When Evil Falls

Bin Laden was safe in Pakistan blocks from the very people who claimed to be keeping watch for his wear abouts. They made his life as acceptable as possible.
Anger at the many who he caused to suffer and die - it is an emotion that even God I believe feels when he gave free will so we all are given the gift to choose how we govern our life. God I'm sure must have felt tremendous pain as he watched the horrors of the Hollocast and the New York towers destroy lives after lives. Evil unrivaled and by madmen possessed with the ambition of having it all, in the name of their God. I believe during the struggles and Persucution of Jewish men women and children those suffering and knowing of God's hands in times past must have thought he would appear to end the reign of terror on God's innocent victims, but read some felt he must have been napping for if he had seen the horrors that were taking place where was he? He has been with me on many occasions there but for the grace go I. Someway I have always known I was Not alone and this does give me peace where there have been days when most would NOT have been able to find it. So maybe each individual unknown to those looking in are NOT aware that he never left their hearts and souls as they were taken to their early passage from earth to their next destination Heaven, hopefull Once I read an article by a women who wanted heaven here on earth, and as I read what she wanted for her loved ones and herself my thought it dawned on me she wants what I want "We all want to go to heaven but no one wants to die." Why not? If we followed the 10 commandments and truly treated others as we wanted to be treated think how much closer we would be to possessing a little piece of heaven right here on earth. Each diversity at different times in history has been the main target of hate - Native Americans, Jews, Blacks, Hispanics now talk of targeting Muslims, interesting thing each group feels as if they are the only target. Hmm!

This killer lived in comparative luxury for five years with his three wives and many children, and the local police, around the compound. helped him do so. He was well supplied with food and comfort 10 years after the destruction of the World Trade Center abd the murder of almost 3,ooo people. Yes, I celebrated his death.

I too was elated that OBL was finally dead. True, there are others waiting in line to take his place but his death means that he is finally going to answer to the heavens above for his crimes. However, I was just a little upset also that there would be 70 virgins waiting for him - as his religion says. just sayin'.....

We celebrate Bin Laden's demise because it represents a 'win' in the battle of good over evil. Bin Laden hated and persecuted Jews so I think we have a mandate to celebrate the end to his evil career. We can safely know that the God of Israel enabled this victory in much the same way He killed the Egyptians. I thank the Military of the United States of America for their brave actions.

I hate Pesach for one reason only, the killing of the first born, no matter wether Egyptian or of any other race. As each year it is read I get goose flesh and I think "what a terrible, cruel punishment this is for his/her parents, relatives and friends. What can be more heart-breaking in this world than losing one's first-born? What wicked and evil mind created and then described in detail this vile crime?" and then without any pity or understanding we continue to celebrate Pesach and continue reading the traditional Hagaddah and singing the songs with gusto and no-one present seems to care or understand the real significance of these terrible words they've just uttered with so much joy and indifference. Just I alone sit there shivering and cringeing inside at the horror of same.

If Pesach makes you cringe, I think you do not understand Pesach, nor do you understand that our Father was freeing us from enslavement by a hard-hearted and stiff-necked Pharoah. If we revile HaShem for delivering us from our oppression from Egypt, from Hitler and the many times He's done it on a smaller basis, how can we expect Him to deliver us again when we need it? And we will need it again...Scripture tells us so. I thank Him and praise Him for his goodness and loving kindness to His people - Israel. We are one of the smallest people groups in the World, yet we are constantly under attack. Do you really want to take a pass on His protection and go it on your own? I don't. I will love Him all of my days...

The Egyptians had ten opportunities to let the Jewish people go and every single time they said no. G-d gave them plenty of chances to make their own choices and determine their destiny. What you’re doing is sympathizing with the oppressors, which so many people destructively do nowadays. The Egyptians people enslaved and oppressed the Jewish people for over 200 years. Before feeling bad for all the Egyptian fist borns that died think about the fact that the Egyptian people threw ALL Jewish male babies into the Nile. Mercy for evil, isn't mercy, its cruelty. And in any case, who are we to questions G-d’s actions, especially ones which so joyously redeem the Jewish people.

Wasn't the slaying of the first born actually ordained by Pharoh's similar decree against the Jews? Or was that just in the movie?

In every celebration we read the Hallel, praising G_d. In Pesach we read half Hallel due to the Egyptian loss of life, we don't overjoy in other people's loss. They threw all of our children into the Nile to drown and be devoured by the river creatures. In Pesach we celebrate our liberation from over 280 years of slavery, from opression, from being in danger of not becoming the Jewish people. Don't judge the Pesach celebration without being well informed first; it's true that we won a crucial battle for our people and we celebrate that, but we also remember the price paid in order for us to be here today.

You are correct: the death of the Egyptian firstborn is not something to celebrate. That is why we remove drops of wine from our cup—drops of joy from our cup of happiness. For in Judaism, we must never be completely joyous at the expense of others. But the death of children is far different that the elimination of one like Usama bin-Laden, who is the epitome of the terrible cruelty which you yourself oppose, as do we all. "The horror of celebrating death," you say. Bin-Laden stood for death, death through a suicide-bomber's death, death through humiliating barbarism, death through mass attacks on innocent people. For this very reason, "the horror of celebrating death," do we celebrate the downfall of bin-Laden. For him, remove no drop of joy.

I cringe at not only your comments but your spelling.

While you may cringe at the sanction of killing the first born, you must remember it was Pharoh who initially issued such an edict. Moses would be dead under that edict but for his being saved, ironically, by Pharoh's daughter.

My opinion is that the death the death of any innocent baby - Egyptian, Jewish or for that matter Palestinian - is a tragedy, regardless of the sins of their fathers. Bin Laden was a mass murderer, and should, in my opinion, have been captured and tried in a court of law, according to international law, for his many crimes. Surely we should lead by example, and killing is wrong. G-d gives life, all life. Who do we think we are that we should take it?

I'm more puzzled by what leads a jewish person to lament the redemption from egypt because their first born were killed. You might like to read the part of the seder that says that some of us would not have been taken out of egypt were they there. And some indeed were not planning to leave and were killed themselves during the dark plague...

A good time to reflect on our values I truly agree with the thoughts of Yisrael Yitzhak Cohen and appreciate that you have shared them with us in this article.

Rav Simcha Zissel, whose face usually shined radiantly on Shabbos, happened to lack this shine one particular Shabbos. After Shabbos he explained to his students that Peretz Smolenshin (an rosha of the Enlightenment) had died. Can you imagine the the agony his soul is suffering he asked them. Would Rav Simcha express the same sentiments for OBL? Ask your LOR.

I understand how you feel with the "evil" experiences of your race..as you have come across it for countless times already..and along with those countless times, God has likewise shown-off His countless protection to His chosen people...reason why we look up to you as one blessed nation. However, these glorious display of Divine Security will not be as tangible without the co-existence of the "evil" one. God does understand His chosen people to celebrate coz they were the ones most afflicted, so you are given the right to celebrate and yes you must! But for those who are not directly assaulted, by this one so-called "evil" one, to celebrate his death, better to just shut their mouths before God will chastise them as He did to angels. As He did not create Osama Bin Laden to become evil..but since he chose to..has led to his destruction, and as a Creator this broke God's heart too to see one of His creation destroyed by his own choice....Thank you Mrs Lori for posting this..quite enlightening...

If we can celebrate the death of Hitler we can celebrated the death of Osama.

when you live by the sward, you will die by the sward. No matter what WE think about him, he had followers, and they will retaliate---right or wrong

Maybe the US and Russians shouldn't have gotten involved in WWII to stop Hitler. He had followers and they would have just kept killing Jews?????

What is the Politically Correct reaction to an enemys death? I understand that it was an act of war.....so it is not a murder. No court of law was needed. So, it is OK and legal to kill him and all others in his organization? In Torah G-d killed the evil, won't he do that again when the time is right? Should we wait for him? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The celebrating by many in US was like a tailgate party at a Football game. I doubt most of the celebraters could find Pakistan on a map. I doubt most of them could tell you who Bin Laden was, where he was educated, where he grew up and what he did in addition to the 9/11 attack. They probably could not name Americans who were friendly toward his organization. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That mentality of celebration just can't be a proper or ethical manner to acknowledge a violent death of any man.

There is too much death and violence in the world. We meet our enemies head on in a bid to spare the lives of innocent bystanders. As advocates of a world where people are free in faith and beliefs, it is important to celebrate not the violent end to our enemy but the lives saved by his removal. Unfortunately it seems that violence has again reigned victorious. The team who finally shot him had a chance to bring him back alive, they made their choice. He was unarmed. Our enemies will now feel even more justified, in their resolve to strike at civillians(unarmed) targets. And so it goes around again. If what we celebrate is death and violence, then that will be the harvest of our season. Peace is the only way forward, the alternative is already happening.

Dear Ms. Pasova: You are not sufficiently active in your "do-gooder deeds." You will be held ACCOUNTABLE for not offering to post Bail and subsequent hospitality to Mr. Bin Laden. The U.S.A. that pit of "moral viper 's nest," which you must as a matter of secular belief, you surely loathe and vituperate, is in dire financial distress!!! On a more reality-based note, surely, you are jesting? Bin Laden a worshipped his"god" five times daily, but loathed and systematically arranged to MURDER, the humans which are created by HASHEM. This incongruity of belief and action, is resolved easily, he worshiped at the alter of his own sel-importance and pseudo-religiousity. He worshipped himself, most of all. Anyone who dared be free, and treat Hashem's creation with the human dignity it is endowed wih at birth, was a threat to his own identity, for secretly, he believed he was a god. You on the other hand, need to re-evaluate the source of your belief system, and perhaps you will not embarrass yourself by confirming for one and all your moral illiteracy; murder and killing are two different things. The murder of a human being is prohibited, killing is sometimes an obligation. Mr. Osama chose murder as a way of life, and the sole purpose of his life. We are enjoined to confront evil (murder of others) and put a stop to it. I sincerely hope that you will revisit your cherishing of pacifism at all costs, which is often intimately connected to the denial of and unwillngness to confront "Evil."

