[Avodah] Fwd: Rav Chazkel Levenstein On The Capture Of Adolf Eichmamm ym"s

[Micha Berger]

>From <http://revach.net/article.php?id=4954>.

-Micha

   Rav Chazkel Levenstein On The Capture Of Adolf Eichmamm ym"s

   Rav Chatzkel says (Ohr Yechezkel: Middos - Laasos Nekama BaGoyim)
   that we are all born with an ingrained trait of hatred. Unless we
   rid ourselves of it, it will haunt us from time to time in our lives
   even if we think we are above it. Often we may think that we are
   preaching a good cause but it is a mere cover for our instinctive
   trait of hatred coming in disguise.

   Take the capture of Eichmann, said Rav Chatzkel right after he was
   caught and brought to Israel. That is all people and the newspapers are
   talking about all day. The public brags that we merited to take revenge
   in a murderer and Hashem is the master of revenge. The truth is, says
   Rav Chatzkel, this idea is nonsense and far from any understanding
   of Torah.

   If we found murder so terrible why are we not shaken by a recent
   earthquake that took the lives of thousands, asked Rav Chatzkel? Do
   we think taking revenge on Eichmann is going to bring back six million
   lost lives? Why is everybody so busy with him, is he the only murderer
   in the world? What is the relevance of the number of his murders,
   if it is only a product of his ingenuity and opportunity? Eisav's
   lifeblood is the sword and anyone is capable of doing what he did.

   Our excitement of his capture stems from our desire to be victorious.
   It has nothing to do with avenging Hashem's name. All talk of that
   is idle chatter. The lesson we need to draw from Eichmann is that if
   we do not root out hatred from our heart we can literally become an
   animal in every sense of the word. And this is only through Torah.

   We must see that our outlook is far from the Torah. Al Pi Torah
   we must not look at the worst Rasha with complete hatred even for
   committing the most heinous crimes. We should only be concerned with
   Kavod Shamayim which demands that a Rodef be put to death. But to seek
   the blood of a murderer is forbidden and we must not be happy with
   his day of reckoning. We must not forget the concept of Tzelem Elokim.

   While these words seem far from us, Rav Chatzkel says that these are
   the foundations of mussar and someone who is far from mussar can not
   comprehend this at all. Scary...