Thanks for invoking acts of heroism that tried to promote peace and healing in our lifetime and Judaism as a call to virtue, where vigilance is not an excuse for violence.
I think the thing I find hardest to take is my sadness and disappointment at the actions of other Jews. When i bring up things that Jews have done recently that seem so immoral, so against what I believe, I am countered with what Hamas or Hezbollah has done. Well, to me, that is not relevant. They do what I have come to expect from Hamas or Hezbollah. But when Jews commit horrible acts, it hits my heart and gut in a different way. And I want to be disconnected from their actions. And if they claim that they are acting in God's name, I feel morally obligated to say that we do not believe in the same God.
I hear you. Reminds me of the old Hebrew National ads - we answer to a higher authority. We want to be disconnected but we are in fact interconnected. There is a Talmudic phrase stating that all Jews are responsible, one to the other. Not guilty, but responsible. So we have to speak out, as you do. It doesn’t take away one iota of the guilt on the shoulders of Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Jerusalem story stayed with me. A shared holy place gets a shared name, not because the differences disappear, but because both claims are taken seriously. That feels like a sharper picture of peace than slogans usually give us. I also liked the line that a blessing is only real if it leads to action. It makes hope feel less like mood and more like duty. How do you help younger people hold that without burning out?
How I wish this message could be read by the Jewish Communities here in Munich (and Germany in general). It may take another generation for them (us!) to fulfill such ideals, to really become part of the fabric of German society. May Jewish Germany have the opportunity to grow in this direction, so that "mourning becomes dancing, and silence becomes song." Germany desperately needs it, and its Jews, who have established lives here, coming from Israel, the US, eastern Europe and former Soviet territories. Only then can this country truly culturally flourish. Thank you for this inspiring post!
Here I am at age 83, still pondering the meaning of life. I remember my Bar Mitzvah at TBE in March 1957 with Rabbi Pearlman in Stamford. You and I have never met; however, I still follow TBE. Today, here in Riverside, CA, I attend Chabad of Riverside for Rosh Hashanah. Hopefully, we are both written into the Book of Life for 5787 (written in Hebrew as ה'תשפ"ז). Shana tovah
Thanks for invoking acts of heroism that tried to promote peace and healing in our lifetime and Judaism as a call to virtue, where vigilance is not an excuse for violence.
I think the thing I find hardest to take is my sadness and disappointment at the actions of other Jews. When i bring up things that Jews have done recently that seem so immoral, so against what I believe, I am countered with what Hamas or Hezbollah has done. Well, to me, that is not relevant. They do what I have come to expect from Hamas or Hezbollah. But when Jews commit horrible acts, it hits my heart and gut in a different way. And I want to be disconnected from their actions. And if they claim that they are acting in God's name, I feel morally obligated to say that we do not believe in the same God.
I hear you. Reminds me of the old Hebrew National ads - we answer to a higher authority. We want to be disconnected but we are in fact interconnected. There is a Talmudic phrase stating that all Jews are responsible, one to the other. Not guilty, but responsible. So we have to speak out, as you do. It doesn’t take away one iota of the guilt on the shoulders of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Thank you Rabbi. Although I am a fellow boomer, I also needed to hear this message.
The same. So easy to lose heart and disengage.
The Jerusalem story stayed with me. A shared holy place gets a shared name, not because the differences disappear, but because both claims are taken seriously. That feels like a sharper picture of peace than slogans usually give us. I also liked the line that a blessing is only real if it leads to action. It makes hope feel less like mood and more like duty. How do you help younger people hold that without burning out?
I think burnout is less likely when living a life of purpose. This path, though not easy, provides that.
Thank You!
Amen. 🙏🏻 💟✡️💟
How I wish this message could be read by the Jewish Communities here in Munich (and Germany in general). It may take another generation for them (us!) to fulfill such ideals, to really become part of the fabric of German society. May Jewish Germany have the opportunity to grow in this direction, so that "mourning becomes dancing, and silence becomes song." Germany desperately needs it, and its Jews, who have established lives here, coming from Israel, the US, eastern Europe and former Soviet territories. Only then can this country truly culturally flourish. Thank you for this inspiring post!
Here I am at age 83, still pondering the meaning of life. I remember my Bar Mitzvah at TBE in March 1957 with Rabbi Pearlman in Stamford. You and I have never met; however, I still follow TBE. Today, here in Riverside, CA, I attend Chabad of Riverside for Rosh Hashanah. Hopefully, we are both written into the Book of Life for 5787 (written in Hebrew as ה'תשפ"ז). Shana tovah