This article is a response to the comments made by Michael McDonald, Manny Pacquiao and some fans. Thank you. I hope you find it informative.
PREFACE :
The purpose of this article is to explore the somewhat confusing relationship between God and fighting. Should a person praise God after destroying one of His children for money and fame? How does God feel about fight training? And what are the laws of self-defense?
In this article, "God" is referring to the God of Adam through to Noah from Genesis (Beresheit) in the Torah/5 Books of Moses since it is seen as a holy text by most Christians and Muslims, and because Judaism, Christianity and Islam are "the big 3" in the world at this time.
The Torah was also chosen because it contains clear commandments and a code of conduct for mankind. There seems to be a lack of knowledge about the commandments and what laws apply to whom. It is true that the Torah (meaning "instructions") presents 613 laws for Jews, but many don't know that there is a separate code for non-Jews, as well, since we are talking about the times before the revelation at Sinai. This is all pre-Judaism. Adam and Noah were not Jewish. Let me be clear: The Ten Commandments (or "sayings") do not apply to non-Jews.
The time of Adam began about 5776 years ago, which happens to fall in line with when the British Museum recognizes that "civilization" began (about 5500 years ago). God created Adam and gave him 6 Universal Laws for operating on Earth. They are as follows:
1. Prohibition of Idolatry (no worshiping anything that was created, statue, tree, human, no witchcraft etc.)
2. Prohibition of Blasphemy (respect God's name)
3. Prohibition of Murder and Injury (do not harm others)
4. Prohibition of Forbidden Relations (no adultery, incest, homosexuality, "spilling seed", bestiality)
5. Prohibition of Theft (do not steal, or deal dishonestly)
6. Establishment of Courts and Laws (prohibitions for Lawyers, Police and Judges)
The people at that time did not keep the commandments and broke the first covenant with God, so He chose to destroy all flesh and start a new plan. He then instructed Noah and his sons to build the ark. After the flood, a final commandment was added for all mankind:
7. Prohibition of Eating Meat That Was Separated From A Live Animal (laws of animal cruelty and diet)
US Public Law 102-14 states:
"Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values and principles which are the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded; Whereas these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as the Seven Noahide Laws".
These 7 laws seem like really basic rules at first glance, but they are actually 7 categories of Law that are broken down into incredible detail. Notice how they are all prohibitions. Even the establishment of courts is a negative commandment because it deals directly with misconduct and corruption in the judicial system.
I will delve into the Prohibition of Murder and Injury in order to show how God feels about prizefighting, martial arts and self-defense.
The textbook I will be using is "The Divine Code" (Sheva Mitzvot Hashem) by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr Michael Schulman, which uses and translates ancient Torah commentaries from some of the great men of Law and Torah, such as the Rambam (Maimonades), to clarify what is expected of non-Jews in the eyes of God.
People who take on the 7 Laws are sometimes called Noahides, B'nai Noach or Ger and are seen as either righteous or wise non-Jews, depending on why they take on the Laws. This is not a religion. They are laws for a healthy society that have existed since ancient times.
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"Jacob was left alone and a man (angel) wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When he perceived that he could not overcome him, he struck the side of his hip; so Jacob's hip-socket was dislocated as he wrestled with him." Genesis 32:25-26
A cosmic MMA match/training session 'til dawn? How tough was Jacob that he fought so long and even continued to fight with a dislocated hip? This "man" couldn't take Jacob out in a grappling match, so he decided to strike him? What kind of strike are we talking about here? A strong kick to the hip area? Could this be the beginning of organized martial arts, and systems of self-defense? Did this "man" come to transfer a "higher" knowledge of wrestling and boxing to people?
This mysterious passage is quite appropriate since there is a lot of confusion when it comes to God and fighting. There are certain things about fighting that it seems a super-intelligent creator would appreciate about training in self-defense, such as discipline, courage, improved mental and physical health, singular focus, empathy etc. But what exactly does God think of prizefighting? Under what circumstances are we allowed, or even encouraged to use these fighting skills?
