June 2002 Happy "3 x Chai" Birthday By Rabbi Alvin Kass This year marks Israel's 54th or "3 x chai" birthday. Only Jews would divide the number that way. We do it because chai means life, and the whole thrust of Judaism is directed towards the preservation of life. Jewish law affirms as a sacrosanct principle: pikuach nefesh docheh et ha-Shabbat, the saving of a life supercedes Sabbath observance. Indeed, it supercedes virtually all other religious obligations as well. Our Sages believed that the Jewish way of life should enhance our health and well-being, not damage them. God gave us the mitzvot to live by, not die by. In a fascinating article in The New York Times, Tom Friedman declares that this Jewish emphasis on the supreme value of life is the chink in Israel's armor, the weakness that the Palestinians are exploiting to the maximum in the current spate of suicide bombings. In contrast to the Jews, the Palestinians don't appear to care about life and are willing to blow themselves up without much ado. What a cruel, cold, and calculating regime the Palestinians operate to persuade young, immature and impressionable followers to give up their lives with the expectation of eternal reward in the next world. You'll notice that Yasir Arafat does not volunteer to be a suicide bomber, nor do any of his cohorts. It's good enough for the ignorant masses, but not for them. It's a clear case of "do as I say, not as I do." Nor can the suicides be justified as an act of desperation in the absence of other options. If what the Palestinians truly want is a state of their own and borders approximating the pre-1967 War boundaries, former Prime Minister Barak and President Clinton gave them virtually "the entire store." In any event, if the Palestinians still weren't satisfied, this offer at least constituted the basis for subsequent negotiations, but Arafat turned it down cold and initiated the current spell of violence. The Palestinians could also have tried the tactic of non-violent resistance that served so well Ghandi in India and Martin Luther King in the United States. That is a strategy to which a morally sensitive people like the Jews would be particularly receptive. There was, however, no such effort. If the Palestinians, God forbid, should succeed in their despicable massacres, not only would it spell disaster for Israel, but also for the United States of America and the rest of the civilized world. After all, Americans and all other people with healthy minds share this "quirk" that we want to live. As a result, we are at the mercy of "crazies" who rejoice at the opportunity to blow themselves up. Let us not forget that it was a handful of suicide bombers who brought the World Trade Center down along with part of the Pentagon, causing the death of many thousands of people. How long do you think it is going to be before one of these characters gets hold of an atomic device which he attaches to himself? One person could then destroy entire cities! The INS certainly doesn't inspire confidence about its ability to keep such dangerous people out of the country. Is there anything we can do to stop this from happening? First of all, America has to do whatever it takes to help Israel succeed. In that regard, the encouragement afforded by President Bush to Prime Minister Sharon is heartening. An effort likewise has to be made by peace-loving Arabs themselves to transform their own culture in a way that appreciates life. Needless to say, finally, when and if the opportunity for meaningful negotiations with serious and responsible people presents itself, Israel should go for it. Surely, what cannot be denied is that a failure to deal effectively with suicide bombings may well spell the doom of our civilization.