I got a bit lost in all the finer points of the argument but I don't think anyone can claim that Osama Bin Laden any longer had the right to move amongpeople. That he was a constant danger, and that may still be that. As for him being unarmed, not many people go to sleep hugging a kaleshnikiv rifle. It would be kind of cold and hard and unpleasant when you turn around at night. Had he had the chance he would most assuredly have killed at leat one Seal and if we had him back here there would have been utter chaos and mayhem. So...all in all, yes, we were right to kill him and he should be grateful that it was one shot and all was over for him. Not even fear of what was to come which is more than he offered the young boys who are sent into '"batte" with bombs strapped on their bodies and the belief they were going to have 72 houris to please him as soon as the messy paert was over.

We must be sad that he lived, not happy for his death.

Provided we do not forget that in a time of war there is a time to kill.

Thanks for your nice words about my father in your article. I remember when you lived in Toronto and started the "Village Shul". I can testify that he tells his children to remember the evil and the Hashgacha Protis of Hashem constantly watching over us to save us.

I agree with the writer above who quoted King Solomon - there IS joyful shouting. I am a Catholic Christian who stands firmly with Israel and the Jewish people. This madman killed innocent people in the Holy Name of (his version of ) Almighty God for no other reason than his victims were not of his warped twisted variety of religion. The devil is clever, but is, at best, a copycat. I don't claim to know what the so-called "prophet" Muhammad saw (or thought he saw), but I would be willing to bet it was NOT the Archangel Gabriel.... Put this coward in the same cavern of hell with Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and all the other mass murders of history. Cause to celebrate? Definitely. Coward?, you say. You bet. Any excuse for a man that will cower behind a woman used as a human shield is definitely a coward in my book. He sent children to blow themselves up and do his dirty work for him while he hid behind a woman.... Good riddance. The world is DEFINITELY a better place without him.

Marian, I couldn't have said it better. People should not feel ashamed when an evil murderer is put to death. The problem some have, it seems, is recognizing evil. All the nice platitudes will not eradicate a murderer from the world. They count on good people to quaiver in their conscience. These evil murderers thrive on people who are unwilling to state the obvious and do the obvious. Do the right thing. Don't wring your hands wondering if it's okay to be happy. Of course it's okay to be happy. As Marian said. GOOD RIDDANCE to an evil man. May all of his evil followers have the same fate.

Osama bin Ladin: a descendent of Amalek?

When evil people are destroyed --- there is JOYFUL shouting! Proverbs 11:10. Evil people (Reshayim) are those who degrade humanity and impoverish the world. There is no greater evil than an act of evil committed in the name of G-d! The evil monster who brought such pain to the world is no more --- Rejoice and give thanks.

I remember about not celebrating the death of the Egyptions following the escape from Egypt.....I remembered it again after the death of OBL....he was a murderer of innocent people....somehow that seems different to me...is it? I do not rejoice all of the time, but I have sung....ding dong Osama's dead the wicked witch Osama's dead.......

I understand that Osama Bin Laden was a very evil creature. However, shouldn't we not celebrate his replacement may be worse?

The World is right to celebrate. This individual took the lives of thousands of innocents on 911. In so doing he acquired the status of another plague like the one's in Egypt. The world still celebrates in it's own way, the death of Adolph Hitler. Why should we not celebrate the death of yet another piece of human garbage, with no rehabilitative value? I am told the Jewish people have a plaque that says 'we will not forget'. Neither will we nor the thousands of spouses, children, parents and grandparent's of the victims of the Twin Towers and the plane that was forced down. If we must weep, let us weep for those people, not the rabid dog who ordered the killing. We will never forget the Holocaust, nor the atrocities committed in the name of Allah by this vermin. Unfortunately the splinter groups continue, spurrred on, no doubt by their version of a hero. The World will not be a safe place untill all these vermin are exterminated. Shalom.

Hi Lori, I enjoyed your article, but it still bothers me to celebrate death, even of an enemy. If we celebrate Ben Laden's death, than how are we different from the Muslims who were celebrating after 9/11?

Nechama, you cannot compare Muslims celebrating the mass murder of innocent victims to Jews, Americans or any freedom-loving people celebrating the death of the person who ordered that mass murder!! Justice is one of the pillars of this world, without which "man eats man" remains the only law. When a person who killed many people, who wished to kill me and many others and who led many evil others as he continued to plan ways to carry it out is eliminated from this world, I have every right to rejoice. There is no comparison between this and those who danced when my fellow Jews and fellow American citizens were murdered.

We revile seeing terrorists and other enemies of Western ideology publicly celebrate their success in killing people. I believe it inappropriate to act the same way, justifying it by our different ideology. Feeling satisfied that bin Laden got the justice he deserved is good. Cheering death is not!

Hamas stated that the United States did an evil thing. By killing him, they said that the U.S. made Bin Laden a martyr. They called upon G-d to welcome him to heaven. Bin Laden was responsible for the murder of thousands of people yet the Palestinians look upon him as a hero. With such a horrible attitude of the Palestinians, how can we even talk about negotiating with them. In fact, they have blood on their hands as well. I rejoice at the death of all terrorists, especially Bin Laden.

I rejoice in the fact ,that I did not rejoice in the fact of an Evil Mans death.But I am great full that he can never make his evil mistakes twice

One should not celebrate the death of an evil man but the death of evil that the man could do.

Yes, I am glad that the US took down Osama Bin Laden,because he took over 3000 lives in the US and because he wanted to kill all of the Jews, they are my brothers and sisters and I don't want anything to happen to them. And because they are GOD'S chosen ones.

This is a mistake made by many religious Jews. Where it says the work mof my hands are in danger the Talmud was speaking about the Jews who were in danger and not the Egyptians who had a law of Rodef who were chasing the Israelites to kill them. The Law of Rodef(to kill a person who is chasing ater an innocent person to kill them.)

amalekites were relations of israel, we are still commanded to wipe them out. bin laden a cold blooded murderer,who left a trail of human blood behind him where ever he went , was not considered a person but a murdering robot, whose symbol was death. He was even worse than Sadam Hussein. He used his wife as a human shield to protect himself. If he was a man why not die like a man. No he comes from an intelligence that hide behind women.

Just read Proverbs 24:17-18

While I have no doubt it is fine to celebrate the death of this enemy of both America and Israel, an enemy, in fact, of rational thought and reasonable dialogue, I still found it slightly off-putting that people gathered at both "Ground Zero" and the White House and sang God Bless America last night. I don't see this a particularly shining moment for America and I certainly don't believe that Hashem had much to do with it. It is the undeniable belief that what one does has the backing of Him that leads people to become someone like Osama bin Laden who surely thought he was doing God's will (in this case Allah but I make no distinction). It is the evil of extremism that he represented that we need to be on guard against, whether from the Left or the Right, whether from Christians, Jews or Muslims -- extremism is evil whenever it's proponents decided to impose their will on others. Jaime

Ahmadinajad next

Works for me.

http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/760556/Rabbi_Aryeh_Lebowitz/Ten_Minute_Halacha_-_Celebrating_the_Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden

Excellent commentary on the erradication of a crazed mass murderer. Civilized society rightfully celebrates the demise of evil and the triumph of good.

How do we know whether civilized society "celebrates" the death of bin Laden? If you are basing the assertion on the biblical and midrashic sources, I would ask: the Chumash also prescribes how slaves should be maintained, yet few would seriously suggest that a society that keeps slaves is more civilized than one that used to, but no longer does. I say the same is true about cheering the way the revelers did the night bin Laden was announced dead. Just because one can find support in the Bible does not mean that this represents the most civilized state we can attain.

As i said in front 'it is time that clever person like lori said what she said

I always felt uneasy about saying the prayer vlamalshinim - against the enemies, thinking that I would not wish to cause harm to anyone, including people who may have mistaken beliefs, or no beliefs at all. But this last weekend I saw beautiful young people about to travel back to colleges and yeshivot after the spring break, and I saw mothers praying for their safety. And I think these mothers have every right to hate anyone who may wish to harm their children, and rejoice at their enemies destruction, because love gives courage to overcome the squirmishes and pray against the enemies with the full heart. And I believe that it is the prayers of thousands of Jewish mothers about to send their children through the sky and across the great ocean that helped guide the hand that slew our worst enemy - amen.

This explanation, however, does not take into account the Chazal that explains the half Hallel on Chol Hamoed Pesach is said because of Hashem's response to the Angels that they should not cheer the death of the Egyptians at the Yam Suf. This Chazal seems to indicate that even our celebration should be muted somewhat.

FORGET PURIM? CHANUKKAH? WE CELEBRATE DEATHS OF OUR ENEMIES. PERIOD. LIVE WITH IT.

"His ways are not our ways" He is just GOD! Evil must be destroyed in HIS site!

Death is a bad thing for all of us but will come to all of us: no exceptions! Whilst Muslims of Bin lden's persuasion celebrate and proclaim to love death rather than life, who should be celebrating?! maybe all muslims need to die if they love death so much!! That would be cause for celebration!

