God gifted us with imagination. It allows us to reach beyond reality and envision possibility. Our imaginations conjure images that our optical eyes cannot observe.
Modern media such as movies have dramatically expanded the stretch of human imagination by providing pictorial images of the possible. Very little defies the modern imagination.
Except for the horrifying scenes of October 7. Those grotesque images of violence perpetrated against our people were, previously, unimaginable. These appalling images make us insane, fulfilling the Torah’s prophecy that our suffering will be so severe that you “will go mad from that which your eyes behold.” The images of the past two weeks were unimaginable... unless you rewind the clock 80 years to the Holocaust.
The images were so hideous that Israeli media broke their long-standing policy of not displaying images of horror. Under normal conditions, displaying gruesome images stoops to the level of the terrorists and aids their campaign of psychological terror. In this instance, however, it was necessary to publicize the shocking images; otherwise, the world would never believe that such violence occurred. The army requested that photographers and journalists visit the hardest-hit kibbutzim to document the atrocities. Otherwise, the human mind would not accept the fact that Homo sapiens behaved like depraved animals.
This request was chillingly reminiscent of a similar request close to 80 years ago. The American GIs who liberated concentration camps also summoned journalists and photographers to record the machinery of death and torture.
Had these images not been recorded, the world would be incredulous.
Sometimes horror is so ghastly that the human mind struggles to fathom it.
What possible purpose was achieved by torturing, raping, and disfiguring bodies? What could be gained by murdering octogenarians or by burning babies? Nothing was gained. Only hatred.
Simple unbridled hatred.
The difficulty of imagining such bestiality was partially responsible for our being caught by surprise. Perhaps the military envisioned a “limited” invasion attacking surrounding kibbutzim or raiding missions to take hostages for bargaining chips. Who could possibly have imagined such evil and such blood lust?
For numerous reasons it is difficult for us, as moral beings, to comprehend such pure and revolting evil. Firstly, as Jews, we harbor a positive outlook of humanity, coupled with a deep belief in the dignity of man. Man is the masterpiece of God’s creation, gifted with nobility, virtue, and free will. Denying man’s inner nobility is tantamount to denying God’s creation.
However, the gift of free will also unlocks man’s potential for evil. Just as free will empowers us to greatness, it also enables us to commit unspeakable horrors.
The two ideas are not contradictory.
Agree, we have free will to speak embracing evil or good, to hate or love..
ReplyDeleteThis Article is nailing it, the unspeakable crimes against humanity committed in Israel were as evil as evil gets, IMO too!!! We who love Israel, feel it's against us all whom love Israel!!
This is one of the best Articles about what those demons did, IMO! Unfortunately, wickedness showed itself again when we are hearing some folks speaking evil against the good while supporting that evil? To hear those support Hamas has been very concerningly, more horror after hearing the evil against the innocent victims by Hamas, in my opinion! Proof wickedness is everywhere, more than ever, how sad, lost souls!
Jesus said wickedness in Noah's days would be as wicked before his second coming; Jesus said, Matthew 24:37, He warns us of how wicked the world will be before His second coming. Nobody will know the time. Prayers for Israel, comfort for all of us whom are hurting so much from great losses!!!!!! We must stand with Israel!