העורך Editor

Here’s Wikipedia for background:

The Battle of Nitzanim was a battle fought between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, on June 7, 1948 (29 Iyar, 5708 in the Hebrew calendar). It was the first major Egyptian victory of the war, and one of the few cases of Israeli surrender.

…

Israelis viewed the surrender of Nitzanim as a humiliation, especially after the Givati Brigade published a leaflet denouncing the defenders. The residents of Nitzanim demanded a probe into the battle, and one was conducted by the General Staff, siding with the residents and coming to the conclusion that surrender was justified.

OK. So, why was surrender justified? And why were 33 killed, and 105 captured?

Wikipedia is far too vague:

The difficult circumstances of the battle by the residents of Nitzanim, the bitter isolation of the combatants, the lack of communication with the rear-front, lack of ammunition and food, and due to the high number of casualties in that defense, brings honor to all those who fought bitterly there, until the last bullet. What happened in Nitzanim happened also to other places, the defenders of which fought bravely to the last option.

What was so different this time? Why were they “isolated”, why the “lack of communication with the rear-front”? How come ammunition and food reinforcements weren’t replenished for 15 hours?!

Hebrew-language Wikipedia is even worse. It doesn’t even have the above paragraph.

All it says is this:

Commander Yitzchak Pundak originally critical of the surrender, spent years investigating, later learned the truth and traveled all the way to Manhatten in 2003 to apologize for firing one of the defenders of Nitzanim.

But what is that ugly truth the establishment still seems so determined to obfuscate?

The truth is, Nitzanim was on the wrong side politically. Nitzanim belonged to “No’ar Hatzioni“, and the higher-ups to “Hashomer Hatza’ir”, of course…

Enough said.

Conclusion: Criminalizing decentralized self-defense has cost us Jewish lives from the start.

שמעתי מההיסטוריון הרב בערל ויין בשם רבי חיים אלעזר וקס, בעל שו”ת נפש חיה שהסביר:

“התנגדתי לרפורמים שהוציאו את ציון וירושלים מהסידור, ואני מתנגד ל”חובבי ציון” שמוציאים את הסידור מציון וירושלים.”

Pesachim 112a:

יותר ממה שהעגל רוצה לינק פרה רוצה להניק.

Shoftim 13:20-21:

ויהי בעלות הלהב מעל המזבח השמימה ויעל מלאך השם בלהב המזבח ומנוח ואשתו ראים ויפלו על פניהם ארצה. ולא יסף עוד מלאך השם להראה אל מנוח ואל אשתו אז ידע מנוח כי מלאך השם הוא.

Rabbi Touger’s translation:

And it was, when the flame went up from upon the altar toward heaven, and the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on, and they fell on their faces to the ground. And the angel of the Lord did not continue to appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.

Radak:

ולא יסף עוד, שלא נראה להם פעם אחרת עוד וטעם אז ידע מנוח דבק עם ויעל מלאך ה’ בלהב המזבח ולא עם ולא יסף או יהיה פי’ ולא יסף כלו’ כשראה שנסתלק מעיניו ידע כי מלאך ה’ היה ויש לפרשו דבק עם ולא יסף ויהי פי’ ולא יסף להראה על המראה ההיא בעצמה כלומר עלה בלהב המזבח ולא נראה להם עוד אז ידע כי מלאך הוא שהלך מעיניהם ולא ראוהו עוד במרא’ ההיא.

Alternatively, if it was a trickster or punishing poltergeist, it would have returned. When nothing changed, and yet, it did not return, Manoach knew it was specifically a heavenly angel. “The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime”.

By the way, the commentaries seem bothered by Manoach’s fright, unlike Yehoshua who was only afraid because of the unsheathed sword and deem this as proof of Manoach’s being an ignoramus, etc. But Gideon was afraid, too.

Shoftim 6:22-23:

וירא גדעון כי מלאך השם הוא ויאמר גדעון אהה השם אלקים כי על כן ראיתי מלאך השם פנים אל פנים. ויאמר לו השם שלום לך אל תירא לא תמות.

“Here is a principle to use in all aspects of economics and policy. When you find a good or service that is in huge demand but the supply is so limited to the point that the price goes up and up, look for the regulation that is causing it. This applies regardless of the sector, whether transportation, gas, education, food, beer, or daycare. There is something in the way that is preventing the market from working as it should. If you look carefully enough, you will find the hand of the state making the mess in question.”

Jeffrey Tucker