To my Dear Friends at
Tifereth Israel:
You’ve never met me but most
of you know of me. I’m called Noach, and
it has been many years since I have left this earthly existence. Yet I feel compelled to reach out to you today. If not to bring you some comfort, at least to
try to put some things into perspective.
In my time, the world was
very corrupt. It was filled with
lawlessness and G-d was beyond disappointed with His creation. He chose me to help Him ensure the rebuilding
of the world because He decided to destroy all flesh with a flood. Why did he
choose me? It was because I was a
righteous man, blameless in my generation.
Now I know you are aware of
the rest of the story: How I built an ark following God’s directions; How the
animals came onto the ark in pairs (seven pairs of clean animals and two pairs
of unclean animals); How the rains came for 40 days and 40 nights; How all that
was on dried land died; How after 150 days the water diminished; How the dove
was sent forth to find dry land; and How I built an altar to G-d and offered a
burnt offering that pleased G-d.
I realize that you also know
that G-d promised never to doom the Earth because the devisings of humankind’s
mind can be evil.
As I am viewing what is going
on in the world today, especially in light of the recent violence in the Land
of Israel, I am reminded that indeed the devisings of man’s mind can be
evil. Is there no hope for us to ever go
beyond the corruption and lawlessness that was so apparent in my day and
age? Are there no sparks of light
apparent in the midst of all the turmoil that is so apparent even from where I
am today? I broached these very same
questions to G-d and amazingly enough God has taken note of sparks of light. I thought I would share some of those
sightings with you today.
It might be expected that individuals
faced by a terrorist pumped up with adrenaline and swinging his sharp knife
would run for their lives. In a fraction of a second all hell breaks loose, and one’s
gut reaction might be to run. To run, and to abandon the wounded; To shirk a
responsibility to stop this terrorist from murdering even more of the
innocent. Yet, the mainstream Israeli
reaction to these lethal knifings has been simple. Uncalled for people pick up
a broomstick or whatever is at hand and start swinging back, to chase that
incarnation of death until the security forces catch up with him. These
individuals know that to save a single life is to save the entire entire
world. Such individuals are indeed
righteous in their generation as they put into practice the value of Pikuach Nefesh.
There was the funeral of an
immigrant who didn’t survive a terrorist attack on the bus he rode. Only his
elderly mother lived in Israel, and not being known to others, at first this
victim’s body remained unidentified. When at last this man could be buried the
media requested people to accompany him on his last journey. Hundreds showed up
to pay their last respects at his funeral, though almost no one knew him. That
simple gesture of kavod ha-met, is another example that righteous individuals still
exist in your generation.
Not all those who show their
righteousness are Jewish of course. For
example the Arab mayor of Nazareth drove by an Arab member of parliament who
refused to condemn the murder of innocent Israelis by his fellow Palestinians.
The mayor shouted at him from within the pain of a paralyzed city where Jews
and Arabs refrained from business as usual. The Arab mayor castigated his
fellow Arab member of parliament for destroying that fine, complex texture of
life joining Arabs and Jews in Israel.
His understanding of Shalom Bayit extends even to his city and his
country.
As you know the police force
and soldiers around Israel have been burdened with extraordinary hours of duty.
Ordinary citizens are appreciative of their work and many of these citizens
insisted on paying for the meals of dozens of soldiers who came to a restaurant
between shifts. Others cooked hot meals for soldiers in the field that were
taken to them by motorcyclists. The
value of Hakarat Ha Tov, showing gratitude still exists during such dark times.
So you might ask me if I think that the
world is as dark as it was during my time.
I will tell you for a certainty, that you do have much violence, much
hatred, much cruelty to overcome. But
you do have many sparks of light, not just one individual who is righteous in
his time. If you ever doubt it, open
your eyes and listen to the words of Hadassah hospital’s Ahmed Eid, the head of
surgery who speaks out for co-existence; or listen to the youth who gathered at
the central bus station in Jerusalem this week after the stabbing of a 65 year
old woman. They formed a circle and
began singing “The eternal people do not fear a long journey”. They ended their
reply to terrorism by singing the Israeli national anthem, “HaTikva” - “The
Hope”.
Yes, my friends, even in
gloomy times there are specks of light.
You must continue your work of trying to spread the light and continue
to pray that those who do not live by the simple value that murder is an
abomination and a way to blaspheme G-d’s role in this world will begin to give
up their evil ways. G-d has promised not
to destroy humankind ever again, so now it is up to you not to destroy
yourselves.
(The incidents mentioned in this letter were originally written by my brother in Jerusalem, Gary T'har-Lev).
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