Whoever Strikes a Jew Strikes G-d

Kahane on the Parsha Rabbi Meir Kahane- Parshat Shemot WHOEVER STRIKES A JEW STRIKES G-D "And [Moses] saw an Egyptian man striking one of his fellow Hebrews; he looked this way and that, saw there was no one around, and struck the Egyptian and buried him in the sand" (Exodus 2:11-12). Moses could have walked away from the scene with any number of rationalizations. He could have said to himself: "Is it really worthwhile to endanger myself by killing this Egyptian? Wouldn't it be better to turn away? After all, I am a member of the royal family and in a position to help the Israelites in the future when the time is right." Moreover, Moses could have reasoned that killing the Egyptian was not "worth it" since the Jew was already dead, as the Midrash (Shemot Rabba 1:28) seems to indicate. What good, then, would killing the Egyptian do? Would it bring the Jew back to life? And if the Jew was dead, maybe it was forbidden for him to endanger himself by getting involved. Moses understood, however, that such rationalizations are improper. He understood that in a situation of Chillul Hashem, such arguments carry no weight. Danger to life is no excuse nor are deliberated considerations to the tune that "the time is not right" or "perhaps I can do better another way, another time, another place." Chillul Hashem BROOKS NO DELAY!!!!!! Seeing the Egyptian kill the Jew, Moses, with ANGER AND FURY, struck the Egyptian to avenge the Jew's blood and G-d's honor. For as Rabbi Chanina said, "Striking the jaw of a Jew is like striking the jaw of the Divine Presence" (Sanhedrin 58b). This is the Jewish response- NOT to let the gentile smite with impunity since every single blow represents a desecration of Israel and a desecration of G-d's Name. Anyone who smites a Jew MUST BE SMITTEN IN RETURN!!! Written in: Peirush HaMaccabee Shabbat Shalom Barbara If you are interested in reading more Divrei Torah from Rabbi Meir and Binyamin Kahane HY"D, you can purchase the book at both of the following two links: http://www.amazon.com/Kahane-Parsha-Meir/dp/098867680X http://brennbooks.com/ Anyone reading this Rabbi Meir Kahane article and is not on my personal list to receive the weekly articles written by Rabbi Kahane and would like to be, please contact me at barbaraandchaim@gmail.com To view articles written by Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane go to blog: www.barbaraginsberg-kahane.blogspot.com Telegram: Rav Meir Kahane Dvrei Torah-Viewpoints