[Avodah] Heroes, Victims and Kedoshim

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

In the thread "Dealing with Perpetrators", R' Micha Berger wrote:
> PS: Note that ... I transliterated it "chilul hasheim". It's
> a chillul of the Eibishter's reputation. If "Hashem" were
> intended as a qinui, IOW if we were speaking of He Himself,
> would it make sense to say the Borei was made chol?

As an amateur translator, I thoroughly appreciate using the word "reputation" in this context. A Kiddush HaSheim shows how special and important our G-d is, and thereby enhances His reputation. A Chillul HaSheim shows that our G-d is (chalila) not so special or important, and thereby detracts from His reputation.

But we should remind ourselves that Kiddush HaSheim and Chillul HaSheim come in two varieties: b'rabbim and b'tzina. Which makes me ask: Where the action is not done publicly, how is His reputation affected AT ALL?

This question leads me to suspect that if it is not done publicly, then in fact it's not really a Kiddush/Chilul HaSheim at all. In fact, I vaguely recall hearing that the bracha on Kiddish HaSheim cannot be said except b'rabbim.

I would like to suggest a radical idea:

When Av Harachamim uses the phrase "kehilos hakodesh shemasru nafsham al kedushas haSheim", it is explicitly referring to communities which "masru" - CHOSE to give up their lives al kedushas haSheim.

In contrast, could it be that although we do refer to victims of the shoah as "kedoshim", they are indeed "victims". They did not have any choice in the matter. Even though their murders were public, their lack of choice served to eliminate the "enhancement of our G-d's reputation" which defines Kiddush HaSheim, and, in fact, no such enhancement occurred, and they did not do the mitzvah of Kiddush HaSheim.

R' Micha Berger wrote:
> The Belzer Rebbe concluded that one of the things produced by
> the Holocaust is that it was then possible for a Jew to die al
> qiddush Hashem simply for being a Jew, his existential essence
> despite his personal unobservance.
and
> My problem is more philosophical (surprise!). Who are we to
> dedicate learning in their memory? It's like a poor shoemaker
> donating a dollar to help the Rockefellers.

With all due respect to the Belzer Rebbe, I'd suggest that the Kiddush HaSheim to the holocaust is not a real Kiddush HaSheim, in a manner similar to how a Kiddush HaSheim B'Tzina is not a real Kiddush HaSheim. It is a colloquialism, similar to how we say that it is "assur" to get married during sefiras haomer.

When we speak of the Kedoshim of the shoah, we cannot tranlate this as "those who sanctify His Name", or as "those who enhance His Reputation". But we can and do translate it as "martyrs".

At long last, the purpose of this post has been to suggest and to demonstrate that although we tend to use the words "kedoshim" and "martyrs" interchangably, they are not identical. A martyr (or a kadosh in the colloquial sense) has not necessarily done anything for our cause. But his death does serve to galvanize and strengthen those in his camp, so that his death will not have been in vain. It is an important and valued thing, though it not quite on the same level as a real Kiddush HaSheim B'Rabbim, which accomplishes *more* than martyrdom does.

Akiva Miller

PS: R' Micha wrote:
> This wasn't about any alleged "saving souls". They came
> to a ghetto and had themselves a pogrom. Yes, shmad
> would get someone out of the ghetto, but by the time the
> Crusaders got there, it was too late for someone to save
> themselves. The qedoshim of the tefillah are called such
> despite not choosing to die for the cause.

I do realize that this goes against my interpretation of Av Harachamim above. If the reality of the Crusades is as described here, why does Av Harachamim use the word "masru", implying that they DID "choose to die for the cause"? I suggest that a distinction might be made between the Nazis (who would come into town unannounced, giveing the colloquial kedoshim no choice in the matter) and the Crusaders (who did march through Europe with a plan for "saving souls", despite their rabble often getting out of control even of their own leaders).

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