Question: Let’s say two people are butting heads. The first reaction of one is to hit the other, to overpower him, and thereby win; it is not like “turn your cheek” at all. How does Kabbalah relate to this?

Answer: Kabbalah teaches that if I am threatened and about to be punched, then I can punch first. And why not? Why should I turn the other cheek? This is not Kabbalah or Judaism at all.

In Judaism it is said: “Kill the one who rises against you, kill him first.” That is, “Eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth.”

Question: It is interesting that in Israel when two people clash, there is almost never a fight. There is no such quality in people here to immediately hit the other in the face.

Answer: It depends on the level of development in people. Greater development suggests that they will deal with it by logical methods and not by force.

I would not say that there are no fights at all. They happen among young people but very rarely. Fighting doesn’t solve anything. You have to convince or defeat your opponent by logic and argument.

In our world, physical strength is not a guarantee of superiority over others. Anyone can carry a gun or use mace or something else in their pocket. Anyone can have more money to show off, say their Porsche or something else.

Convincing others! That is, the use of logic where you kill an opponent with a word; that is strength. And we see this both in the Talmud and in other primary sources. There is no mention of showdowns anywhere, and everything is solved only logically.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Showdown Israeli Style” 10/19/13

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“The Root of Israel’s Political Chaos” (Times of Israel)
In the Middle Between Love and Hate

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