By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

We are all still reeling by the depths of the depravity of the Hamas murderers, and empathizing with the victims and their family members – Hashem yinkom damam.  The Zohar (the way this author understands it) in Parshas Vayigash page 210b tells us that the malach hamaves does not take the soul of murder victims.  The same idea is found earlier in the Zohar as well in Parshas Vayeirah p.14a.  There is some other mechanism involved, and it is the murderer who is blamed.

Indeed, the malach hamaves is angry that the murderer took his [eventual] job from him and is mekatreg yoser on the murderer.  The Malach Hamaves plots his revenge.  Of course it is Hashem who coordinates all, but the Zohar says explicitly that the Malach haMaves is Mekatreg.

With this Zohar in mind, let us re-examine the events of last Tuesday (January 2^nd, 2004).

The newspapers reported an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday that killed Saleh Arouri, a top official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and three others.

Israeli officials declined to comment about the blast.  Arouri, 57 years old, was the No. 2 figure in Hamas. He was the highest-ranked Hamas figure to be killed in the nearly three-month war between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas officials confirmed Arouri’s death, along with six other Hamas members, including two military commanders. A Lebanese security official, said the attack appeared to have been carried out by a drone that fired missiles into the building, targeting one specific floor.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency blamed an Israeli drone. Israeli officials declined to comment.  But, according to the Zohar, they were wrong.  It was the Malach HaMaves who may have coordinated it all.

David Barnea, the head of the Mossad, of course, promised that each Hamas member that took part in the murders would be hunted down and killed.  He also has a powerful ally who is mekatreig.

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