I do not think that anybody's death should be celebrated, epecially not in public and certainly not in Israel. Above it all, not when it coincides with Yom Hashoah. We should devote Yom Hashoah to remembering our dear ones who perished in the Holocaust and not mix the two things. Very much like Bruriah waited with the bed news till after Shabbat, this time the good news (if anyone's death can be called so) should have been ignored until after Yom Hashoah. After all, we have Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut symbolically close to each other but still separate!

We do celebrate execution in our culture - on Purim. I personally do not feel comfortable with the way some of our people celebrate the execution of Haman and those who shared his mentality and intentions because I think drunkeness is unnecessary but that is only my personal attitude. Moreover, far from feeling sympathy for the female support system of genocidal anti-semites or racists of any kind I feel for them a profound contempt. See Parashah Korach.

it isn't proper to celebrate the death of anyone even a sinner... no one is perfect, but that is not yo say we should support evil. the desire of God Almighty is to see us all return to him in true repentance and measure up to a reputable life...

I have mixed feelings about CELEBRATING the death of Osama Ben Laden. I am deliriously happy that he is dead, but I'm uneasy about jumping up and down for joy. I mostly feel intense relief and inner peace that his innocent victims have been avenged and that justice has been done.

When I think of celebrating the end of aan EVIL life, I can do that. When I think of a lost soul there is no celebration within me. God does answer prayer in His time. That is another thing about yesterday that I can celebrate.

I didn't, nor will I celebrate Bin Laden's death. I'm not at all happy about it. I don't think young people in the streets waving flags is "cool." I watched the horror of 9/11 unfold, just as you did, and frankly, I feel as if someone threw a black blanket over my head. The president said justice has been done...nonsense. There will never be justice for over 3,000 innocent people, unless you can make them live, and bring them home to their families again. Bin Laden's dead, and their are a hundred more just like him, waiting in the wings. Celebrate? Is it right? Is it wrong? What does the Torah say? What do our Rabbi's and Sages think? What happened to this Bin Laden to prompt him to make the choice's he did? Do I feel sorry for him? Absolutely not...but I wonder anyway. If I do anything at all, I will probably light a candle and go outside, and sit quietly. The candle is for the 3,000 whose only sin was to go to work that day, or fly to an important destination. The candle is also for us...the living, who witnessed the carnage, lost our loved ones, and watched the Arab world rejoice at our tragedy...waving flags...they thought they had a good reason to celebrate...so do we. No...I will light a candle, sit still...pray...and remember.

I could not celebrate as those around me did, when Bin Laden was killed. Yes, there was a belated satisfaction at earthly justice being done for some of the damage, but what he has done has lit the fires of hate which will have ramifications for lives around the globe for decades to come. I cannot erase the pictures in my mind of the Palestinians dancing in the streets just because thousands of Americans were killed. Do we celebrate an execution? President Obama could have, and should have acknowledged that he was an evil man, did and promoted unspeakable evil, yet he has a mother and a family who mourn him. He should have said, "In justice let us not forget the man's family who grieve this news, and while we must pursue justice, we must abhor the taking of life in any form. Celebration of execution is not in our culture -- we must do this to ensure the safety of our citizens and those around the world, but it is not to be taken lightly, or reacted to joyously." This is what he should have said, that we do not kill joyously, but righteously.

Justice being done means that the law was performed. Under the law, Bin Laden received punishment for his deeds. Justice in murder, obviously, cannot include recompense or restitution because as you said the lives are gone. The good news is that he will take no more innocent lives. If some people choose to celebrate that loudly, good for them. If you choose to honor the murdered with a candle, good for you.

this is israel and the Jewish oeople a light to the nations

I think the Lord said it all when he said "why are you celebrating the death of the Egyptians. He did want the Jews however to celebrate their own safety now that the peril was over. We need to understand through this biblical example that we are not to celebrate Bin Laden's death but celebrate the victory of Israel from being harmed by evil; it may be the same underneath but on the surface it is showing respect for human life no matter whose life it is that has been taken. God grieves when anyone dies who has not repented of their evil heart. It is a sad day when God's children die without having repented. I feel grief not joy. I love the Jewish people and I also feel love for all our brothers and sisters and wish that Bin Laden could have been brought to justice through a trial and if needs be then the death sentence and I would have hoped that someone would have offered him prayer and an opportunity to repent in jail by leading hiim in the 'sinner's prayer' and if he would not do it then so be it; it would be his choice. It would still be tragic if he or anyone went to the gallows, so to speak with sin in their heart and not having repented. We must be careful not to gloat over the death of an evil person; that person is still our brother. I must admit that this is a new realization for me and in the past I may have reacted differently but I feel having the mind of Christ and of Heavenly Father predisposes us to have charity toward 'all' men which means having compassion and sorrow for their sins against humanity. It harms the soul of the one who is victimizing while the innocent victims may suffer here they will go on to have an eternal reward if righteous; however Bin Laden must be in an awful place right now. I think it must be horrifying for him; this grieves our God to see any of His children suffer. Bin Laden now must realize he was wrong. Isn't that awful?

LORI...I remember meeting you in Atlanta..you are a sweetheart! Does everyone realize that both HITLER and OSAMA both died on the same day? I,myself am not celebrating; it will not bring anyone we lost back---rather I will focus more of my energy in exemplifying the Shalom, compassion and love that was missing for these two and realize the difference one life can make. I trust HaShem will deal with Bin Ladin as he is Hitler. We have much to do here and now. Stay Well Lori! My very best, Marla

I really agree with Lori's point. We should be happy when an evil person dies. Those who glorify violence and death, torture and lies -- these represent HaSatan HaGadol -- our Great Satan/Adversary. Would that the press-- US and European -- had the guts to call the enemies of life, peace, coexistance, freedom, what they are -- evil terrorists!

Dear brothers and sesters, Aish.com is fantastic and I'a glade to injoy it all this years.... Baruch Hashem that you giv us all this information. To da. Yehuda

with all of the different "feelings" that people are experiencing today, thanks for posting this article.....as a Christian, I so appreciate the scripture you have used and also using the parting of the Red Sea as an example of 'celebration' when others of God were being destroyed because of their evil....b

excellent

Rejoicing after the death of Osama is rejoicing at his death, it is not rejoicing at the eradication of the evil he represented. It is not rejoicing at the eradication of the evil he represented because the evil he represented has not been eradicated. SO any sort of rejoicing after the death of Osama is rejoicing at his death because it is clear the evil he represented still exists. Also can we please figure out better ways of celebrating the hand of G-d? The hand of G-d is always present in the world and so I'm sure there are moments where people can celebrate that don't involve people dying.

Thank you so much for clarifying the Torah's teaching. I was torn in my response to the news of Bin Laden. I was saddened that his death means eternal death for him, but I also felt relief that one evil person is gone from the earth and can't perpetrate any more evil against others.

We can celebrate our rescue from danger, but if we get giddy over someone else's punishment, that is unbecoming - and wrong. When Hashem sees that, He changes his attitude toward punishing our enemies. "Do not rejoice not when your enemy falls, and do not be glad when he stumblets Lest Hashem see it, and it displeases Him, and He turn away His anger from him." Mishlei (Proverbs, 24)

The evil within Bin Laden has been eradicated, and that is something to be thankful about, but I agree that celebration is not the proper response. In addition, the Jews at the Red Sea were praising G-d for their own salvation. There has not been a salvation in this case - who knows who the next leader will be.

I quite agree with you about not celebrating Bin Ladin"s, death but instead remember the atrocities of 9/11 and reflect on where we have been and where do we as a international body go from here. We hated the act, and are still sore from the wounds inflicted on our brothers and sisters. Whilst it is very hard not to see justice prevail, we must also remember an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Here's a balancing word--"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoices: and when the wicked perish, [there is] shouting." (Proverbs 11:10)

The man is DEAD and everybody is rejocing. What has the story of Moses or Mr Cohen's Holocaust got to do with it? Bringing in Religion every time to justify a point of view is just ludicrous. What about talking also about the biblical wars when jews killed so many of their enemies (still quoting the Bible!!) . Osama was EVIL and please keep the Torah quotations and references in their proper context and don't try to incorporate and justiify the killing of an enemy to the world and Jews in particular.

I do not think it is ok to celebrate Osamas death. It seems to me that is is too sad that he is headed for Hell but I do not remember reading in the bible that God silenced the angels when the Egyptians died.I have just recently read that part too. What you said about it, I agree with the thought.

Bin Ladin used his youngest wife as a shield to protect himself when under fire. What kind of a monster would do that? Wife as human shield.The world is a better place with out him. He was not just a soldier following orders. Too bad the CIA trained him to go against the USSR in afghanistan.

I agree with you. God wants our praise when He removes evil. We must remember, God is not wanting our praise and song for the death of the soul, but the death of evil.

I was so glad to read this article because I was unsure of how to react to Bin Laden's death, myself! As a Christian I almost felt guilty rejoicing at the death of anyone. I was unsure of exactly how I was supposed to feel. Because of my compassion, I can't help but feel for his family and what they must be going through, but on the other hand, I felt glad that he is no longer here to inflict his terror on any part of the earth! Thank you for helping me to understand that while God Himself does not rejoice at the loss of life for anyone, He does allow those who have been terrorized and hurt by that person to rejoice in what God has allowed in their redemption from evil!!

You have all these references but you never said if YOU were happy or not.

To quote Proverbs, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.” By celebrating his death we are no better than those people who celebrated 9/11 or the recent massacre in Itamar.

