The UN and Goldstone

The other day people became very excited when news that Richard Goldstone, the author of the notorious "Goldstone Report" (vilifying Israel and praising terror) wrote an op-ed saying he made a mistake. 

That the report was even accepted at all is an indication of the evil entrenched in the UN and the laziness of people in general. 

How much easier to "blame Israel", after all, is that not the answer to all the world's ills?

Now, for reasons unknown, Goldstone is retracting his lies--more or less. I wonder, does he truly believe that an op-ed in a newspaper will absolve him of the hatred he has created? Does he think that the empowerment he has given to terror and those who support it will suddenly vanish from his article?

In Judaism we are well aware of the power of Lashon hara (לשון הרע)--evil speech. Of the forty-three sins enumerated in the Al Cheit confession  on Yom Kippur, eleven are sins committed through speech. The Talmud tells us that the tongue is an instrument so dangerous that it must be kept hidden from view, behind two protective walls (the mouth and teeth) to prevent its misuse.

There is an old hasidic tale about a man who loved to talk--so much that he was the source of much gossip and rumor in his small town. The day came when he felt remorse and went to the local rabbi to make amends. After listening to the man the rabbi asked if he had a feather pillow and a knife in his home. The man answered in the affirmative and the rabbi instructed him to take the pillow to the top of the highest hill in the valley, cut it open with the knife and scatter all of the feathers to the breeze. The man quickly did as he was told, then rushed back to see if all was forgiven.

The rabbi informed him there was one last task to be done. "Go now, and gather each and every feather and put it back into the pillow". The man was horrified. "What do you  mean--gather all the feathers?  I can never gather those feathers. It’s impossible. They are scattered everywhere.”

The rabbi looked solemnly at the man and said, “That is exactly the problem--you may truly want to make amends for what you did, but it is as difficult to take back words one has said as it is to gather the feathers--they are scattered in the wind, and you can never get them all back.”

I find it surprising that Goldstone, at this stage in his life is unaware of this. This morning I read a News Brief in Arutz 7. Apparently the lies of Goldstone shall continue to incite hatred against Israel, the IDF and the Jewish People...

A spokesman for the UN Human Rights Council said on Monday that the Council will continue to regard the Goldstone Report as valid, despite the article published by Judge Richard Goldstone in which he expressed regret over the report. 

“A UN report cannot be canceled because of a newspaper article,” the spokesman told CNN.

Richard Goldstone--you claim to be a Jew, but you showed your true colours when you produced a report that was so filled with Lashon hara that, like the pillow case of feathers, the words will never be recovered and will continue to spread (their evil lies) around the world. They will be used, like the blood libels of old to incite against the Jewish people.

I wonder, Mr. Goldstone, how can you possibly stand before your Creator on Yom Kippur? Actually, I wonder if you even bother...