As I write these words, Israeli families are experiencing a bittersweet mixture of joy and anguish. Their loved ones are finally returning home after months of captivity in Gaza, yet the price of their freedom weighs heavily on the national conscience. For each Israeli hostage released, hundreds of Palestinian terrorists walk free. Many of these terrorists have committed horrific atrocities – including the brutal murderer of my neighbor, Ari Fuld, who was stabbed to death outside our local supermarket in 2018. We’ve seen the deadly consequences of such deals before. Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who masterminded the October 7th slaughter, was himself released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. History and statistics both tell us that released terrorists return to violence, often with even deadlier results. The math is brutal, the moral calculus impossible. As a nation, we celebrate each precious life restored while grappling with the knowledge that this deal may ultimately cost more innocent lives.
Does Scripture offer us guidance about negotiating with those who hold our people captive? Does the Bible condone such lopsided prisoner exchanges, or does it point us toward a different path?
My friend and neighbor, Rabbi Nathan Laufer, pointed out that the enslavement of the people of Israel in Egypt can be seen as the largest hostage crisis in Jewish history. Millions of Israelites held captive by a tyrannical regime that refused to recognize their humanity. God’s response to this massive hostage situation established the divine template for dealing with enemies who hold our people captive.
When God first sent Moses to Pharaoh, He instructed Moses to request a modest three-day religious pilgrimage for the Israelites.
God tells Moses from the beginning that this diplomatic approach will fail. Pharaoh will not agree even to this minimal request “except by a mighty hand” (Exodus 3:19). The negotiations serve only to demonstrate Pharaoh’s intransigence while systematically weakening Egypt’s power through the plagues.
God’s approach to hostage situations was already established in the Book of Genesis. When Abraham’s nephew Lot is taken captive during an ancient world war, God doesn’t instruct Abraham to negotiate. There are no diplomatic missions, no prisoner exchanges proposed. Instead, Abraham immediately launches a military rescue operation with a small but elite force. The Torah records:
Abraham’s actions demonstrate God’s clear preference: when facing hostage-takers, the appropriate response is decisive military action, not negotiation. God Himself endorses this approach by later promising Abraham in the Covenant Between the Parts that He will similarly rescue his descendants from Egyptian bondage through decisive force rather than diplomatic channels.
The lesson becomes even clearer when we examine the commandment of tefillin (phylacteries) given immediately after the Exodus begins. Twice – for emphasis – the Torah connects this daily ritual to God’s use of overwhelming force in liberating His people:
The repetition of this phrase is no accident; it underscores that dealing with tyrannical enemies requires decisive military action, not protracted negotiations.
These divine lessons speak directly to our current crisis as we face enemies who, like Pharaoh, break agreements at will and view negotiations merely as opportunities to regroup and rearm. Hamas, like Pharaoh, has repeatedly demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to honor its commitments or value human life – even the lives of its own people.
History and Scripture align on this point: negotiating with terrorists who target civilians and seek our destruction is both tactically and morally wrong. The current hostage deal, while emotionally compelling, represents a dangerous departure from biblical wisdom. The Torah teaches that real resolution only comes when our enemies face decisive military defeat. The time for half-measures and negotiations is over. Like the waters of the Red Sea closing over Pharaoh’s army, only overwhelming force will ensure that Hamas loses all capacity to threaten Jewish lives. This is not just a military necessity – it is a moral imperative rooted in the very foundations of our faith.
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