It brought closer to many but all said the same thing of 911 it doesn't bring our family members back. It hurts more. It is a reminder all over again and some said plane 93 parent his son said Lords prayer He said He will know if there is a heaven or hell today. God Bless

America's strength is it's kindness. And i believe it is it's kindness that made it great! But it's kindness is also it's biggest downfall, for we no longer seek justus but make excuses for those who wrong us.

This is so true. Everyone should read this before making your own comment and see what God's Word says about EVIL and whether we should rejoice when justice takes place.

but u can not hide for ever ...

To this day, millenium later, we take some of our wine out of our cup, to decrease the celebration during seder night due to the Egyptian oppressors and murderer's deaths at the red sea, because they too are H' creation To sing, dance and celebrate in a way that resembles drunken bliss? I cant see it as a Jewish way to deal with this . Even Eichmann ha Rosha had his day( very many of them) in Court and was given a well justified deathsentence by a judge. It was not G's will this should happen in this case. Yes, there is one less very wicket person in this world,and we might want to express our thanks to him who decreed it so, but behaving like hooligans,presenting like raucaus, drunks might not be the way to do it.Much quiet, thoughtful reflection and prayer that G will protect the world from more evil, sounds more Jewish to me.

Yes celebrate maybe we don't have to dance in the streets but we must be happy within. Given a chance I think I would of danced knowing that Hitler was killed, before we lost 6 million Jews.

I agree with you and I applaud you for your beautiful words of Torah. May Hashem speedily deliver the rest of our enemies into our hands so we have all the more reason to rejoice.

Many have long held that Osama Bin Laden's second in command Zawahiri, has long ago taken over the operational details of Al-Queda and that Osama has merely been a figurehead for years. If this is true, and there is a very good chance it is, there is even less of a reason to celebrate, and much more reason to be even more vigilant with concerted effort to defeat the foes which seek to destroy us in our ongoing war against radical islamic terror.

very well stated!

I hope that the Officials in charge of fighting Terrorism do not think that his death means the end of Terrorism !!

I don't believe any death should be celebrated. I think Osama shouid have been taken alived, tried in court found guilty and executed. The way his death happened will only make him into a martyr, and there will be more evil as a result - jihadists will fight back. We do not want to celebrate evil. If he were put to death the way Saddam Hussein was, we could celebrate that goodness won out, and evil defeated, but it would be in the eyes of the law, and God (an eye for an eye)

Thanks for the enlightenment. I, also, felt I could not really rejoice at the death of another person. Evil is evil and destruction of evil I can now rejoice at.

Re Yoshe Revelle - do you not think there is a diametriclly opposite difference in celebrating the slaughter of thousands of innocent people(as the arab world did on 9/11) and celebrating, after 10 long years, the removal from this world the evil monster who masterminded that atrocity?

It seems that many chose to rush out and celebrate his death, perhaps thinking this was a sign that the war on terror has been won. OBL was a role model for terrorists, but his demise does not mean that terrorists will put a stop to their activities or change their mind set. On the contrary they will probably dig in their heels and and try to take revenge. In my opinion it is inappropriate to celebrate his death, even though he was evil personified. It would be more appropriate to ponder over the photo that has been shown over and over again today of an innocent looking teenager, and wonder what went wrong, why did he choose to devote his life to violence and destruction, instead of living it constructively.

I didnt attend the funeral but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. - Mark Twain

Beautiful article. Keeps me in touch with the beauty and wisdom of Judaism.

The celebration should be the biggest possible. It has taken a long time. I hope all those who lost loved ones can now have closure. G-d bless the USA, Israel and all those who have been devastated during his miserable life.

The idea that G-d did not want the angels to sing while "My handiwork" is drowning is countered by several other versions of this midrash whichstate that G-d instructed the angels not to sing because "My children" i.e. bnai yisroel, are in in danger. Since the comment is based on the verse "ve-lo karav zeh el zeh" which refers to the night BEFORE the splitting of the sea, this latter explanation makes more sense. Indeed, Rav Sa'adiah Gaon refers to the seventh day of Pesach as "chag ha-hashmadah" the holiday of annihilation. While the first version of the Divine dialogue is often cited by those who want to be politically correct, in this case, I would stand with Rav Sa'adiah Gaon and the other great sages who invoked G-d's mercy on bnai yisroel - not on their persecuters.

I don't know the source off the top of my head, but we are explicitly commanded not to celebrate the downfall of one of our enemies, lest Hashem be displeased and turn his displeasure on us. This leads me to believe that celebrating OBL's (y"s) death would be prohibited by the Torah. How does this fit in with the reasoning in the article? Are there differences and/or subtleties I'm not aware of?

It's one thing to celebrate - it's another thing to cheer like your favorite team just won a championship. Osama Bin Laden committed crimes against humanity and has finally paid the price. But terrorism itself is still out there, and injustice, and lots of other kinds of evil. He could have been stopped years before his savagery, and who knows how many other evildoers are still out there? Yes, be glad that he finally got what he richly deserved, but let's remember his victims aren't here to join in, and let's celebrate solemnly and seriously.

Excellent article

To say Baruch Dayan HaEmes is as far as the the celebration should go because the threat of his organization still exists and could be still more dangerous then before.

I was in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on 9/11. There were quite a few Arab-owned businesses there at the time. Their employees came out into the street in droves and hooted in celebration. Death should not be celebrated-shouldn't we be better that ?

...See Above, it says it A L L ! ...Amen and Amen !

Judaism does not support capital punishment. The circumstances of Bin Laden's death are, most appropriately, top secret. As a Jew, I do not find political assassinations joyous or worthy of happiness. It is a sad day, especially when elite, educated people who have worked so hard on their spirituality act and behave like barbarians and boast about it, too! It is a shame.

I agree that if someone has suffered, then they have a right to rejoice when that evil is taken away. While this is only one speck of evil, still it's one less. -- Of course, the focus should certainly Not be revenge, but just about ridding evilness from the world. Maybe people went to far with celebrating, whereas just feeling happy at home would do. What we could do is try to spread light by doing something positive like helping others etc

do not celebrate killing but celebrate the cessation of evil

God must have been really busy during Hitler's reign of terror for the Jewish people. Sorry! I would dance on Hitler's grave and ask the Lord to join me. Do yoy recall how the other side celebrated when the Trade Center came down?

How can we take pleasure in the death of anyone? God doesn't!!! Yeshua says to love our enemies and to pray for them. Don't let hatred fill your heart. God is love!!! Please read Ezekiel 33:11

What an awesome story! I love to hear the stories of the Holocaust survivors.

like a roach or a rat i dont celibrate a mans death,but it was a neccesary action that had to be taken.dont be like the muslims who jump and dance at a non muslims death. WE MUST BE MORE CIVILISED...

Phenomenal news to wake up to! The sob is dead! Now let's get the rest of them! Support Israel!!! The only decent and civilized country in that part of the world!!

Who made the USA Police of the world? and what right do they have to define 'good' from 'bad'. If Israel was invaded by another nation I would fight to the death to get her back. Would that make ME a terrorist?

"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." ~ Mark Twain

We may celebrate a decrease in the evil in the world and pray that this brings us closer to peace. This was a beautifully written drash on the occasion of OSama's death.

We are to celebrate Freedom from oppression, BUT those who celebrate the killing of ANY human being shall have the SAME visited upon them. Celebrating Osama's killing is NO DIFFERENT than celebrating the killing of Jews, or the killing on 9/11 !!!

I think it is proper to celebrate at this moment. Not the death of an idividual but the removal from this world of a symbal and practioner of evil.

You are using moral equivalency, which is wrong. You need to study Torah a lot more........

No it certainly is not! He was an EVIL man and his followers and admirers are evil. Giving evil a pass is to be evil oneself!

On Purim, part of the celebration is for the deaths of Haman and his 10 sons.

Are you NUTS????!!!!!! You are comparing the life of a human being to that of an animal. Osama's killing is very different to that of any human being and for sure more than any Jew. Osama was a bloodthirsty animal! We don't celebrate the deaths of human beings but rather the deaths of animals dressed like humans. May G-d have mercy on you. I feel bad for you and I hope you get well soon, along with all the other sick people of the world..........

Thank You! I don't feel so alone. Last night when watching the celebrations which centered around Osama's death I just got so sad. These were mostly younger kids. I wondered if the events of 9/11 affected them differently than myself who is 41years old. Life is precious and every day is a gift.

With all respect Yoshe, I cannot agree with your argument as it lacks any context of moral objectivity. The killing of innocent Jews who were killed because they were Jews is wrong and evil. The killing of someone who headed an organisation which has killed and maimed many innocent civilians over the last couple of decades is right and good. Celebrating the killing of innocent Jews is wrong. Celebrating the death of evil murderers is right.

Havdala is the ability to differentiate between good and evil and the sages say "Im ein da'as, havdala minayin?" We need good clear sense in order to distinguish one from the other. Bin Laden thought nothing of killing thousands for his 'ideal'. That is evil. The Jews celebrated greatly when Haman was brought down and all the evil-doers killed. The same did not happen to them.

I take it you don't celebrate Purim? It is absurd to state that celebrating the death of a murderous villain is "no different than celebrating the killing of Jews or the killing on 9/11." When we celebrate the death of a purely evil, murderous, anti-Semite and anti-American, we are in fact celebrating one small step towards the coming of the Mashiach, one bit of poison that has been purged from the world in which we live. Bin Laden was the epitome of Amalek. Never has there been a more just death. Never has there been a more apt occasion in which to say ברוך דיין אמת.

