“ ill beleive it when i see it i dont even think he is alive ”

“ I pray this happens but I worry about open borders & letting those terrorists out of jail. Still, one Jew is worth everything, so it must be done if that's what it takes. ”

“ No. One Jew is NOT worth everything; "ein podin es hashvuyin yeser al kedei demeihen". Saving one Jew now at the cost of dozens or hundreds of Jewish lives later is unconscionable. ”

“ Aren't you the least bit concerned what would happen if c"v it was your son being held captive and someone else got on his high horse and preached against redeeming him because the price is too high???

Wait, how silly of me. Of course you have no reason for concern. Your son will never be the one at risk. The IDF does not draft Monsey residents. ”

“ Nobody said he shouldn't be redeemed. The Torah tells us that one should not redeem a captive for more than his worth as a slave. Go argue with the Torah. ”

“ I didn't offer any opinion as to whether he should or should not be redeemed. That is an issue that in an ideal world would be decided by rav elyoshiv shlit"a, rav shtienman shlit"a, and other gedolai yisroel or as is done now by elected officials who have the unenviable task of balancing concern for the future captives c"v and rachmanus on today's captive.

My issue is with knowe-it-alls who sit in the comfort of Monsey and make bold pronouncements marking the line beyond which the Israeli gov't should not go to bring this young man (who put his life on the line in defense of klal yisroel and eretz yisroel, unlike the poster's own children) back to his parents.

For many of those of us who have had to take up arms in defense of eretz yisroel and have close family members coming of age living in eretz yisroel the sound of American arm-chair generals spewing opinions on matters that involve the life, health, freedom and wellbeing of other peoples children, but never their own, is like fingernails on a blackboard (or the sound of an RPG penetrating the side of a troop transport, but I'm pretty sure that is not a sound familiar to the residents of Monsey, bli ayin harah). ”

“ No. One Jew is NOT worth everything; "ein podin es hashvuyin yeser al kedei demeihen". Saving one Jew now at the cost of dozens or hundreds of Jewish lives later is unconscionable. ”

“ Aren't you the least bit concerned what would happen if c"v it was your son being held captive and someone else got on his high horse and preached against redeeming him because the price is too high???

Wait, how silly of me. Of course you have no reason for concern. Your son will never be the one at risk. The IDF does not draft Monsey residents. ”

“ I didn't offer any opinion as to whether he should or should not be redeemed. That is an issue that in an ideal world would be decided by rav elyoshiv shlit"a, rav shtienman shlit"a, and other gedolai yisroel or as is done now by elected officials who have the unenviable task of balancing concern for the future captives c"v and rachmanus on today's captive.

My issue is with knowe-it-alls who sit in the comfort of Monsey and make bold pronouncements marking the line beyond which the Israeli gov't should not go to bring this young man (who put his life on the line in defense of klal yisroel and eretz yisroel, unlike the poster's own children) back to his parents.

For many of those of us who have had to take up arms in defense of eretz yisroel and have close family members coming of age living in eretz yisroel the sound of American arm-chair generals spewing opinions on matters that involve the life, health, freedom and wellbeing of other peoples children, but never their own, is like fingernails on a blackboard (or the sound of an RPG penetrating the side of a troop transport, but I'm pretty sure that is not a sound familiar to the residents of Monsey, bli ayin harah). ”

“ They probably waited this long, so that all the wounds from their torture would be gone. ”

“ What is your obsession with Monsey? You live in New Jersey, so what's your point? The fact remains that Shalit's life is NOT worth more than those of the dozens or hundreds who will die as a result of the government's concessions to get him out. Those people's lives are far more important, and their blood will be on the head of whoever makes this decision. And on your head, if you support it. And it makes not the slightest difference where I live; the facts remain the same, and the law remains the same. So shut up. ”

“ What is your obsession with Monsey? You live in New Jersey, so what's your point? The fact remains that Shalit's life is NOT worth more than those of the dozens or hundreds who will die as a result of the government's concessions to get him out. Those people's lives are far more important, and their blood will be on the head of whoever makes this decision. And on your head, if you support it. And it makes not the slightest difference where I live; the facts remain the same, and the law remains the same. So shut up. ”

“ How couragous of you, to be willing to sacrafice this youn man's life rather then pay a price you have decided is too high.

I'm sure you'd be singing a different tune if it were your son who had been kidnapped c"v while serving in the IDF,risking his life protecting klal yisroel.

To be fair, it is easy for me to make such a claim about you having a change of heart because I'll never be proven wrong. You would have to put your kid's lives where you mouth is for my claim to be tested.

