Just before signing a fateful deal - Rabbi Yoni Levi with 7 answers to the question that is shaking the nation: And if your son were kidnapped in Gaza?
1. "What if it were your son?", that's exactly what Noam Shalit said when he pushed for the reckless deal that freed 1,027 murderers. One of them you probably know: Yahya Sinwar. The arch-murderer responsible for turning Gaza into a terror monster and the mastermind behind the massacre on October 7th.
In recent days, the argument has been repeatedly heard that the lives of the hostages are in immediate danger, and the concern about future harm caused by the release of the terrorists is merely theoretical. In halachic terms: "certainty over uncertainty – certainty is preferable." Unfortunately, this is not a hypothetical concern but a certain outcome. There is no easy way to say this: releasing murderous terrorists will inevitably lead to more murders. Period. This has been the case in all previous hostage release deals, and, God forbid, it will be the case again this time.
Are the lives of the future victims worth less just because we do not know them? Therefore, portraying the opponents of the deal as cruel and hard-hearted is a false demagoguery and a moral distortion.
2. If my son were in the hands of Hamas, I would go crazy and be willing to do anything to bring him home, including handing over Israel's entire nuclear arsenal. But I pray that the decision-makers will be strong enough to act with broad judgment and responsibility for all the citizens of the state, not just for my son.
Because this is precisely the role of leadership – to envision the entire people of Israel and rise above any private consideration. Rambam articulated this well when he described the character of the king as one whose "heart is the heart of the entire congregation of Israel" (Laws of Kings 3:6). Therefore, the accusations against Netanyahu: "And if your son were kidnapped in Gaza?" are a moral distortion.
If Netanyahu's son were kidnapped in Gaza, he should have disqualified himself from dealing with the matter and transferred decision-making to responsible parties who would consider the overall situation, those who see the security of all of Israel in front of their eyes, and not act out of a father's heartache who only wants to save his son, no matter what the cost.
3. What if it were my son? I don't know, ask Tzvika Mor or one of the other parents from the 'Forum of Hope' whose son is in captivity, yet they scream with all their might against a surrender deal with Hamas. The media's use of the title "The Families of the Captives," with the definite article, is a manipulative method to create a false impression of consensus. As if all the families demand immediate surrender to Hamas's demands, regardless of the cost.
The reality is different. There are brave yet silenced voices of family members who vehemently oppose a deal that would forsake Israel's vital interests and leave Hamas victorious. Many of them passionately argue that this is also the stance of their captive loved ones: "As a fighter, he would have been willing to give his life for the people of Israel. He would never agree to the mass release of terrorists for his personal rescue."
4. And what if your son is the one who gets murdered in the next round by one of the terrorists who will be released now? And what if it will be your daughter who is raped and beheaded by one of the butchers who will be set free? And what if it will be your brother who falls in the next round in Gaza after we once again fail to defeat the enemy, leaving behind a pregnant widow and 4 small orphans?
They are called 'the invisible orphans.' Right now, they have no name or face in the headlines, but their fate is sealed by our decisions today. The simple and horrifying truth is this: terrorism must be defeated completely. Any containment, let alone a deal that leaves the terrorists as winners, is a death sentence for future victims. Who gave us the moral right to do this?
5. I don't know if it were my son, but what is certain is that Hamas leaders would certainly want every Israeli to feel as if it were their son and be willing to pay an insane price to bring him back. Let's simplify the complex dilemma into a simple and clear principle: Think about what our enemy would want, imagine what the devil, who has inscribed our destruction on his flag, dreams of – and then do exactly the opposite!
6. If it were my son, I would want the one to surrender not to be the State of Israel, but the terrorist organization that kidnapped him. It's hard to believe how, after the terrible murder of the six hostages, when the terrorists moved from one to another and shot them in cold blood in the head, an act that reminds us of dark periods we preferred to forget, there were demonstrators in Israel who directed their anger towards one person and blamed him for the murder: the Prime Minister. Instead of uniting in rage against the murderous terrorist organization whose covenant aims to destroy Israel and demanding a terrible and dreadful price from it, all the arrows of blame were directed inward, and the world's media quickly internalized and broadcasted the distorted narrative: "The blame is on Bibi!"
This is a chilling example of the distortion of reality and the madness that has gripped parts of Israeli society, where their hatred for Bibi drives them insane, and how the voice of the sane majority is missing, crying out: barbaric Nazism is the sole culprit, and we must set the ground ablaze beneath his feet.
7. If it were my son, my heart would break, but my mind would understand that there are things more important than private lives: the existence and security of the State of Israel, which would be severely harmed if, after all the sacrifices made in this campaign, Hamas emerges victorious. One October 7 is enough for us!
In an era where the individual is at the center, the focus tends to be on the individual and their rights. However, we must remember: we are after two thousand years of exile during which we were scattered individuals across the ends of the earth. We have been granted a generation of redemption to return to Zion and reappear as a sovereign people, 'the entire people of Israel.' As the poet said: "Suddenly a man wakes up in the morning, feels that he is a people, and begins to walk."
Now, the existence of the state and the security of its future are at stake. The Arab wolves surrounding us are closely watching the outcome of the current campaign. If the strongest state in the Middle East succumbs to a medium-sized terrorist organization, it will be a signal to all our enemies that we can be defeated. We must rise above private considerations and see the bigger picture:
This is not just a campaign for the hostages, but for our very existence as a Jewish and sovereign state. This is our time to be a "light unto the nations" and a beacon of determination and strength against the forces of darkness. Only through steadfastness will the chances of bringing the hostages back home increase, and more importantly, achieving a clear victory over the enemy, which will bring true deterrence and create the conditions for stable peace and quiet for many years to come, G-d willing.
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