I agree that we can and should celebrate the triumph of good over evil; however, we should mourn the loss of life even amonsgst our enemies. G-d allows us free will to choose what we will and won't do. Some take the high road (Hashem's path) and some take the low road - the path which I believe brings sadness to the heart of Hashem. Love that which is good and pray over that which is bad.

EVIL mus be actively faught, and utterly destroyed where it stands. How pathetic: Praying and wringing your hands is as good as standing by while your brother's blood is shed!

He who shows mercy to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful There is historic precedent in Nach.

Your position is a measured, moral position and the one to be followed. The higher path does not use the same actions as the lower one. Otherwise, what is the difference?

What you are saying rings true, and that means that the firefighters pictured with the title of this article are doing the right thing. They lost many on Sept 11, 2001 and for them this is almost like a Go'el HaDam, a person who avenges his family member's death. They certainly may celebrate.

How true - how many have died in Afghanistan to try to capture one man? How can we rejoice in a lost soul? I cannot see HaShem rejoicing - He and many like him live in darkness - and have been deceived by the enemy of our soul! - there are many like him - killing one does not, by any mean, mean that mean like him will stop their believes and will change their ways and mind!!

Lori, I not "elated" and able to "celebrate" the death of another human being. I did not believe that as a Jew this is how I should react. However, had I lost a loved one, I may have felt differently. I am certain that it must be a relief to thousands knowing that he as a threat is no more. However, I do fear retaliation, perhaps not by any organized individuals, but by zealots. Regardless, I could not rejoice over anyone's death although I completely understand that this has given so many peace and the closure that they so badly needed to go forward in their lives.

It has been stated by the Prophets that before the coming of MASHIACH the sinister evil will be taken from this world in one way or another. This my dear fellow Jews is what we are celebrating.

Thank you for this ifo. I had mix feelings about Ben Laden death. At first it was good news and then I thought how this man could of chosen to do good with his life. Now he will be in eternal damnation.

We should never celebrate someone's death, especially a violent one. We should feel relieved and grateful that an evil has been destroyed. To celebrate reduces us to their base level. We are better than that.

There are 12 Israelite Tribes. You seem to think that there is only 1. All 12 tribes are alive today.

Lori, Congratulations on this excellent clarification of a very nuanced concept. YES, celebrate the death of evil in a manner consistent with Torah values. Celebrate the opportunity to remember to blot out the memory of Amalek.

The best commentary I have heard today.

As a Jew, I should be ashamed that I do not know more about my religion, however when I heard the news I was not elated and happy. I felt badly that the man was killed. Not very deep in my heart, but enough to feel sad about it. However they are going to broadcast pictures of him and I for one will not look at them

About the dead say nothing but good. Ben Laden is dead. Good.

#suzanne tishkoff: You misinterpret Palatnik's point: But the Jewish people had suffered at the hand of the Egyptians and they not only had the right to celebrate, they *must* celebrate. We celebrate Haman's death at Purim, with groggers yet.

I had similar thoughts last night, wondering if it pleases G-d to take joy in the death--especially the violent death without judicial process--of one of His children, albeit one who has inflicted such death on thousands of others. Just as Scripture does not tell us that G-d stopped the angels from rejoicing when the Egyptians were drowned, it does not command us as humans to rejoice in the death and suffering of the evil. There are, however, numerous imprecatory Psalms in the Bible, in which the psalmist prays for retribution upon his enemies. I wonder whether G-d's including these writings in the Canon implies His approval of the desire they express or merely constitutes a recording of an example of human nature.

This deeply insightful response shows why it is always necessary to look more deeply at what appears to be just a simple midrash --and in the context of Torah kulah. Your melding of the lessons of Pesach, the Shoah, and current events borders on brilliant. It is truly a lesson she'bchol dor v'dor.

Bin Laden’s demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity- absolutely. So rejoice at the death of one of the most evil men (next to Hitler) ever to live Proud To Be An American That I Was Meant To Be By D.K. Milgrim-Heath©2011 Proud to be an American that I was meant to be- The world’s tyrant is dead and America’s free for me. We waited ten years for this - A happening we can’t miss. Sing America Sing! Sing America Sing – Of freedom that does ring.

you actually think that bin laden's death will bring freedom and peace to the world??????!!!!!!!!!

First news I got this morning Osama was killed. I felt no emotions. I searched out more news, no emotions. I saw young people filling the streets shouting victory chants, no emotions. Heard Obama's death statement, no emotions. Read Bush's remarks, no emotions. I must not be woke up yet, need some caffeine. Seeing Americans celebrating, what I perceive from the adults, a military victory, the young-a reason to get together and party it up with joy. But I, don't feel like celebrating. I personally new a person that was very evil. Upon his death I praised God for justice that had been done, however, openly I did not celebrate his death. He was someones father, husband, brother and son. All of which I knew them. Out of respect for them, even though some of his family was relieved also, I kept the rejoicing privately between God and I. This morning, I watch older clips, of what Osama has caused in the world. It was finally sinking in, I was waking up.

The crowd in front of the White House was out of control. Young people taking this moment to just have fun as it seemed. The death of a human being should never be celebrated. Acknowledged yes to show that in the end evil will be destroyed and justice will be met. It is a moment to pray to thank G-d for this victory in justice. Death in this case is not happy it is the price to pay for criminals. This is not the end of evil just merely a grain of sand that was eliminated and they should be brought to justice one by one. The crimes were not just aimed at the Jews but at all western civilizations. So why compare it to our past history? This is today and it should be dealt as it comes to ensure our children’s safety and peace.

It is true that we as clildren of Hashem must not feel joy for that individuals dealth but to be happy that the evil that individual did can not be done anylonger tocommit evil again. Celebrate that the the results of that person evil are gone, but not the person.

I do not celebrate bin Laden's death, I celebrate the fact that after more than nine and a half years, the United States finally learned how to fight terrorism, and can now bring all the troops from Iraq and Aftghanistan home

I am not Jewish, but am a student of Judaism and believer in the God of Israel. I agree with Mrs. Palatnik only adding that "how" celebration is conducted before the eyes of the watching world is an important consideration. As a Holocaust educator, I once heard a survivor rightly distinguish between vengeance and justice. It occurs to me that the celebration of justice would look and feel different than the celebration of an act of vengeance. I agree, we must celebrate evil, always remembering our role as His representatives on earth.

Unfortunately the world is still sleeping, what happened before may happen again, if countries don't wake up and realize that Israel is not the enemy, the second holocaust can happen again, only this time on a different plain. Wake up please, save the only democratic country in the Middle-East.

I agree 100% we should not celebrate his death.On 9/11 the arabs were dancing in the streets (i saw it on the news) g-d forbid we should be like them. I am referring to another issue. I fear chas vesholom (heaven forbid) RETALIATION. the arabs must be VERY angry. (as if they weren't already) Hash-m yishmor (g-d should protect us) if they start dropping bombs and blowing themselves up everywhere in the world. Everyone should pray that no jew(or even good non-jews) should not be hurt because of this. If you have never prayed, now is a good time to start.

Some Arabs seemm to be in a state of perpetutal rage. What we actually do doesn't seem to have much effect on their rage. So we might as well do what's right--and live without fear.

I agree with the very wise Mrs. Palatnik. We cannot celebrate anyone's death, no matter how evil we perceive them to be. That is a matter for Hashem to resolve. Let's breathe a sigh of relief, and hope his minions do not attempt to revenge his death with more death.

this writer says she agrees with Ms. Palatnik, and that we cannot celebrate anyone's death, no matter how evil. But doesn't the article say: "Yes, we are commanded to remember that there is evil in the world, and not only are we allowed to celebrate when it is destroyed, we must." What have I missed?

I am a bit confused also. If I am supposed to celebrate Bin Laden's death, please cite the Bibical reference.

I thought we are already celebrating year by year the death of our enemy, called Haman. And the celebration called Purim.

'binfoil oivecha al tismach' does not refer to those who are out to kill or destroy you,only to one who has a private fued with you, as understood by the other halve of the verse

This is a struggle I have had many times. Last night when Obama said "So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity", I was not sure how I felt. As a Jew I was under the impression we should never cheer death. I was uncomfortable and uncertain how to react. I do not think Bin Laden's death will in fact change anything, but after reading your article I feel better about celebrating the destruction of evil.

I'm so proud of our people - instead of handing out candy, as pointed out above, we are grateful to G-d and put things in the proper perspective. Not rushing to rejoice in the face of the downfall of a person, but joyful about the demise of evil as is proper. The world is a better place today.

I DID NOT KNOW THAT BIN LADEN HAD BEEN KILLED? WHEN AND WHERE?

I DID NOT KNOW EITHER, DANIEL. WHY HAVE WE NOT BEEN INFORMED?

Not to be mean, but where have you people been? It's been all over the news for the past two days!

I still wrestle with "celebration" at bin Ladin's death. While we are commanded to celebrate the destruction of evil, we have not destroyed evil in this case, only one evil man. Still wrestling...

I understand the desire to celebrate, but putting aside the ethics of this desire, we have no sense of finality in this "war on terror".So the celebration is tinged with the knowledge that there is a long road ahead for a better world.

It's hard not to be happy that this evil is gone, at the same time it is somewhat anti-climactic. Had it happened within the year of 9-11 it would have had a more forceful effect. Who knows who has been groomed to take Bin Laden's place in all these years? He and his cohorts certainly knew this day would come. And as the Hagaddah tells us" B'chol dor v'dor Omdim aleinau lchalotainu." In every generation they arise to kill us, and Hashem saves us from them all. There is still evil Achmanidinijad to deal with, and if we could get him, that would be a real victory

We should all celebrate publicly and let our enemies see us rejoice in the richly deserved demise of this wicked man. Let them know that if they continue to pursue terrorism, we will pursue them, and when we wipe them out - with God's help - we are all going to rejoice!

very well said!

