Torah For Today: Russian spy attack
Rabbi Ariel Abel looks at the Torah view on the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia
Rabbi Ariel Abel is based in Liverpool
Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are critically ill after being poisoned by a military grade nerve agent. Prime Minister Theresa May has concluded it is highly likely this was a state-sponsored assassination attempt by Russia. So, what does the Torah say about this?
The Bible has its share of political assassinations, double agents and poisoning, although not all rolled into one event.
When Ehud, the son of Gera, asked for a private audience with the King of Moab, he had the King’s absolute confidence and used it to fatally knife him.
Ehud saw their closely-related Moabite cousins as enemies ready to sell out the Israelites, as they had done when entering Canaan.
Assassination of this kind was deemed justifiable, as it was an attack on the security of the Israelites,and Ehud ruled the confederacy of Israelite tribes for 80 years after his act of vengeance.
Before King David died, he instructed his son Solomon to find the means to kill Joab, whom he viewed as a double agent.
Despite a life in service to David, Joab turned coat and supported Adonijah in his rebellion against his father.
Poisoned food appears in the pot of the prophets under Elisha’s guidance, at a time when unitarian worship was forbidden in the Israelite kingdom by Jezebel, for whom the Prophets of God were traitors.
It is possible that the starving prophets might have died of mass poisoning, and the Israelite monotheist cult obliterated, were it not for Elisha’s miracle cure for the pottage.
It appears the Skripals could lose their lives to their defiance of the current regime in Russia.
However, the crossing of borders to poison unfaithful citizens abroad, causing the death and injury of others, crosses a red line.
Ariel Abel is rabbi of Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation and will this week be inducted by the Chief Rabbi at Bevis Marks as a chaplain to HM Forces. Mazeltov!
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
