"Ask the Rabbi" by R. Mermelstein
QUESTION: Dear Rabbi
Mermelstein:
I am wondering if there is any kind of concise, scholarly book or
booklet regarding the the Jewish laws about self defense and ownership
of weapons? I'm thinking of something that would be good to give to
anti gun or ambivalent, liberal American Jews, particularly Rabbis.
Something perhaps along the lines of a "tract" or pamphlet, but
having a sound basis in the law and a good reference of various
Biblical and Talmudic citations.
Thanks.
Shalom,
Sean Rodgers
06 February 2005
ANSWER: Dear Mr. Rodgers,
Were it merely a matter of quoting sources from the Torah (the
first five books of what the Western world refers to as the Old
Testament, from which the entire Jewish legal system is derived), the
Mishneh and Talmud that elucidate on these laws, and medieval
codifications of the law all based on the Talmud, and with that
pamphlet, which would run less than ten pages, I could make every Jew,
either layman or rabbi, a staunch advocate of the necessity, if not
actually the right, to keep and bear arms as a point of Jewish
religious doctrine, I could write that booklet in under two hours and
would happily pay for all the printing expenses out of my own pocket.
There is only one catch as I can best demonstrate with an old exchange
involving a prestigious but anti-gun rabbi, one Rabbi Benjamin Blech of
Yeshiva University in New York City, some years ago. Another scholarly
Jew, Rabbi Sender Goldberg, who also happens to be a strong proponent
of RKBA, added several other cogent rebuttals to Rabbi Blech's flawed
thesis. The post I refer to is found at http://www.gunownersalliance.com/Rabbi_0283.htm . Another example along these lines is found at http://www.gunownersalliance.com/Rabbi_0064.htm.
The biblical source for the obligation to defend oneself against an
unprovoked attack is Exodus 22:1. Other English bible versions, the
King James Version for example, number this verse as 22:2, but I only
use the original Hebrew for my reference use. There the bible states,
"If a thief is found breaking in, and is killed, no bloodguilt is
incurred."
In a nutshell, the bible does not instruct how
the intruder is to be killed, only that the homeowner may kill him if
need be. The reasoning is that the thief, knowing that the home is
occupied, is prepared to murder the homeowner if necessary to
burglarize the home. A piece of firewood, a brick, a fire poke, or a
kitchen knife was available. Firearms had, quite obviously, not been
invented 3,500 years ago.
What is it about a firearm that scares anti-gun Jews? Any implement,
even a quill pen, can be instantly transformed into a lethal weapon
after all.
Perhaps the Jewish anti-gun crowd likes common household items with multiple
potential uses, among them the ability to draw blood or crush skulls. A
firearm, in the minds of these individuals, is a single-purpose item.
That purpose is to kill, and I am the last person in the world who
would argue the point! Killing is not always murder. Killing and murder
are dissimilar as night and day. Hebrew uses two distinct words to
differentiate between the two. Self defense may require the killing of
a human being. Law enforcement officers and combat soldiers are
routinely armed, yet nobody calls the cops or our military servicemen
murderers, except Jane Fonda and John Kerry in the case of our military
servicemen. I couldn't give a fig for the argument that firearms are
used as recreational equipment. Firearms were developed for one purpose
only, regardless of the more enjoyable uses to which men have learned
to put them over the years. And that is precisely why the firearm is
most eminently suited to fulfill the biblical commandment to kill the
intruder and save one's own life and/or the lives of his or her family.
Have you ever heard the expression used to sum up the seafood-level
intelligence of certain people, "He is such a low-watt bulb that he
would bring a knife to a gunfight"? That is exactly what I am saying
here. To use an old bromide, G-d created men and Samuel Colt made them
all equal.
If I am ever faced with the situation where I must take a life to save
my own, I want the most state of the art equipment available to fulfill
my Torah obligation -- not a two-by-four or a letter opener, thanks
very much. I do not skimp on any other item required to observe the
Torah's commandments. Why should I use anything other than the best to
perform this Torah precept?
As I've stated in numerous other posts on this website, the American
Jew is by and large an urban creature. In the majority of cases he
lives in cities with the most draconian restrictions placed on private
firearms ownership. He has never seen a firearm except in the
holsters of police officers, much less actually handled one or received
competent instruction in its safe and efficient use.
This is a cultural divide that has become a full-blown rift that will never heal.
And that, Mr. Rodgers, is why neither I nor anyone else has written the
pamphlet that you suggest. We can only offer information to those
willing to listen. For those with their minds made up (read "closed to
any other viewpoint no matter how compelling the evidence"), no amount
of facts or money spent to distribute them will make the slightest
difference.
Best regards,
Rabbi R. Mermelstein
Rabbi@GunOwnersAlliance.com
Author of "Mermelstein's Guide to Metallic Cartridge Evolution"
http://www.gunownersalliance.com/Rabbi_Mermelstein_book-01.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972254420/gunownersalli-20
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