Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav

Two weeks ago, a terrorist, on a murderous rampage, murdered eight young students in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav in Jerusalem. Many aspects of this tragedy have been discussed and written about, but I'm writing about the cleanup that followed the massacre.

The Torah writes, "And your camp should be holy." There are many different ways to describe being holy, but to paraphrase former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who in describing something very unholy said, "I'll know it when I see it," I saw holiness in the cleanup that night. I strongly urge you to click on this link to see pictures of that effort, courtesy of Arutz Sheva. However, I warn you, the images are graphic and violent.

Holiness is caring for every last drop of spilled blood, every remnant of skin, and every last strand of hair. Seeing the attention given to every remnant of a life that once was a reminder of the great care that Judaism gives to the human body, in life and in death. The remains were collected with dignity and preserved to be buried with respect, and not discarded in a biohazard container.

Our bodies are not ours to do as we please with them. They are on loan from G-d. We don't have permission to destroy them. We need to care for our bodies, eat the right foods, exercise properly, moderate our alcohol consumption, and never put a cigarette in our mouths. Seeing the care given to the body after death, shouldn't we give at least equal care to the body when its alive?