Editor's Notes: What this newspaper will ask of every party until Election Day

Israel's 25th Knesset is set to dissolve on Friday, concluding its full four-year term, a rarity not seen since 1988. The country is formally heading towards an election scheduled for October 27.

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This election will decide whether the country can still hold together.

The period leading up to the election is packed with political activity. Party primaries are scheduled, including for the Democrats on July 20, the Religious Zionist Party on July 26, and Likud on August 4. The deadline for finalizing party lists is September 9. Some new parties are delaying their launches until after the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, either out of respect or due to the perceived ineffectiveness of focus groups during a period of mourning.

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That’s why the other side must be crushed.

Meanwhile, the outgoing government is pushing through legislation on contentious issues such as the draft and the judicial system. The strategy appears to be creating "facts on the ground" in July that will persist regardless of the election outcome in October. Politicians from various camps have expressed concerns that this election will determine the country's ability to remain united, with many stating that the opposing side must be "crushed."

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Jerusalem was destroyed on account of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza

The article draws a parallel to the Talmudic account of the destruction of the Second Temple, attributing it to "baseless hatred" (sinat chinam). However, it suggests the Talmud's own narrative offers a harsher, more useful lesson for the current political climate. This account assigns responsibility to specific individuals, not just general animosity. It highlights the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, where a host's humiliation of a guest, and the subsequent inaction of the Sages, led to dire consequences. The narrative further details how Bar Kamtza deliberately blemished a sacrifice intended for the emperor, setting off a chain of events that ultimately led to Jerusalem's destruction, with key figures like Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas making decisions that had profound, negative repercussions.

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Since the Sages sat there and did not protest, evidently they were content with what he did. I will go and inform against them to the king.