By Rabbi Yair Hoffman The events of today will go down in history as one of the most brilliant battle tactics ever conceived.  Four thousand hardened Hezbollah terrorists and murderers were near-simultaneously put out of commission by somehow being fooled with a shipment of Motorola paging equipment containing a hidden explosive device.  The miraculous success of this operation sparked such happiness and delight that students of Religious Zionist Yeshivos were dancing out of sheer joy. There were, however, people that questioned the propriety of the dancing as well as whether Yeshiva World News should have posted these articles in the first place.  People commented and asked, “Doesn’t Shlomo HaMelech advise us not to rejoice at the fall of our enemy?“  How could this have been posted? While keeping in mind that the 4000 were terrorists bent on murdering civilians, there is a verse in the 24th chapter of Mishlei written by Shlomo HaMelech. It is pasuk 18 and it states:  In the falling (death) of your enemy – do not rejoice. We must also keep in mind another seemingly contradictory earlier verse. It was also written by Shlomo HaMelech – “In the death of evil-doers – exhuberance! (Mishlei 11:10). How are these two verses to be understood together? THE RALBAG’S UNDERSTANDING – TOO MUCH IS NO GOOD The Ralbag (1288-1344) in interpreting the pasuk just before pasuk 18 in chapter 24, writes that inappropriate rejoicing over the matter will lead to Hashem removing His Divine Anger against that enemy and placing it upon you. It is clear from this Ralbag that too much rejoicing is wrong and dangerous.  But what is too much? It is interesting to note that the Alshich (1508-1593) in Megilas Esther (5:3) writes that this is exactly why Esther wished to make Haman rejoice at the party.  She did so in order that the Divine Will be turned against the evil Haman on account of his rejoicing at the fall of Israel. APPROPRIATE REJOICING IS OKAY We can infer from the Ralbag that although inappropriate rejoicing is wrong – appropriate rejoicing, where one is on the correct spiritual level, is fine.  This is the type of rejoicing that is indicated in Chapter eleven. THE MAHARSHA’S AND RABBEINU YONAH’S VIEWS But what exactly is the correct spiritual level? The Maharsha (1555-1631)  in his comments to Megillah 28a understands the verse in Chapter 24 as referring to someone who is rejoicing because of his feeling of hate toward his enemy. Rabbeinu Yonah (1180-1263) in his comments on Pirkei Avos 4:19 writes that that the high level in which rejoicing is permitted is if one does so in celebration of the Kavod Shamayim – of the honor due to G-d at the fall of this evil-doer. This may be very much in line with our Ralbag. THE ALSHICH’S VIEW The Alshich (1508-1593) in his comments to Tehillim 5:11 qualifies the verse in Mishlei to refer only to a personal enemy, but one whose evil is so much against G-d – the opposite feeling is in order – one should, in fact, rejoice. Thus, the Chapter eleven verse refers to one who is so evil in the eyes of G-d. The Alshich does not distinguish between our own levels, but rather the type of enemy that the pasuk refers to. […]  | Read More The Yeshiva World