“An Eye for an Eye” in light of the Killing of Osama bin Laden

D’Var Torah by Sharon Goldberg (Emor, Leviticus 21:1-24:23)

This week’s Torah portion is called “Emor” from the book of Leviticus. It covers quite a bit of material, namely:

• First, the Laws regulating the lives and sacrifices of priests are defined. (21:1-22:33)

• Second, the set times of the Jewish calendar are named and described for the Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. (23:1-44)

• Third, God commands the Israelites to bring clear olive oil for lighting the sanctuary menorah. The ingredients and placement of the displayed loaves of sanctuary bread are explained. (24:1-9) ***for those of you who attended the Young Adult Study at Tina Wasserman’s house, we went over this while learning to braid our challot.***

• Lastly, the laws dealing with profanity, murder, and the maiming of others are outlined. (24:10-23)

I think the Torah teaches the retaliatory concept of “eye for eye” in a literal sense. Given the larger context of Torah, and the general harshness with which it treats all forms of punishment, the literal interpretation seems more accurate. For me the question is: what was so revolutionary about the “eye for eye” text in Leviticus? Biblical commentator Dr. Baruch Levine notes that many ancient Mesopotamian legal codes, such as the Code of Hammurabi, contain similar clauses of retaliatory justice and most even allow for compensation—but only in certain cases. Not surprisingly, social status seems to have been the primary determining factor. If a slave were injured, compensation was in order, but if it were someone of “importance” then eye for eye was the result. The Torah evens the playing field with the phrase, “If anyone maims another, as that person did, so shall it be done in return—” (Leviticus 24:19). Every human being is made in the image of God; every one of us is important, a person of substance. We are all “public figures,” a nation of priests, responsible not only for ourselves, but also for each other. If we follow Torah, then we must act accordingly. Right?

So what, then, do we make of the killing of Osama bin Laden? My personal first reaction was that of relief, and my very first thought was “FINALLY – Redemption.” As someone who knew two people that perished in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, respectively, and who watched friends grieve for their brothers, uncles and fathers…this was of course, welcomed news. The brave Navy Seals Team Six that killed an unrepentant mass murderer carried out a successful mission that, by Torah standards, meant they “acted accordingly” – OBL masterminded an attack that “maimed” thousands of innocent people on a bright September morning, and almost ten years later, the United States did that to him in return.

I’m sure most of us have seen this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s book Strength to Love floating around many social media outlets: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.”

Is “eye for an eye” really worth it if it begets more retaliation? I suppose that is yet to be seen.