims of the First Crusade were always
: > offered the choice of baptism, in actuality the primary intention of
: > salvation through conversion were only occasional and
:> sporadic.......

This makes more sense to me, just thinking of the psychology of the
situtation. Half the time the killing was sparked by a local nobleman
who found himself too far in the red. He needed his creditor eliminated,
not just converted. Nearly every city was attacked by a mob capable of
killing the entire population in a day, not disciplined soldiers coming
in slowly enough to ask questions.

I just don't see how the usual narrative is possible. How can the
majority of the Jews of Worms actually individually refuse to convert
and get killed all in one day? Why would a mob that proved itself
capable of pillaging, rape, and indescriminate distruction slow down to
ask questions?

To further extend RMP's idea, I think the typical version of events,
emphasizing the choice of avodas Hashem and death over shmad, is a
confusion of national choice and individual choice. The community, en
masse, refused. The silent majority were never given a voice. I'm not
saying they would have chosen otherwise, ch"v to even suggest that!
I'm saying tht their opinion didn't matter to the course of events.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
micha at aishdas.org        I awoke and found that life was duty.
http://www.aishdas.org   I worked and, behold -- duty is joy.
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