I am interested in that the death of Bin Laden is being compared to the death of the Pharoah who held the Jews as slaves and gave them terrible tribulations. This is not the same, this is WAR. This is a war of one people against all others, not just Jews. We did not start the war either as Jews or members of the West. However, war apart, Jewish law commands (compels) one to save the life of one who is being murdered even if it is necessary to do so at the expense of the life of the murderer. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 72a) commands that one should have no mercy on the murderer and take his life if needed. Indeed, this is true even if the murderer could not be punished by a court for his crime after the fact (for example, if the murderer were a minor). As the Americans finally managed to find and kill Bin Laden they did as G-d commanded. Should we celebrate the destruction of evil, I don't see why not although I suppose it depends on the type of celebration you had in mind.

It is very odd that OBL body was dumped in the sea so soon. are we honoring some ritual for immediate burial? or was it really the body of OBL? Elections are next year... I'm afraid I do not trust BO. Is this another distraction for the American people that we will not open our eyes and see?

Pakistani intelligence has apparently released a photo of dead Bin Laden. And yes, in accordance with Islamic tradition, burial is supposed to occur within 24 hours of death. Unlike the terrorist murderers, the US respected the life and the corpse of this murderer. He was offered the opportunity to give up, only when he refused was his life taken. His remains were treated with respect. Burial at sea was so that his body will not be entombed and become a sort of sick "shrine" (if you don't think this is likely, take a look at the shrine in memory of his fellow murderer Yasser Arafat.) The US did not drag his body thru the streets, publicly burn it, nor impale it. All in all, the US has acted with extraordinary decency, in accordance with the religious traditions of the region. Frankly, I think you're either racist or paranoid. G-d bless America, our allies, our troops, and yes, our President.

The people who captured bin Laden used photo imaging software to positively identify him. He was buried so soon because of the Muslim requirement for burial within 24 hours.

It was said to the Angels for they had just previously asked why are you favoring the Jews over the Egyptians insomuch as both worshiped idols ie. they are both creations of yours- at that point that the Angels wanted to join in Shira H" put them in place-"you want want to say shira"?ie you just said they are both my creations

Mrs. Palatnik's article was well written and I appreciated it.

Hello Lori...I, too, rejoice at the death of one of the most evil men ever to live. I think your explanation as to why people are to celebrate at such a time as this is absolutely correct. Israel is in our prayers. Even though we have never had the privilege of visiting the land, there is such a love for it and the Jewish people.

I relate this to the Israelites victory over the Philistines, afterall they were evil, and they did worship idols. I believe this is a victory for Democracy & the free world.

It is only human for the person who suffered directly at the hands of the enemy to rejoice when the enemy is overthrown. This is arguably G*d's message at the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. However the rest of us should reflect on the Osama Bin Laden inside each of us, spill some of our wine, and experience a moment of sadness for someone who pursued evil and seemed incapable of doing teshuva. Hate the sin, not the sinner. If we rejoice over someone's death are we any different from the people who danced in the streets and gave candy to children when Ilan Ramon died, when we were attacked on 9/11 and when the Fogel family was murdered? We are relieved, we are satisfied, but are we joyous? My rabbi teaches that the ten plagues were visited upon the Egyptians as a sobering lesson to the Israelites.

When we were attacked on 9-11 and the Jewish family was murdered these.people rejoiced at the killing of the innocent. We now rejoice at the killing of evil. Yes, there is a difference.-

Thank G*d, there is a big difference. You are right. I can only pray that the actions we must take do not lead us into hatred.

BL was human, yes, but an unrepentant sinner & wholly evil. God commanded us to eradicate such evil. Thus we are not celebrating death inappropriately. We are doing God's justice & celebrating our ability to know the difference between good & evil.

Taking out BL is justice. Celebrating his death might not be inappropriate, but is it living up to the highest, divine parts of ourselves? And do we know he was wholly evil? All I know is he committed evil acts. Only G*d knows the whole man.

I'm with you...should any person take this side, then the world would be..oh..wait...JUST AS IT IS. Of course we all feel favored by G-d, if not, why follow what we follow? (as in Religion/Rules) and as such, the extremist Arabs attack under the wing of a "Holy war", etc. And this case applies to most human congregations, it's human NOT DIVINE to rejoice over someone's death. Can you put yourselves in a Nazi's mind?how he's happy he's wiped out "evil" (evil to him l is anything not Aryan .Jews were not alone in the massacre-). How come you can be happy for someone's death? I agree, you can be satisfied, as it works in your favor, but happy is a very distant. Violence will only create violence, just look at the eternal conflict in Israel, that will never end. I'm sad for both sides whenever there's an attack on their people.

There's a saying by our sages that if you have mercy on the cruel it will bring you to be cruel to those who deserve mercy. (sounds better in Hebrew) Your line of reasoning equates the victim with his perpetrator - and there is evil in that sentiment. Morality that is "relative" (as you described the way the Nazi ym"sh viewed the world) is not morality at all. Killing innocent people by crashing airplanes into buildings is not morally correct. The perpetrator of such an act is unequivocally evil and evil must be eradicated.

Dear Mrs Palatnik, the reason why the Almighty rebuked the angels who started to sing, was because they did not suffer at the hands of the egyptians but the Jews did and therefore it was VERY appropriate to sing in praise of Hashem. Please no misplaced rachmones ,christianlike, for the resha'im

That's precisely Mrs. Palatnik wrote: "What God is saying to the angels is that this is not a happy day for Him. He did not create the Egyptians for evil, but they chose evil, and now evil had to be wiped out. But the Jewish people had suffered at the hand of the Egyptians and they not only had the right to celebrate, they must celebrate." (no misplaced rachmanus here)

I had a similar conversation with my daughter last night. The crowds outside the White House looked as if their team just scored a touchdown. That kind of revelry is, in my view, primitive, just like owning slaves was...yes, it was human nature, but that nature evolves and matures over time, and so should the instinct to "party" when an enemy is defeated in an ongoing battle. The elimination of the evil that was bin Laden should be met with prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for peace in Israel and the world, and prayers that someone like bin Laden should not arise in the future. But it's a time to reflect on the evil that he wrought, not whoop and holler like a bunch of frat kids at a keg party. That' misses the gravity of what's at stake in the war on terror. And it's not because of the loss of bin Laden's life (hence I think the analogy to Egypt at the Yam is a poor one). It's because the war on terror is a serious thing where lives hang in the balance, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Winning one important battle in that war shouldn't be met with a touchdown dance in the end zone. The difference with Purim story is that the Jews avoided a known risk to their immediate safety, and hence commemorating that with a feast is understandable. Again, this is not that case.

Very insightful comment and well put!

It was a relief to read your comment. Thanks for posting.

In the Exodus the drowning of Pharoah's soldiers marked the end of the oppression in Egypt. God admonished the Angels from celebrating the deaths of any of his creatures. To invoke the name of the text of my childhood Hebrew School days of long ago, we are "Little Lower Than the Angels." To furthur add to the conviction that vigilence and not celebration would be more appropriate in this case to say the least, Bin Laden has been considered only a figurehead of Al-Queda for years, his #2 and head of operations the de facto CEO of terror inc. Zawahiri is still alive and hidden. It took us ten years and two badly fought wars to find and kill Bin Laden. I am not celebrating closure, nor feeling like doing so as I hear of riots in Jerusalem and Pakistan. Let us not be lulled into a false sense of security, as a result if this long awaited event.

But has human nature matured? When you look at history, people seem to be the same throughout time. There are still wars, even if there are more hi-tech ways of fighting them. There is still hatred, and jealousy, and yes, still rejoicing over the fall of your enemy. No, maybe it's not the best scenario, but it exists. The average person is not up to th level that you describe, and people celebrate in different ways. Besides, in two days people will be focusing on the things you mentioned- this is the euphoria of the moment.

Ilanit, I most definitely believe that human nature has evolved. We don't keep slaves, even though the Torah and US Constitution allowed for it. And we fight wars very differently with the advent of instant electronic communication. Look at the care armies take to avoid mass and civilian casualties. We should strive to hold ourselves to ever higher standards...not just pass it off as "that's all we can expect of ourselves." Parents of the partiers (one girl inteviewed basically said she came out to find a good party that night) should tell their kids why we can and should strive to do better as humans. That's in no small part HOW our nature evolves. I really do not believe the Torah tells us, much less commands us, to whoop and hollar at bin Laden's death, and I'm amazed at how many of the posters here are looking for such precise guidance...as they might look for guidance as to which pant leg to slip on first in the morning.

I think one should not celebrate the death of a mentally sick man and criminal. Bin Laden just got, what he looked for. What must make us happy is the thought that this islamic fanatic fundamentalist movement disappears. But this has not happened yet. I hope Bin Laden will not be replaced by another leader. Dina

Perfectly well written, succinct and clarifying article about good and evil.

Thank you for your thoughts. I have been struggling, myself, with how this should be approached. Your article puts forward a very needed balance.

I'm delighted that bin Laden is dead, and even more delighted that the U.S. was the instrument of his death. That said, dancing in the streets over this is the part of a more barbarous and primitive aspect of human nature. I won't criticize others for giving vent to it under the circumstances, but a more restrained expression of satisfaction seems to me to be the more appropriate course.

