Chaya Zissel Brown, Y.D., was only three months old when she was murdered in the car bombing at the light rail station in the holy city of Jerusalem.
The next morning I had the chance to go to Ramla. I stopped for a moment to buy a bottle of water. While I was waiting for the seller, I saw in front of me the cover of the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, on which was a large picture of the holy babies, God will save their blood.
On one third of the page appeared a picture of a smiling baby girl in pink overalls on a pink sheet, and around her head were pictures of the righteous and great men of the generation, as is customary in our places.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
""Eight shekels," the salesman told me.
I stared at him with disinterest.
""What happened to you? Can't you hear? Ma'am. Eight shekels," he repeated.
And I continued to stare at the picture of the sweet baby. The feeling of pain intensified in the face of the innocent image, and if it weren't for the fear of the anger of the seller and the customers standing in line, some of whom were Arabs, I would have continued to stand there.
Tears choked my throat and the feeling of rage rushed me out, into the street.
Hearing is not the same as seeing, the sages said. Indeed. The news of the attack caught me a short time after it. I offered a prayer, like tens of thousands of others among you, the House of Israel, for the healing of Chaya Zissel, daughter of Hanna Frida. I did not see her face until the next day, when I stood at that explosion in Ramla.
The words of the bereaved grandfather echoed in my head. "Chaya was a pure soul who did no harm to anyone," said the grieving grandfather.
The image of the doll in pink didn't leave me that whole day.
Later, when I got home and saw the front pages of the Haredi newspapers, I was astonished to discover that the picture of the holy baby had disappeared from them. An invisible hand had gone through the editorial staff of the Haredi dailies and removed the picture of the little doll.
Prohibition leads to prohibition
A heated debate erupted on social media surrounding the disappearance of the murdered little girl, and I found myself wondering about the connection between the muted intifada that only the murder of Chaya Zissel brought to the media's attention and the apparent choice of the editors of the ultra-Orthodox newspapers to avoid publishing her picture because she was a baby and not a baby.
At first I was inclined to judge them favorably. I assumed that they were simply trying to honor the memory of the baby and her family.
But then I remembered that the picture I saw on the news and that appeared in all the media, as well as other pictures of the doll that was murdered on Kiddush HaShem, was given to them by the family itself - and I was angry.
It was clear to me that if it were a baby, its picture would adorn the front page, surrounded by a prominent black frame.
I suddenly realized that the reason for the absence of the baby's picture is not related to feelings or thoughts, and moreover, it has nothing to do with halacha, because if this were a fully funded advertisement for one of the milk substitute manufacturers, no one would have thought to omit the picture of a three-month-old baby.
Something bad is happening to us as a society.
In this week's parsha of the previous Shabbat, we learned what happens when we add to the holy law. The woman who added to the commandment of God, the Blessed, found herself transgressing it, and I will not expand here on her grave sin, the price for which we pay to this day, until the coming of the Messiah. Not just us, the women, but all of humanity.
There is a concept of "sanctify yourself with what is permitted to you," but on the other hand there is a concept of "do not add more." I will not enter into the well-known dispute of the Rishonim on this matter, but I will say it this way: extremism that does not stem from holiness brings with it a very great risk. "Enough is enough for you in what the Torah has forbidden.".
Prohibition upon prohibition may ultimately lead to the shedding of every yoke and may cause the young of the flock to forget the main thing and focus on the trivial.
We are all equally hated.
It is no wonder that only in our generation are there people who allow themselves to portray other Jews as something other in the name of the Holy Torah, which commanded us to love Israel and forbade us from hating our brothers.
When extremists, out of a desire to be more righteous than God, may reach a point of literal bloodshed, and this is well known.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I have taken it upon myself to add to the Torah and mitzvot in memory of that infant in the Rose of God, may her blood be shed, and to ask each and every one of you to remember that "a little of light drives away much darkness.".
Every mitzvah we perform illuminates the world, and every additional mitzvah we take upon ourselves drives us further and further away from the darkness of exile that manages to blind even the eyes of pious and wholesome Jews, and prepares the world for the end of the long and bitter exile that has accompanied us for too many years.
And from here I will send my condolences to the bereaved family of Chaya Zissel, may God raise her blood, and I wish those injured in the attack a speedy recovery and a complete redemption for all of us soon in our days of Achir.
In passing, I would like to mention that some of the global media outlets defined the attack as a "traffic accident.".
The message for us is very clear: the Gentiles do not distinguish at all between a Jew who observes the Torah and the commandments and a Jew who has not yet received the light of the Holy Torah. From their perspective, we are all equally hated. We must unite within ourselves and not engage in division, thereby hastening and hastening the coming of the Messiah, for "Jerusalem was not destroyed except because of unjust hatred.".
• The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer and radio broadcaster: [email protected]
