Was it just a coincidence?
Or was there perhaps some divine message in the striking link between the day on which Osama bin Ladin was finally brought to justice and the Jewish calendar which marked it as Yom HaShoah - the date selected to commemorate the Holocaust?
I have no doubt that Osama's death deserved a great measure of jubilation. The angels may have been told by God not to sing when the Egyptians drowned because it was inappropriate for them to rejoice when the Almighty's creations perished. But God offered no such criticism to the Jewish survivors of Egyptian cruelty who lifted their voices in song at the sea when they witnessed the death of their oppressors. The angels hadn't suffered so they didn't have the right to celebrate. But those who bore the brunt of Egyptian evil were entitled to exult when their enemies finally had to pay for their crimes.
The day Osama died was a day for us to be glad. We were the victims of his barbaric wickedness.
But the almost universal response to the passing of this paradigm of evil seems to ignore a powerful truth - a truth we ought to be starkly reminded of by the calendrical coincidence of Osama's demise on the very day dedicated to remembering the Holocaust.
Related Article: When Evil Falls
I've watched with great interest the media's coverage of this historic event. Commentators seek out relatives of victims on 9/11 and repeatedly ask them the same question: Does Osama's death finally give you a sense of closure?
Closure would prevent us from being inspired to draw any lessons for the future from the tragedies of the past.
Imagine if the same kind of question were to be asked of Holocaust survivors or relatives of those who perished: Now that Hitler is dead, do you feel a sense of peace and tranquility? Are you able to finally gain closure for the horrors of the past?
To believe that the unspeakable cruelties suffered by six million could in some way be diminished by the death of those who perpetrated them borders on the ludicrous. There is no closure possible for the crimes committed by a regime that declared genocide a civilized option.
To speak of closure in response to evil is in a sense to bring any further discussion of it to an end. We build Holocaust museums, we reflect on the Holocaust in works of art, literature and film, and we recall its victims on Yom HaShoah precisely because we know that if we were to reach a point of closure we would no longer be inspired to draw any lessons for the future from the tragedies of the past.
That's why there is such strong danger of rejoicing too much at the death of an enemy.
When Hitler died, we needed to realize it was the death of the man but not yet of his ideas. Nazi Germany proved what anti-Semitism left unchecked could ultimately lead to. In its aftermath it would be our mission to speak out against bigotry, to defend human rights and to ensure that "never again" would not be an empty slogan.
The death of an evil leader still leaves room for myriad followers to keep alive his ideology. In the final analysis it is still easier to kill one man who threatens us than to annihilate the influence he succeeded in inspiring in his disciples.
What I fear is that our joy in killing Osama leads us to the mistaken belief that we have destroyed the power of his message.
There are still far too many in Osama's world who continue to believe in his ideas.
There are still far too many in Osama's world who continue to believe in his ideas. His voice is still heard among all those convinced that violence is the only way, who justify the mass murder of innocents in the supposed name of religion, who choose suicide bombing as a divinely blessed means for gaining world domination.
Osama’s death hasn't changed them. Quite the contrary, they may now feel duty bound to avenge his killing.
The biblical commentators have a profound insight on the verse that introduces the Shirah - the song of Moses and the Jewish people. "Then," says the Torah, "sang Moses and the children of Israel." Then, explain the rabbis, and not before. Only after the entire story was over and all the Egyptians were dead did the Jews feel it proper to finally rejoice.
Singing the song too soon would have been a sin.
More than 50 years after the Holocaust, we still do not feel like singing. We reflect, we study, we continue to mourn those who perished. But we do not diminish the tragedy of the six million by daring to suggest that we have found closure.
Less than 10 years after 9/11, we can take some comfort in knowing that the mastermind behind the death of more than 3000 innocent Americans has at long last received his just punishment. But it is not yet time to sing. We need to continue to mourn for those we lost. And we need to commit ourselves to persevere in the battle against Osama's followers who remain dedicated to destroying us.
When we finally succeed, then and only then will our mouths be filled with laughter and our voices with song.
