Friday, April 3, 2009

והצדיקו את הרשע והרשיעו את הצדיק

Who is a hero?

Jumping into the river to save a drowning child makes you a hero? Apparently so. What about landing on the river to save 150 men, women, and children? Well, that’s contested.

Rabbi Avi Shafran thinks a heroic act is to display selflessness. It’s not enough to be exceptionally skilled, to be a role-model, or to save a city. Pilot Sully, the Moses in the Miracle on the Hudson, is not at all a hero. So what if he saved 150 passengers? He saved his own ass, stupid! Besides, he doesn’t credit God for saving the plane, and we all know who really saves airplanes in distress.

Bernie Madof, on the other hand, has a conscience. He didn’t flee to Brazil when he had plenty of a chance. He did not defend himself in court; he confessed, he apologized, and he turned the other cheek. What hero!

Okay, I get your point, Rabbi, and there is some truth to it too. But why do you have to write such an article now when Madof-scandal anti-Semitism is still looming?

6 comments:

fluffykneidle said...

Firstly, welcome to Blogosphere.

Right. Madoff - Convicted of a white collar crime, he may be a guest of Uncle Sam however much longer he has to live, but surely that is a better prospect than constantly having to look over his shoulder? En simcha kehatoras hasfekos, Bernelle knows that. He apologised? So did Fritzl.

And the pilot, well he certainly did save his own ass, and his career, and capitalised on his ordeal. Would you do any different?

Yossi said...

Hershy, the rabbi appologized
PS dont you dear correct my mistakrs, spelling or otherwise

A Pusheter Yid said...

Yeah, I read his apology, and I take credit for it. Okay, he didn’t really read this post (I suppose), but I was part of the outrage.
I won’t correct your horrible errors; you’re hopeless.

Unknown said...

Welcome.

We are all entitled to vent. Some make more sense then others. But words hard no one. The great jury is out there.

Safrons attitude is one of typical "am keshei Oref" who has done his yeshivah time. Bottom line; While Maddof calculated his ponzi scheme and meticulously executed every salacious detail, the pilot was too preoccupied trying to save his and his fellow passengers butts! He had no time for delusions of grandeur.

What comes after the fact? Well firstly, that’s nothing to do with the initial act of heroism. Secondly, Maddof probably tried to bite the bullet and save the butts of those who are dear to him. I sense little heroism there. Besides that he would have never gotten away with doing a runner. While i don’t see any diminishment of heroism for signing a book deal. Good luck to him.

Maddof would have signed a book deal even now!, except that he knows that every penny of his profits would be siphoned away by the legal system.

A Pusheter Yid said...

Thanks for your comment, Mordechai.

I hope you would become a frequent visitor here.

As to the crux of the issue, I would shun from beating a dead horse. The outcry was large and varied and Shafran rescinded, so what is there to add?

kisarita said...

I believes heros are made in the small private moments of our lives.