Ramadan, Jewish Sabbath, Simchat Torah, Yom Kippur, and a Dead Sheik

 The world has demanded that Israel not attack during the month of Ramadan, a month holy to Muslims around the world. The irony is lost on the world but not on Israelis.

This war began on October 7, when over 3,000 Islamic terrorists belonging to Hamas (and likely other organizations who decided to "join the fun" on that awful day, invaded our quiet land on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. 

Ironic also because "Simchat Torah" is the most joyous of holidays in which we celebrate our Torah. The world has forgotten that on Yom Kippur - October 6, 1973, they also attacked us. 

And today, on the first Shabbat of Ramada, Sheikh Mahmoud Nofal, an imam in Hebron’s Al-Qassem Mosque decided to lead by example. 

Despite the holiness of the month, or perhaps because of it, he dressed himself with an assault rifle and marched across the Muslim cemetery to approach the Jewish Quarter in Hebron. He raised his rifle and fired at two Israeli children. His goal was to murder. Instead, Israeli troops stationed to protect the Jewish community returned fire and quickly disposed of the problem, and the Imam.

What was his goal...on a beautiful and peaceful Shabbat afternoon when children were playing in the part? Perhaps he found out his wife was cheating on him and decided to commit suicide-by-soldier. Perhaps he can't pay his mortgage and hopes one of his wives can clean up with a good settlement from the Palestinian Authority who pays families of terrorists a salary. 

Or more likely, in his misguided religious fury, he somehow thought God wanted him to murder Jews. Perhaps, Sheik Nofal was a great speaker, but thankfully, he was a poor soldier of Islam. Within seconds after he opened fire, fire was returned and Nofal was wounded. Not to be deterred, he turned again to fire, giving up any rights he had to change his mind and decide to live to see tomorrow. He was permanently neutralized. Perhaps luckily for his people, they don't have to move his body too far to bury it. 

Isn't is ironic that Nofal will not be called a martyr who died for Allah by trying (and thankfully failing) to murder Jewish children? That his family will not be granted a generous monthly salary, even though he failed to actually kill anyone?

More, it seems fair to me, that if Sheik Nofal is allowed to attack on Ramadan, we are allowed to defend. And, as I often do in such cases, I would like to wish Mahmoud Nofal the chance to rest in pieces. 

I wish his people more wisdom and compassion than the late Mahmoud showed. I wish them to know, and understand that the now dead Nofal died for nothing. 

Literally, nothing. Baruch Hashem.