Deciding who should live and who should die in the defense of eretz yisrael and those who live there isn't all that difficult from an armchair in Monsey. Try doing it from Tel Aviv when your kid is on duty on the Aza border. ”

“ What means "YOU have decided"? The Torah gives us guidelines how to proceed. A captive should not be redeemed for a higher price than what he's worth, if he were to be sold as a slave. If we would stick to this guideline, Hamas would not request 1000 prisoners in exchange for one captive. The weaker we are, the stronger they are. If we stick to Torah guidelines, we can't go wrong. You seem to suggest that giving in to blackmail, is the solution. Has it worked? ”

“ The halachah may seem very clear to you but it is the job of poskim, not potty-mouthed internet blog posters, to decide when a particular halachah is applicable,

Perhaps Ms. Milhouse thinks we see more clearly sitting comfortably in America watching the .00001% of events as the media wants us to see them on our high def TV. This could be because we don't have gunsmoke and flying shrapnel in our eyes.

In the case of the poster Milhouse, I suspect the problem is a lack of tears for the Jewish kids in the eyes for the Jewish kids bavonosainu harabim are killed and maimed year after year.

As reb moshe a"h once noted 'I get the shailos, I get the tears, and THEY want to tell me how to pasken'. ”

“ True, Milhouse is not our posek here, neither am I, but I do believe that every Jewish heart weeps for the tragedies which befall klal jisroel. Do you think you are more compassionate than others about our brethren in EY? I don't think so. The main point however is not who is saying it, but what is being said. Do we free captives according to Torah guidelines, or do we make our own judgements? ”

“ Torah guidelines are what poskim decide they are TODAY, in THIS CASE, not what a baalabu on the internet sitting in the comfort and safety of Monsey decide the halachah should be.

And no, I do not believe that an American anonymous American blogger cares as much for the boys on the line as much as the gedolai haposkim in EY.

Bravery oif yenem's cheshbon is the opposite of rachmanus, it is pure achzarius. ”

“ The halachah may seem very clear to you but it is the job of poskim, not potty-mouthed internet blog posters, to decide when a particular halachah is applicable,

Perhaps Ms. Milhouse thinks we see more clearly sitting comfortably in America watching the .00001% of events as the media wants us to see them on our high def TV. This could be because we don't have gunsmoke and flying shrapnel in our eyes.

In the case of the poster Milhouse, I suspect the problem is a lack of tears for the Jewish kids in the eyes for the Jewish kids bavonosainu harabim are killed and maimed year after year.

As reb moshe a"h once noted 'I get the shailos, I get the tears, and THEY want to tell me how to pasken'. ”

“ What a chutzpah. You're the one who doesn't care at all about the dozens of hundreds of Jews who WILL DIE as a result of a deal for Shalit. Anyone who supports a deal that sees terrorists released to strike again, and Hamas given an incentive for further kidnappings, is a cold-hearted murderer. And you have the chutzpah to accuse ME of a lack of tears. Every previous such deal has had the same entirely predictable result. How many THOUSANDS of Jewish lives were lost because of Shamir's swap of six soldiers (including three goyim) for 4600 terrorists, and then the infamous Jibril swap a year and a half later? Why would anyone expect another such deal to have a different result?
”

“ You seem to think you have nevuah, which is really strange because I don't remember a sefer milhouse.

Rabosai, am I the only one waiting to hear when this groisser eitzeh gebber will put his own kids on the line instead of preaching what is best for yenem's kid in uniform? ”

“ Now you're talking feeding habits at the zoo.

What happened to following halachah?

Lehalachah, your opinion and ability to quote one halachah mean nothing. This is a shailah for gedolai yisrael, not a know-it-all blogger.

If the medina would have just listened to rav shach we wouldn't have these problems today. ”

“ Yes, you are the only one. One doesn't need nevuah to know that if you feed a bear it will learn to hang around your house, and that if you release poisonous snakes in a home, someone's going to be bitten. ”

“ You mean to give away the Golan, so the Syrians could shoot at the whole Galil again? Rachmono litzlan! ”

“ I mean if only we had listened to Rav Shach a"h on everything.

Oy. If only.

The ribbono shel olam gave our generattion such a holy gift, such a source of chochma, of binah, of haskel, and we didn't listen.

What a waste. Look where disregarding his advice has gotten us. If only we could turn back the clock and force the medina to listen to his advise. ”

“ No, he's not the only one. Most people who read your comments resent your attitude, not only about pidjon shevuim, about everything. You have an inflated ego, which nobody likes. ”

“ And you know this how? You did a survey? You read their minds? You're probably the same commenter, pretending to be someone else to make it seem like there are two people in the world who think like you. ”

“ His advice was to give away the Golan. ”