Heroes everywhere. During our nation’s war against evil, heroes have emerged from every sector of our people. Soldiers, reservists, first responders of Oct 7, wives of soldiers, volunteers from across the world, and simple people of faith. Among all these brave warriors one quiet group of heroes stands out. Those who attended the slain victims of this massacre endangered their lives as well as their mental well-being in providing honor to those from whom it was so violently taken. As the horrific images so brutally demonstrated, many victims were badly mutilated and, in some cases, burned beyond recognition. The silent and strong heroes who identified and buried the victims afforded one final semblance of dignity to the dehumanized bodies which had once cradled human souls.
The silent courage of these heroes showcased how deeply we value the dignity of a human body even after life has departed from it. Showing final respects and honoring the dead is deeply rooted both in the ethics of Torah and in our life-revering culture.
The mysterious ceremony of “egla arufa” typifies the care and dignity we afford the dead. If a dead and unattended-to body is discovered, it isn’t quietly buried. Instead, the public ceremony of egla arufa is conducted which includes confessionals by the leaders of the local towns. Leaders of nearby villages are held “accountable” because a person died on their watch, even though they were not directly culpable for the death. Tragic death cannot simply be ignored.
You would think that an anonymous John Doe discovered in a barren field would not justify a public response. Typically, unidentified bodies belong to people who inhabit the margins of society. When established members of society go missing, family members and neighborhood friends conduct a search. Presumably, the unidentified corpse described in the Torah is a homeless person without much family, who has long ago fallen off the social radar.
Yet, it is precisely when the dignity of human life is most vulnerable that it must be strongly reinforced. Specifically at this moment, when life can be easily taken for granted, the shared sanctity of every human being must be underscored. The public ceremony of egla arufa demonstrates that every human being is created equal in the eyes of Hashem, and each possesses divine dignity. By burying the unidentified corpse, we honor the imprint of Hashem within each human being.
Surprisingly, the midrash asserts that Yosef, in his first correspondence to his father, alluded to the egla arufa ceremony, reminding Ya’akov that decades earlier, they had jointly studied this topic. Evidently Yosef’s referencing of egla arufa delivered an important message to his father. Though initially Yosef was tragically ripped from his family and sold into slavery, he had now emerged as the second most powerful man on earth and was single-handedly steering a hungry world through a nightmarish famine. Joseph’s prescient wisdom and tireless dedication saved millions of lives. By preserving life and protecting human dignity, Joseph was, in effect, implementing the doctrines of egla arufa.
The vicious assault of October 7 included numerous acts of horror and barbaric indecency. One of the most repulsive aspects of this massacre was the manner in which human bodies were treated. As if torturing and murdering in cold blood weren’t sufficiently nauseating, the terrorists mutilated and dismembered lifeless bodies. Pure and unadulterated evil, destruction and violence for absolutely no purpose. Their grotesque crimes demonstrated how little they regard human dignity and how cheap life is in the eyes of Islamic terrorists.
Their dehumanizing crimes made our own response and our own gentle treatment of dead bodies even more critical. Our silent heroes, including soldiers, Zaka volunteers and countless others who spent weeks identifying and burying victims, solemnly restored dignity to those who had been twice victimized—in life and in death. In providing this honor, many subjected themselves to hideous sights and unforgettable images which will forever mar their inner conscience. These heroes of human dignity paid a steep price in their sacred calling of providing honor to those beyond the veil of life. In many instances they operated under fire, risking their lives to restore dignity to lifeless bodies.
This quiet heroism underscores the clash of ideologies within this military war: a battle is being waged between a culture of death and a culture of human dignity. Between a culture which cheapens human life and one which treasures it. Our war isn’t merely a military encounter but a clash of cultures between competing value systems.
Though these murderers speak in the name of religion they are nothing more than brutish atheists masquerading as religious people. They describe a god who doesn’t exist. Denying the traits of God is tantamount to denying His presence.
We believe that all powerful Hashem lovingly created Man and endowed him with Divine-like traits of free will, consciousness and creativity. Our respect for every human being acknowledges Man as the masterpiece of creation. We respect this Divine masterpiece even when life has departed from it. Hashem’s Divine image isn’t limited to our souls but to the bodies which once cradled divine essence.
By defiling human bodies these charlatans scorn any notion of tzelem Elokim, image of God. These violent beasts fictionalize a god of bloodlust and of anger, not one of compassion and mercy. By mutilating dead bodies, they mutilate the image of Hashem in our world. By mocking human dignity these violent murderers haven’t just committed a grave theological sin but have also doomed themselves and their cultures to failure and futility. Belief in human dignity isn’t just a religious value but powers human achievement and human progress. Through our God-given creativity we believe that we are empowered to improve our world and redeem it for Mankind. If Hashem is compassionate, he desires human prosperity. If Hashem covets well-being, we must be His agents to advance and improve our world. Prolonged human suffering isn’t consistent with a merciful Hashem who crafted human beings in His image. A culture which reveres human dignity is religiously driven to improve and advance the human condition.
A culture with no concern for human dignity provides little incentive for change, growth or progress. When life is cheap, suffering is acceptable. When suffering is acceptable, progress is stunted. By mutilating bodies these barbarians don’t just disfigure Hashem. They maim their own society and dismember themselves of any real progress or advancement.
It is tragic but ironic that terrorists spent billions of dollars building machineries of death. Terror tunnels have absolutely no ulterior purpose of function other than havoc and death. Instead of investing in human beings, these bloodthirsty terrorists invested in death. How much potential and how much human capital was completely wasted in the pursuit of blood and revenge? How many lives could have been improved had the monies been spent on life rather than on death.
Our battle continues. They viciously defile life, and we gently protect it. They dehumanize and we revere. They holler over corpses while we honor the stillness of the departed. They will sink into their own tunnels of hatred while we build towers of achievement. There is only one winner in this clash of cultures.
Afterward
On my recent trip to the USA, I was deeply impressed by the profound engagement of Jewish communities in the war in Israel and how deeply sorrowed people are about the ongoing tragedy. I was also often asked how overseas Jewry could better identify with the suffering of Israelis. Perhaps the Shabbat prayers on behalf of IDF soldiers should be prefaced by a brief eulogy of a soldier who fell in battle. Additionally, this brief eulogy could be coupled with one of the many stories of heroism of the fighters valiantly defending our land and people. Personalization of the war may help people more deeply feel the joint pain of our people who have made such selfless sacrifices.
The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has semicha and a bachelor’s in computer science from Yeshiva University as well as a masters degree in English literature from the City University of New York.
