1. The caveat to redemption of captives
Part of the Israeli ethos is that Pidyon Shvuyim (release of captives) is a "supreme value" in the sense that it is a value that takes precedence over other values. Indeed, it is a very important value. A moment after Passover, we should reflect on the fact that our people were captives in the Egyptian House of Slavery and that our liberation was too a kind of release from captivity. But Pidyon Shvuyim derives from a higher value: human life. The commandment to achieve the release of captives derives from the value of human life, which overrides almost all prohibitions in the Torah. At the time of the Return to Zion in the fifth century BCE, Nehemiah chastises the Jewish elite which stood aside as its sons were sold into slavery, while he and his friends had worked to have the slaves released. "We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations" (Nehemiah 5:8). And that is what Jews have done throughout the generations.
But what does one do when the payment for captives is not just in monies but leads to further kidnappings? Moreover, what does one do when taking hostages becomes a policy and a weapon for our enemies who use the hostages as human shields after they have massacred us? It should be clear to any reasonable person that if their plot succeeds, they will carry out another massacre and take hostages knowing that this is what will protect them from our response. That is what our sages established two thousand years ago when they wrote in blood the rule that, "One does not ransom captives for more than their value because of Tikun Olam (Mishna, Gittin)." If the price paid for hostages leads to the corruption of the world, to the abandonment of other citizens to future kidnappings, then we must not accept such costs imposed on us by the terrorists. Instead, it is a mitzvah for us to fight them and to expunge them from the world so that we do not find ourselves again in such situations in the future.
In other words, the caveat that the Mishna puts on Pidyon Shvuyim is the opposition of our sages to redeeming prisoners at "any cost" and "now." It is cruel, but our leaders must take far broader considerations that take into account the safety and security of all citizens and the existence of the nation.
2. Who is Messianic?
What is the difference between security Cabinet's member Gadi Eisenkot's threat to quit the government if a deal with Hamas is not accepted, and ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir's threat to quit the coalition if a deal is accepted? Why is Eisenkot's threat "legitimate" while Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are "extremists" and "Messianic"? I have said this before and I will say it again: The epithet "Messianic" does not relate to the end of days when our enemies will beat their swords into ploughshares, rather it is an ignorant statement that sees the word messianic as a synonym for "irrational." I wonder, isn't repeating the same mistake over and over again in the hope that in the end things will turn out for the good in itself "messianic" behavior."
What will we receive if we heed the wishes of the deal's supporters: An end to the war before eliminating Hamas with most of the hostages remaining in Hamas's hands. The clear implications are defeat for Israel in which Hamas will be able to rebuild itself. Accepting this wanton deal will set in stone an equation that we will have created: kidnapping Israelis is a guarantee of safety for our enemies even after they have committed a massacre against us. A deal will be a trigger for our enemies to act in the same way in the future. Ending the war without eliminating Hamas will make October 7 a day of victory for our enemies and will serve as a prototype that inspires our enemies to sacrifice themselves in the future. And we already know that their thinking is different to ours. From their perspective, Gaza can be destroyed so long as they achieve their ideal and raison d'être: murder of Jews wherever they may be.
This is stated explicitly in the Hamas charter, while the more "moderate" Palestinian Authority pays stipends to murderers of Jews based on the number of people they have murdered. Once again, I point to the Fatah charter, an official document of the PA, where Article 20, a genocidal clause erases the Jewish People from the family of nations – and it is on the basis of this that they educate their children. It is this ("revitalized") PA that the world wants to see rule Gaza at the expense of our soldiers' sacrifice. Unbelievable! So who is messianic here? Those who want to see a change to our wanton behavior that has been constantly repeated over the years or those who want to repeat it in the hope that in the end "things will turn out well"?
3. Looking at the future picture
The enormous pressure exerted by elements within us to surrender to Hamas because of the hostages is likely to mortgage our future and make all Israeli citizens the potential victims of the next attack. During World War II, the British suffered tens of thousands of casualties on the home front but stood firm against the Nazi enemy. They understood that in war against absolute evil, there can be no compromises, even when a heavy price must be paid. The discourse about the release of dozens of hostages, while the rest remain in captivity, is an emotional one as it sees only one thing: the suffering of the hostages. Their suffering is terrible, and I say so without an ounce of cynicism. Hamas knows Israeli society and uses its knowledge to sow discord between us.
We, the citizens of Israel, remember the hostages every day, we pray for them and work for their benefit. However, a worthy leadership must make rational considerations when debating how to respond to this situation. Their discussion must take into account the full picture and the future suffering of the next generation of families of hostages and victims of terrorist attacks, whose pain will be no less than the pain of the current families. That is the supreme test of leadership.
4. The prophet's lesson for the king
We learned it from our Prophet Samuel, the father of the institution of monarchy in Israel. King Saul didn't fulfill the supreme mission of eliminating Amalek and expunging him from this world. Samuel understood the reasons for Saul's conduct; as Saul himself admitted: "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the word of God and your word, for I feared the people and yielded to their demands" (1Samuel 15:24). Instead of leading, Saul sought to score points with the people and the media, and perhaps among neighboring peoples as well – in other words in world opinion, which cannot stand a situation where the Jews fight their enemies and dispel evil from the world.
Samuel teaches Saul – and through him, the generations to come - what true leadership is: leadership that does not seek to cut corners and does not prefer short-term goals over the long-term historical view that takes into account the eternal existence of the people in a hostile environment. God, the prophet tells the king, is not impressed by ceremonies and vacant statements that score points with the public but are untruthful: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to the Lord's command?" (Ibid 15:22).
The most important thing, Samuel tells Saul, is that he must understand his role as leader of the people: "You may look small to yourself, but you are the head of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king over Israel" (Ibid 15:17). Saul's tragedy was that throughout his life he saw himself as having been made king by chance as he had gone to look for his father's asses and returned home with a promise from the prophet that he had been chosen to be our people's first king. Thus, Samuel explains to Saul that even if he sees himself as small, he cannot be modest and leave political and military decisions to the people; He has to lead as he is the head of the tribe of Israel, with an emphasis on the head that thinks rationally and not the heart that takes emotional decisions. And so, the last act in this event, derived from the concept: Samuel asks that Agag, King of the Amalekites, be brought before him and he executes Agag himself - to teach the children of Israel the laws of eradication of chametz.