Thank you for reminding me,..we can't celebrate the death of evil because evil has caused such sorrow. We should celebrate only life

Now that Bin Laden is dead, there is one less eminently evil person in our world. Terrorism will continue, but the world feels a little brighter today. There is a final justice after years of grieving for his many victims and their loved ones. Thank God for his death at the hands of the US. Hallejuha and Amen

Let us not forget they danced in the streets after 9/11. I know two wrongs do not make a right.

The death of Osama bin Laden brought laughter to our lips. I sang the Miriam's song. This evil mind has being cast off the face of earth. May his memory be an accursed one. Hitler gone May 1, 1945. Osama gone May 1 , 2011. How great thou art, O G-d of Yisrael.!

Lori thank you for validating what I felt when I heard the news. It is an inherent sense of victory that I felt but then also some guilt about rejoicing another person's death. Your words have put everything into perspective- LET'S CELEBRATE THE FALL OF AMALEACH

I agree with the article - The Word says to celebrate death more than birth! We celebrate that a man who done many evil acts has been removed from this earth. Sadness comes from the knowledge of his final destiny ! Does he deserve it? according to his actions = yes - nevertheless - it is never to God"s pleasure to loose a soul! We remove one evil person from the earth but there are so many people just like him who will quickly replace him! He was a leader - unfortunately, he has many followers !

Since we believe, or some, in a Messianic Age, then this is surely predicated on G_d moving us through story. So I have to patiently disagree with what you wrote, above. On every level, G_d knows what WILL happen, and to believe in an era, in a dawning new consciousness, about this story, this eternal story, is to understand that we perceive on different levels of consciousness. No, we cannot or should not, celebrate death, and yet, someone who committed deep crimes against humanity, well that person's death seems right, seems just. ON a cosmic level I must feel that those who died as a result of 911, who perished, that they went to G_d, and were embraced by the light. We talk about the Miracle, the G_d given miracle of those who survived, by a hair, and all those "stories". I say, the entire story, of the EXODUS, is a teaching story. I do not want my children and my children to celebrate the Angel of Death, those children, the unborn who died. There are these misgivings, and we NEED them, to approach this story in all its profound dimensions. No, do not exonerate G_d. Maybe G_d wants to be put on trial, and then, and then perhaps we find we as a peoples, as a world, were never deserted or abandoned, and that there's aother story running, about "still life", and yes, I am buying the Stairway to Heaven. Listen to the music. Listen hard to the words! This symphony HAS a conductor.

G-d be praised and may He be with all of us .

Celebrating the death of bin Laden is no different than celebrating the death of Hitler. Destroying someone so purely evil is a good thing. Bin Laden chose his life in spite of many advantages as a young man. He made his choice and so did we.

20. And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21. To establish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22. Like the days when the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Just for the record, Auschwitz was not liberated by Americans but by Ukrainian elements of the Russian army and nowhere near the date of Pesach but on the 27th January 1945.

Well I for one don't really feel very much jubilation at all! The reasons being that 1) at the Yam Suf all our enemies were downed by Hashem in one swoop, and here was one wicked man who has doubtlessly left behind many like-minded replacements! 2) I find it very odd that the body as immediately dumped at sea instead of bringing it back to the states and presenting us with tangible proof that he was killed. No, I don't mean impaling his body at the city gate for all to see, but there are other methods of public verification ( funny that it was authorized by a man who has held his birth certificate in such secrecy till now).

I think it was a mistake to "bury Osama Bin Laden at Sea" rather than return the body to the family...this only fuels the desire for retaliation in the Islamist world...Moreover, it leaves room for doubt as to whether or not he is really dead (photos a...re not 100% confirmation of death; 100% confirmation of the death of a human being is the presentation of a body; for people to see his body, a burial was very important for this reason, alone)... Desiring to prevent the creation of a shrine by burying him at Sea may actually backfire, and enable for him to "live on" as a martyr in the Islamist world, enable for his death to be refuted in a way which fuels terrorist sentiment... The fact that he was not allowed a proper burial will be seen as an affront to Islam by radical Islamists, and will only fuel the desire for retaliation... According to some reports, the Saudi Government refused to have Osama Bin Laden's body repatriated...but I find it difficult to believe that they would not understand the implications of such a decision (which very much recalls to me the decision of the Arab states not to take in Palestinian refugees post-45/48, purposefully)...I also wonder where the family stood in all of this... Such a decision was not wise...

I am concerned that at this time you have taken even a moment to demonstrate your own political persuasion. The birthing issue? Really! Our President has asked for unity at this time although he is asking nothing more of us than what most of us feel presently. [ I do respect your entitlement to dissuade and, by the way, so does he. ]

No one here ever mentioned the "Birthing Issue" (and I will leave my personal thoughts on this matter out of the present discussion)... What is the difference between Bin Laden's grave possibly becoming a shrine, and the place where he was killed possibly becoming a shrine? Absolutely none. This decision to bury him at Sea doesn't make sense... Such a decision was very unwise...

Though I prefer not to mix apples and oranges here (this is a discussion about the events surrounding Osama Bin Laden's death, and not the verification of President Obama's place of birth), I would like to make a general statement about the "birthing issue" in response to the above anonymous comment. The desire to verify a Presidential candidate's place of birth and US Citizenship (particularly when one of his parents is NOT an American citizen, and when that Presidential candidate has lived a substantial amount of his life abroad, and has a substantial number of extended family members who are not US citizens), is not unreasonable... The request to view President Obama's original long-form birth certificate has always been reasonable, given his specific history as a Presidential candidate...and the President would have avoided lengthy debate on the issue had he furnished his long-form birth certificate long ago... It was an issue that could have been resolved simply, and in a timely manner, well before now...and one that has nothing to do with race (to those who are approaching this issue with right kavanah), and everything to do with nationality...and I say this as an American citizen who also a Jew of color (though the color of my skin should not matter; what matters is the character and nature of my soul...), and who also has one parent who is NOT a US citizen...

The US Constitution states that the president must be a "natural born citizen" -- unless you don't believe that Ann Denham Obama was an American citizen, then the president obviously qualifies (as does his half-sister, the daughter of Ms. Denham and her second, Indonesian husband). AND Article 14 states that anyone born in the United States is also an American citizen.

In Esther 9:16-32 We get The Feast of Esther to celebrate the death of the ones that wanted to kill us 17....make it a day of feasting and gladness.

The Jews were given permission at least twice to go and kill all the anti Semites that were living in their are at that time. Haman and his ten sons and thousands of Amalekites, not just one evil schemer. Remember he had been teaching an entire generation of eager follower's all the methods that he had available to maim and destroy innocents. he undoubtedly set up a network of learder's who are more the anxious to continue his cause. Somehow my heart tells me that there is very little cause foe celebration.

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting. - {Proverbs 11:10} 27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. II Chron 20:27

I, too, was thrown for a loop when I saw the delirious celebrations of Bin Laden's death. Mrs. Palatnik gives us a good answer to appropriateness of such celebrations. When one of the murderers of my daughter was himself gunned down, I was asked if I was happy. I can't say I danced in the street, but I certainly didn't sit shiva for him either.

"What God is saying to the angels is that this is not a happy day for Him. He did not create the Egyptians for evil, but they chose evil, and now evil had to be wiped out." A clear distinction must be made between celebrating the triumph of Hashem's goodness over evil, and celebrating the downfall of one's enemy...the former demonstrates right intention, the latter does not, for we pray that our enemies should ultimately make the right choice, and choose to honor the will of Hashem with the free will that they, too, have been given...even as we are commanded to defend ourselves against our enemy, even as we are commanded to annihilate Amalek... The reason that Hashem chastised not only the angels, but also us, as we rejoiced while the Egyptians were drowning is because we and the angels were celebrating the downfall of our enemy, and not the triumph of Hashem's goodness over evil...two very different things... So, may we celebrate the triumph of Hashem's goodness over evil, and at the same time pray that Hashem lead our enemies to choose to honor Him and the unfolding of His Will in the world, that Hashem lead our enemies to choose goodness over evil, rather than to destroy us... We must pray that Hashem lead our enemies to bless us, rather than curse us...as he did with Bilam...

This is a very helpful post. There can be no joy in death or retribution, but we can celebrate the victory of Hashem over evil.

We are all glad that his regime has ended, but before we cheer, lets wonder who will take his place and how viscious will that person be. A new attack may follow.

A new attack may follow? One thing at a time, please. Let us take a moment to be grateful that Bin Laden is no longer with us.

Was writing Obama instead of Osama a typo?

I'was born when Israel's natios were refound. I'm alwalys reading about the History of Jewish people, and yes, we have to celebrate our victory among our enemy! This was the behavior of hebrew people (choosed by HaShem) throuh the Holy Scripture - we have to be glad when the Adonai's arm give us victory!

I'm no angel. I remember the soon to be Bar Mitzvah boy whose mother made him retrieve his clothes for the special day from the clothing store before she told him of his father's death in the WTC. I remember the man who chose to stay in the tower and die with his longtime colleague who was whealchair bound. They found some of his remains. The aron they sent to Israel was no bigger than a shoe box. I remember the tears, the horror and the children who read their parent's name every year at the memorial. I'm happy that one of Hashem's creations who chose evil is lying below the Indian Ocean. Judith Bron

I sent a very similar message, remembering that when people adopt the ways of an animal (celebrating death)- they we diminish our holiness by becoming an animal- even for a short period of time. I am glad an element of evil is vanquished, and I am always saddened at the news of death. Think of what he could have accomplished if he chose the path of the rightous gentile.

