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August 29, 2003       Share:    

Source: http://nationalreview.com/comment/comment-ratzlav-katz082103.asp

True Benevolence

(National Review) Nissan Ratzlav-Katz - In traditional Jewish sources, "true benevolence" (chesed shel emet in Hebrew) refers to the act of caring for the dead. In Israel, about eight years ago, a special volunteer organization - ZAKA - was established in the Orthodox Jewish community to carry out acts of "true benevolence" for victims of accidents, terrorism, or other forms of sudden death. They pick up the pieces - more often than not, quite literally. In a way, the volunteers of ZAKA and the Arab suicide bombers epitomize the true clash of cultures underway in Israel and around the world. One culture produces people willing to wade into a crowd of children, look them in the eyes, and murder them; the other produces people willing to do whatever is necessary to protect human dignity, even in death. It is true cruelty, contrasted with true benevolence.

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