"One who comes to kill you, precede him, and kill him" (Tractate Sanhedrin 72a) was a well-known saying among the Sages, meaning if you think the person is coming to kill you, don't wait around to verify it, kill him first. There are many instances where the Torah says it is permissible to injure or kill another person, such as if he breaks into your home with you and your family present. One cannot know what the intruder's intentions are. Even if he only comes for money, he may kill you if you attempt to thwart his plan. If he is caught in the yard, or leaving the property, you may not kill him since your life is not in immediate danger. [Rambam, Laws of Theft]
This law of self defense does not seem to apply to prizefighting since there is no victim or pursuer. In the prize ring both participants are pursuers. They are essentially two men who have agreed to assault one another for money and fame. Both understand that they may die as a result of the competition. They should also understand that they could kill the opponent, even if it is only their desire to separate him from consciousness for a temporary amount of time, which is in itself severe and damaging to a person.
When a fighter walks into a ring to fight, his aim is to harm the other person, even if there is no personal quarrel between the two, which is already an unnatural situation. Sometimes there is real hatred between the competitors, and this attracts much more attention, probably because it is something people can identify with. Virtually everyone has wanted to punch someone who hurt, or disrespected them. Much of the time, the fight makes the hatred worse and untold damage is done to the psyches of both fighters who carry these negative feelings around with them. Once in awhile, the fight brings out a new respect, but this is not the way a civilized person should attempt to solve issues with his fellow man.
I think it is important to examine the law against harming one's self in this instance because of the unusual environment of the competitive ring. First, there is months of build-up, whereas people can usually deal with the situation either right away or shortly after the argument. Then there is a crowd and rooting interests, when these are usually private matters. You have the fans, who take sides on the issues. There is money on the line and pressure to win and provide for oneself. Then there is a referee, who is there to stop a fight so that no one dies. The fighter willingly puts himself in an extremely dangerous and strange situation when accepting a fight.
"It is forbidden to place oneself in danger..." (ch. 7:1) [Shulhan Aruh, Ha'Rav Orah Hayim 618:111]
"Just as it is forbidden to harm another person, it is also forbidden to harm oneself" (ch. 6:4) [Rambam's Laws of Injury and Damages 5:1]
Both parties understand the risk, but that does not make it all right, as explained in the prohibition of causing personal injury or damage:
"If there is a purpose in it, such as toil for making a living, it is surely permitted- For this reason, it is permitted to participate in sports that have a nominal degree of risk for injury, similar to different types of widely accepted work that have some risk, that many people accept in order to earn an income. But if the aim of the sport is to injure another person, it is forbidden." (ch. 6:4) [Rambam's Laws of Injury and Damages 5:1]
So it appears that fighting in the combat ring is not an acceptable decision according to God. He does not excuse either party and they will be held accountable for the damage they inflict. So a person who praises God after destroying one of His children for material wealth, ego and fame should actually either quit fighting professionally, or just stop bringing up God. In short, God does not approve of fighting under these circumstances.
However, God does approve of the martial arts for their usefulness in defending oneself, one's family and the innocent. In fact, we have an obligation to do just that:
"It is an obligation on every person to save another person from bodily or life-threatening damage." (ch. 7:1) [Tractate Sanhedrin 72a]
God also wants us to use and teach the fighting arts for personal growth, since that is why he created us in the first place. There is value in learning a move and then improving and perfecting it over time. If one accepts that there are fundamental Laws of integrity at work in the Universe, one will attempt to do things the right way and that mindset can be brought to the gym. A jab, thrown correctly, with proper timing and form, beats a sloppy jab.
In closing: To all the fighters who praise God after causing trauma to another person's brain... please, stop. He doesn't approve of what you are doing and he's not on your side in the ring.
Hillel's Golden Rule of the Torah:
"That which is hateful to you (getting knocked out and suffering brain damage, embarrassment), do not do to your fellow. Everything else is explanation (commentary); go and learn."
I look forward to your comments and questions and will reply to all of them.