Hi Lori! Thanks for writing. I have no problem with celebrating his death--While I don't think "an eye for an eye", I do think people who can plot and succeed to murder and terrorize others and give thanks and joy for innocent people who's were killed--their families devestated, etc...I know that they are evil people. I must say, I wasn't sure how I felt about him being killed on Yom Hashoah, but I love the way Lori tied in Yom Hashoah and the holocaust with the demise of the evil Osama Bin Laden. I wasn't sure how to frame it--now I feel that it is more clear in my mind!

It is instructive that Havadalah differentiates light from darkness. In physics and intuitively, darkness is the absence of light, rather than the opposite of light. Simply removing or shielding the light leaves darkness. Edmund Burke said that when good men do nothing evil will prevail. Unlike darkness, evil is not simply an ABSENCE of good. Lack of goodness results in impoverishment of the soul, but it does not automatically create evil. Evil has its own great and powerful momentum, and requires more than just a "light" to shine on it, for it to go away. Osama Bin Laaden is dead. Like Haman, like Hitler, he was a man who did not simply fail to be good, but rather actively strived with his very being to commit evil, the very embodiment of evil. So it is that action, great and dangerous action, was required to destroy this one man. And so it is that we should give thanks and be strengthened in our faith - evil can prevail when good people do nothing, but evil can be destroyed when good people take righteous action against it.

One of her many memorable quotes: "They say you shouldn't say nothin' about the dead unless it's good. He's dead? Good"

We should indeed celebrate the eradication of a hideous evil; if someone comes to kill you, kill him first. By eliminating this monster the brave forces have surely saved lives worth saving. To "Humbled & Awake" I say that the grace of G-d is available to all, if you choose to reject it then suffer the consequences.

בִּנְפֹל אויביך [אוֹיִבְךָ] אַל תִּשְׂמָח וּבִכָּשְׁלוֹ אַל יָגֵל לִבֶּךָ. Mishlei 24:17

but enemies of God and the Jewish people one does celebrate.

Who your enemy refers too in this Pasuk. It might be a fellow Jew whom you just don't care for. As I wrote in my comment above, I just find one wicked man's death and the fact he has many more people he left behind who are willing and able to carry out his evil work-plus the fact that we were not redeemed after this event, little cause for celebration.

I am certainly not as eloquent as you are, but I thought and wrote in the same exact vein as you did, reacting to the announcement of the death and killing of Bin Laden. I immediately remembered that we celebrated when we arrived safe on the other side of the shore of the sea of reeds, but didn't celebrate for the death and killing of so many human beings who drowned. We also diminish our joy at the announcement of the plagues, because they befell on other human beings. http://otir.posterous.com/the-news-of-the-night

As usual you have set my mind at ease. I wonderedabout the celebrating, even as I was so excited I could not sleep. I keep watching the news and thanking our Navy Seals. Who finally did the job.

One of my first reactions to today's news is 'Mazal Tov'. But I refrained from posting...I was wondering about this. I still don't know if it's appropriate, but sounds like it is. Thanks for your article. Also...your story about Mr. Cohen...Chilling. How suitable for Yom HaShoah. Truly miraculous story.

I thought of that admonishment against celebrating the death of another human being last night, but then I thought, "I'll indulge myself just this once!"

This article moved me to tears. Not by its piety or because it spoke so articulately on the matter of a man's death. No, I was moved to tears because its sentiment saddened me so deeply. "AN EYE FOR AN EYE LEAVES EVERYONE BLIND" There is simply NO HUMILITY OR JUSTICE in celebrating the demise of one's "enemy". IF (for now) acts of hate and destruction "must" be your answer to the question of rebalancing human "civilisation", be quiet and humble in its wake. Mourn with LOVE and magnanimity the LOSS of a FELLOW HUMAN, who COULD NOT ACT IN LOVE, and celebrate a (hopefully/unlikely) better future as it is born from these misfortunes. WE ARE A FAMILY. A dysfunctional one yes, but a family nonetheless. Your jeering and dancing makes a mockery of "the peace process". IT MAKES MONSTERS OF US ALL. Think before you act. He was someone's son, someone's father. A very misled man, but a man! NOT A DEMON. TO MAKE GODS AND DEVILS OUT OF MEN MAKES ACTS OF HATE FAR TOO EASY ...and the misuse of the "To every thing there is a season..." quote, merely adds insult to injury. There is no instruction to engage in schadenfreude. It is an observation of the gentle and brutal ebb and flow of nature....and our consciousness is a part of that. CHOOSE KINDNESS AND FORGIVENESS. It's within your grasp to LOVE and be INFINITELY COMPASSIONATE. Be sorry that this man could not be as "good" as we with the power to act "well". Have humility and gratitude that you live in a society which doesn't force you into the position of committing foul acts. Do I condone the result of Osama's behaviour. OF COURSE NOT. Do I celebrate because he has been eradicated. NO! So does this signify that I am in fact one of God's (aforementioned) "angels"? Improbable, but maybe. I prefer to believe that I AM AWAKE. You can be too. It's a choice. STOP THE CYCLE OF HATE. CHOOSE LOVE. And remember... "There but for the grace of God, go I."

Unfortunately, you live in a dream world. There is evil in the world and this man was evil. Were you saddened to learn that Hilter committed suicide? If he had been captured after World War II, would you have wished for him to be rehabilitated? Get real! This man had hate in his heart and was responsible for the death of over 3,000 innocent men and women. I won't be dancing in the streets, but I am glad that this man is now longer sucking oxygen from the air.

Ahhh A "dream" world. Dare to dream. Should I remain small and cloistered in fear of change? To answer your question (and I fear we've already stepped into "Godwin's Law" territory here,) I am saddened by Hitler's suicide. I am saddened by any suffering, any loss of life. Of course I am. I do not by any means think his actions were valid, correct or moral. In fact the holocaust is one of the most deplorable tragedies in human history, (in my opinion). I'm indescribably sorry for all those who suffered, including him. Can you imagine what must have only happened to that man to make him act as such a monster? Just think on that for a minute. How often do people who were abused as children go on to abuse others as adults (or even during childhood), far too often. Does this make them evil, or a product of their environment? "The sins of the fathers...". Or to quote Phillip Larkin "They f*** you up your mum and dad...". We are all fallible. We are all human. Calling it "evil" is an archaic scapegoat. It allows people to dismiss accountability and commit murder in the name of "morality". Do you see the irony? So yes my friend, I live in hope. Call it a dream if you will (I have a feeling you might). I believe in the potential for human creativity, love and goodness. Peace brother

Mr. Schwartz, a few skillful edits would make your comment more cogent and respectful, namely, deletion of the first sentence and "Get real!" When we attack each other instead of discussing the issue, we end up with grudges, alienation and wars.

In 1938, Chamberlain returned from his landmark compromise with Hitler, proclaiming "Peace In Our Time" and setting the world on a collision course with atrocity beyond anyone's worst nightmares, and beyond Hitler's wildest dreams. Pacifism in the face of evil is a blueprint for greater evil. Destruction of evil cannot be undertaken by goodwill and love, even if these are necessary for the triumph of goodness. It is clear from your misunderstanding of "An Eye For An Eye", that you are not familiar with Jewish teaching - the expression has nothing to do with revenge - it is a rule for financial restitution following injury. Like so much misinterpretation by Christians of Jewish law and ethics, it requires a step back to realise that in some matters, Justice is more important than Love. Justice can be measured. Love can not. Justice can allow disputes to be resolved where love is missing. So too, Justice is required, even when the golden rule of Hillel was "Love thy neighbour as thyself" which is so much more than the Christian ideal of devotion to others above devotion to your well-being. To love your neighbour as yourself, first you need to truly love yourself as a child of God. You need to be willing to defend yourself, your family, your people, your society, your ethics. All this is part of self-love. THEN, you can truly love others. The pauper cannot be generous. If you secretly hate yourself, or worse, if you ignore your self, how can you truly love others - eventually your house of ethical cards will come crashing down around you. So it is, I believe, with your sentiment above. I can love what Bin Laaden should have been, but I MUST hate his evil and rejoice in its destruction. Otherwise I am hating myself and living a lie.

Thanks for your response. An interesting interpretation (but not one I share). I am in fact familiar with jewish teaching. I come from a long line of jews from all over Europe and the Middle East. I also have the power of independent thought, and whilst I was not referring perhaps to the origins of "an eye for an eye...", I was assuredly referencing its modern application, ie. to seek revenge in order to sate one's appetite for supposed moral equality. Sure it's a nuance, but very much a valid definition. Now, as far as "pacifism in the face of evil is a blueprint for greater evil," goes. I do not believe I stated that the opposite of "action" is pacifism. On the contrary, I suggested that humans are incredibly creative, innovative creatures, and it is not beyond our ken to create alternatives to acts of savagery. A savagery which only results in the "an eye for an eye..." paradox (and yes, the nuanced meaning). I'm sure you are aware that it was ol'Einstein who suggested that madness is defined as such "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"...and doesn't history just keep repeating itself. Murder after murder after murder. Haven't we any better ideas? So no, not a pacifist, in fact I consider myself an activist towards POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE. Murder is NEVER positive. There must be alternatives. You also misinterpreted my mention of love. I was not saying all the world's ills can be solved through love alone. No. There's also infinite compassion (not to be confused with love), creativity, kindness, bravery, POSITIVE ACTION! etc. I don't fear/revere evil. Nor do I reckon it a necessary part of human language. It is mythology. As indefinable as love, the difference being that it has no useful applications...AND I certainly do not consider it a necessary to the cultivation of "self-love". I believe you are confusing prudence with fear. We live in an ever evolving world. We need to acknowledge that and respond thusly. Peace brother.