The Jew asked the sergeant could you please show me my man i.e. enemy, perhaps he would listen to reason. Violence was incomprehensible to Jews. Louis Finklestein described Judaism as a system of symbols. There is a difference between a sign and a symbol. In medicine, a sign is the objective indication of an illness such as elevated blood pressure or changes in an electrocardiogram.
Symptoms are like symbols, they are unclear, still a mystery waiting to be deciphered.
Rabbi Finklestein helped us to understand some of the symbols of Judaism, such as the Torah scroll, the menorah or the tallit, which have empowered our lives. According to Professor Finklestein, symbols can also be behaviors, actions and deeds that point to deeper meaning such as eating matzah on Pesach or putting on tefillin. Mitzvot are symbolic behaviors. In the past century, we saw dramatic changes in Jewish life. These changes were characterized by a renewal of ancient symbols.