GILAD SHALIT IS HOME!!

I can’t believe I watched Gilad hugging his father, finally after so many years.  I’m sure we were all struck by his appearance and how emaciated he looked but right past that was his smile.

The controversy is whether the life of one soldier was worth freeing over 1000 terrorists, many of them murderers, back into the world.  There is no question that every life is valuable, even the life of 1 soldier.  There is certainly the Jewish concept of ‘pidyon shvuyim’, the ransoming out of captives which very much includes captive soldiers.  It is one of the highest of priorities in Judaism.  To hold one person captive is to hold us all captive.  But by releasing 1000 terrorists back into the world, would we view this is a set-back?  Are we now starting from square one again having to recapture these terrorists (who out there believes that now they will be good boys and girls and stay away from bombs…).  In all likelihood, unfortunately, each of the 1,027 terrorists will likely be responsible for the death of at least one person.

Is it worth all this just to bring Gilad home???

YES, YES AND ONCE AGAIN YES!!

As the Torah says: 2 paths lie before you, one life and one death – CHOOSE LIFE

Welcome home Gilad, it’s been a long time coming.