שְׁמוּאֵל הַקָּטָן אוֹמֵר, "בִּנְפֹל אוֹיִבְךָ אַל תִּשְׂמָח
וּבִכָּשְׁלוֹ אַל יָגֵל לִבֶּךָ, פֶּן יִרְאֶה ה' וְרַע בְּעֵינָיו וְהֵשִׁיב מֵעָלָיו
אַפּוֹ",
(משלי כד יז יח).
Samuel the Small would say:
"When your enemy falls, do not rejoice; when he stumbles, let your heart
not be gladdened. Lest G‑d will see, and it will be displeasing in His eyes, and He will turn His
wrath from him [to you]" (Proverbs 24:17-18).
Dealing with the destruction of the wicked is a delicate
contradictory subject. On one hand it is normal for a person to be happy with
the fall of the wicked especially if he has been a victim of their persecution.
On the other hand a decent person will also feel bad about death and ruin
falling on any human being.
In the American war against slavery General Sherman brought
its proponents to their knees by means of massive destruction. After an
important victory, his soldiers held a large celebration. When General Sherman
did not show up, they asked him why. He explained that he could not celebrate
any victory that came over a mountain of dead bodies.
In a similar vein at the Pesach Seder the Jews celebrate the
destruction of the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea. Never the less a drop of
wine is spilled from the cup of joy for each plague. This is because our joy is
diminished because it came in connection with harm inflicted on others. This
dichotomy is also captured in the laws concerning executions. It is required to
publicly hang the corpse of the violator on a pole. However it must be buried
before nightfall because the curse of G-d is on it and having it remain will
defile the land.
Shmuel the Small, who wrote the above Mishna, was renowned as
a great tsadik. One day when the sages of the Talmud were dining a voice from
heaven declared concerning him that it was fitting that the divine presence should
rest on him, except this generation did not merit such a thing (Sanhedrin 11.)
In connection with this Rabban Gamliel the head of the Sanhedrin entrusted him
with the difficult task of writing a prayer concerning the hardship caused by
apostates, informers, and enemies of the Jewish people. He wrote that they
should have no hope, be destroyed in an instant, and speedily and in our days
be uprooted, shattered, pounded, embarrassed, brought low, and subdued; and
blessed the G-d that does this. The prayer is included in the standard
religious service today.
The quote above from Proverbs is mentioned in his name
because he frequently said it. It stands in contrast, though, to many verses
that seem to say the opposite. A frequently cited one is, “In the good of the
righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked are lost, there is song”, (Proverbs
11:10). The commentaries are often distressed by this sentiment as it does not
seem to be in the spirit of religion and make many attempts to reconcile it
with the spirit of Shmuel HaKatan.
Rabbi Simcha the author of the Machzor Vitry comments that
this refers to people who are happy about the misfortunes of their friends. He
continues that this is only talking about people who hate each other because of
worldly affairs. Shmuel, he continues, was discussing two religious scholars
that wrestle with each other over the meaning of the law. In this situation one
should not be jolly over his friend’s loss of the argument.
Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerondi comments that one should be careful
concerning the demise of an evil associate because the happiness about the
downfall may not be for the sake of heaven. The problem is that the person may
not be hated because he is bad rather because he is an enemy.
Mordechai Rabinovitz in his elucidation of Maimonides
commentary on the Mishna remarks that one should be forgiving and not harbor
hatred in his heart and abstain from joy due to the catastrophes of associates
even if they are reckoned as an enemy. However with the downfall of Haman and
others like him it is suitable to celebrate as it says, “When the malevolent
are lost there is song”.
In a conflict sometimes the winning side is good but has made
mistakes. And sometimes the losing side is bad but never the less had a
reasonable grievance. Therefore it is appropriate to celebrate victory in war
with parades, fireworks, and speeches describing heroism in battle. However the
celebration should not be ugly with things like gore or gratuitous humiliation
of the loser. Neither should there be gloating, frivolity, or smug
self-righteousness. The objective of the victor is to justify heaven’s
confidence in him and not to do anything that will restore the power of the
enemy.
לע"נ
הדוד לייב הערש בן אהרן ז"ל נלב"ע יז תמוז תשמ"ב
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר
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