The rabbi of Safed and a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, attacked tonight (between Monday and Tuesday) the emerging hostage deal and the apparent ceasefire.
During his weekly shiur, Rabbi Eliyahu attacked the rabbis who ruled to approve the deal: "Everyone mentions the halacha that prisoners must be released, and that's true. But there is something that is not mentioned and needs to be known. There is a strict prohibition in the Torah to release murderers. They are talking about the release of 3,000 terrorists, of whom 300 are murderers."
"It is forbidden," the rabbi ruled: "Four times the Torah says that it is forbidden to release murderers." I say to the religious MKs that when you come to make a decision whether to vote for or against the deal, check what the Halacha says, what is written in the Torah, the Rambam and the Gemara, not what is written in the newspapers. Why do you have a kippah on your head?"
Rabbi Eliyahu added: "The Torah says that the release of murderers encourages other murderers – 'And he shall not shed pure blood in the midst of your land, which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and there shall be blood upon you.' The meaning of the verse is that when you release murderers, you have blood on you, because you cause the murder of the next people by your actions. This law is true for anyone who supports the release of murderous terrorists, for Halacha says that they must be severely punished.
He said: "This is the halacha in the Shulchan Aruch, I am amazed at the rabbis who come and say 'realease them', where do you get this halacha from? It's against the Gemara, against the Mishna, against the Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch, who allowed you? Based on your own reasoning? How is it permissible for a person to transgress what is written in the Torah?"
"The speech is intended for ministers and Knesset members," Rabbi Eliyahu concluded: "They must do everything in their power to stop the agreement, we must protest with all our might, no one appointed you to endanger our lives. Release the hostages through military pressure, not endangering the lives of soldiers and civilians."
* Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.
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