(18) Anonymous, February 1, 2016 7:21 AM
OBL gives G'd a bad name
Good article Rav B!
oBL gives all of us who believe in G'd a bad name by his and his followers evil actions, why can't they behave according to the Universal code of humanity the 7 laws of Noah?
(17) Gary Katz, June 12, 2011 2:33 AM
Nothing has really changed but the names
Hitler was a madman, but he could not have accomplished his mass murder without millions of willing helpers, including non-Germans. Bin Laden has millions of followers around the globe, and his death won't diminish their blood thirsty ardor one bit.
(16) jeremiah, May 15, 2011 9:24 PM
WOW
that was hart touching
(15) miriam baum-benkoe, May 12, 2011 6:31 PM
As always, a shared truth from a man of vision.
(14) Michael F., May 12, 2011 3:06 PM
I couldn't disagree more
I couldn't disagree more with this sentence: "The day Osama died was a day for us to be glad." The death of a human being - any human being - is never a cause for celebration or a time to rejoice.
ladydi, July 28, 2011 2:13 PM
I DISAGREE
Now I must disagree with you......yes I celebrated with MILLIONS of Americans when he was killed..... one less terrorist to contend with. Im sure he was replaced immediately with another nut job. You probably didnt loose someone on 9/11 (Im glad you didnt) so you cannot relate to our joy over his death. I hope he burns in hell for eternity......with all his virgins!!!!
(13) suzzanne nemick, May 11, 2011 8:35 PM
an ironic coincidence
I love this and I didn't realize it till I read this article.
(12) maurine ford, May 9, 2011 7:58 PM
It was an eye opener knowing that Hashem still spin things
The info in this article allows me to rejoice in Hashem because He is in control. Just to know that He line things up so that the world would truly know that He is the G-d of the Jews. SHALOM
(11) Larry Borntrager, May 9, 2011 2:21 AM
As always
As always R. Blech makes a point so clear ,that ties the past, the present, and how to be ready for the future.
(10) martin, May 9, 2011 1:53 AM
Bin Laden is still victorious
Killing Bin Laden is no feat, no matter that crowds may cheer with relief. You only managed after a decade to killed just one man. Then you sent millions of dollars to the Muslims that protected him. A victorious tribute. Your country has never been the same since 9/11. You now live with the insecurity of Islamic terror. Every day millions of Americans can't even get on a plane without taking off their shoes, or get groped. Every Federal, State Municipal building is converted into a sealed fortress. You stand impatiently to enter a public building and the contents of your pockets inspected by x-ray. I' m impressed that terrorists have made all Americans presumed to be a potential terrorist. Look at this acheivement. Muslims killed only 3000 people but got 308,000,000 others to live in a constant state of insecurity. An enormous benefit for so little a cost. That's impressive!. Why not emulate?
hrothgar, May 9, 2011 8:51 PM
What are you saying?
I am not sure of your meaning;are you saying that the West should murder thousands of innocent people by terrorism?The reason why we in the West live every day with Islamic terror(not as much as you like to believe however)is because we have a far higher morality than those who seek to destroy us.It would be very simple to deny access to our countries to all Moslems,to eject all Moslems or intern them as hostile aliens or a threat to state security.We don't do this because that is the actions of tyrants and dictators.We don't seek the suffering of the innocent in order to punish the guilty,we leave that behaviour to our enemies.We do not think that the arbitrary murder of 3000 people is a trivial thing.The Islamic murderers have God's curse upon them,that is real fear and insecurity.Bin laden has lost his fight and gained an ignominious death,an unmarked grave and despised in memory by all moral people.What has he gained?Nothing.He must now wait for God's judgement.God has decreed the fate for such as he,and his soul will be lost in oblivion.It is better to be the murdered than the murderer.Millions have been led astray by this false "prophet",as are continually led astray by the false prophet that he followed.No we won't be adopting Bin ladens methods.We will prevail because evil at the last day will be destroyed.
