A friend showed me an Islamic prayer rug that his son took when he served in Gaza.
Deuteronomy 23:10 teaches: “When you go out as a troop against your enemies, be on your guard against any evil thing.” Nahmanides (1194–1270) explains that in war, “the most naturally upright person becomes cruel and wrathful …”
My son told me that his friend practices harmonica while on guard duty over bound Palestinian detainees. I told him here is no minimum allowance in Judaism for stealing objects nor the dignity of others. The Torah tells us to be on guard — against creating a lawless environment. That’s how we are to treat others, and that’s how I would want my son to be treated.