(9) manuel, May 8, 2011 4:36 PM
Teaching a lesson
I think that the US would have taught a great lesson to the world if they had put Bin Laden on trial in a Court of Law( like Israel did with Eichman) instead of killing him on the spot. The message is "we are not like you and we do not want to be like you"
Kevin, May 10, 2011 12:59 AM
Would Have Made A Mockery of Justice
Leftist defense lawyers would have turned the trial into ta three ring circus and as part o their defense would have in essence put Dick Cheney on trial. Meanwhile OZL woul have showed up in flowing holy man robes and gazed beatifically at the ceiling while holding a Quoran. In the end, the SEALS would go to jail. Sorry but you know it is the truth and why NYC told Obama to try KSM somewhere else - lik Guantanamo!a
(8) Cyndy Kelly, May 8, 2011 3:43 PM
AGREED!
Like Rabbi Blech, I couldn't rejoice at the death of this wicked man. He was made in G-d's image like the rest of us. Pity he didn't follow the way of G-d. He has now gone to a lost eternity. But what of his followers? They remain to carry out his evil plans. Funny these evil leaders never send their sons to die as suicide bombers, ins't it? I am glad there is a just judge and that He will judge justly.
(7) Jerry S., May 8, 2011 1:42 PM
Israel's Surrounders
The Mid-East has gone to POT. Israel is surrounded by DesPOTS & CrackPOTS.
(6) charles richman, May 8, 2011 12:10 PM
Osama bin Laden gone
Local and national newspaper headlines read last week that unarmed OBL is dead, killed by an American Special Operations Team (Seal Team 6). The papers emphasized that OBL was unarmed. I ask, how many American citizens who were killed in the 9/11 slaughter at the NY Twin Towers or in the Pentagon were armed?Make no mistake severing the head of a venomous snake is important, however with the knowledge that there are al-Qaeda franchises in at least 60 countries today and several cells residing in the USA, we have a long way to go. Hopefully most realize now that Israel and the USA have common bonds which include decapitating terrorist snakeheads, infiltrating and destroying Jihadist murder organizations and their leaders. Major differences between the Jewish State of Israel and the USA are: Israel is no larger than Connecticut, has a population of only 7.6 million, is now surrounded by extremely hostile forces, and is targeted by the UN. Our second priority is to deal more aggressively with the Middle East nations that house, train, financially support, and breed terrorist groups.
(5) Charles Kamerman, May 8, 2011 11:45 AM
Bin Laden Death
No cause for rejoicing .The only good aspect of his demise is to let all and I mean ALL terrorists where ever they are that they will meet with the same ending . Trials ? these are not available to killers of civilians, destroyers of children and families .Trials ? for their feats to be glorified in open courts to rally more terrorists to their cause .Let their names and seed be blotted out from the Earth surface . END OF STORY
(4) Anonymous, May 8, 2011 1:20 AM
I am happy for Americans
I'm happy the Americans can be happy that justice was served in some way. I agree with the sentiments that this doesn't mean letting one's guard down just because of it. There are many others out there who share the same feelings that Bin Laden does and it's a reminder that this idea of hatred lives on.
(3) Michael Elias, May 6, 2011 10:58 PM
The Death Of Evil
We have the right to rejoice when evil is squelched. For thousands of years we have witnessed tragedy upon tragedy. When there is a triumph it must be celebrated. It uplifts the spirit and gives the suffering a reason to continue hoping for the end of days.
(2) Anonymous, May 4, 2011 3:33 PM
Perfect!
Now I founded a very good explanation about the issue. Congratulation! Very balanced way! Only a doubt yet in my mind: why then we cannot pray the halel completed in the day of Kriat haIam? The angels cannot sing like you explained, but why we cannot like them?
(1) Speedy, May 4, 2011 2:08 PM
And what if we have been given a false report. That would be premature celebration also. Those that died on 9/11 can not be brought back, so closure will never come in that way. We can speak of closure in the sense of having a peace that passes all understanding, to be able to function in everyday life, to move forward. False hope that the war is over, our troops can come home, that now there will not be any more terrorist attacks, will only delusion many people. Behind the mastermind, are people that had empowered him, and they continue, they are still alive. They can rise up another Bin Laden. Hitler is dead, Hamas is not. David was surrounded by enemies, he wasn't naive about confronting the facts on that. Better to know those that are enemies, than to think they are friends. Americans, like many countries, is wanting to hear some good news. False good news is not GOOD NEWS.