This
has been a very emotionally challenging week for so many of us, Jews and
non-Jews alike. Last Saturday, I was
with members of Congregation Tifereth Israel reading names of our congregants
who had died within the last few months, when a young congregant asked if we
had heard about the 11 individuals who had been murdered during a rampage at a
synagogue in Pittsburgh. None of us who
had arrived early at synagogue that morning had heard the news before the
question was asked. I felt like I had
been punched in the gut when I heard those words.
Anti-Semitism has reared
its ugly head here in America, not in Europe, not in the Middle-East, but in
Pittsburgh where 11 Jewish men and women attending a Sabbath service in the
Aytz Chayim Synagogue were murdered. They were murdered because they were
Jews. How could we deal with such
sadness? How could we respond to such
evil?
The
Lincoln Jewish Community responded by holding a service dedicated to the
memories of those whose lives were snuffed out by violence and hatred. We
recited prayers hoping for a world where no one would suffer at the hands of
another. And this evening, all assembled
are responding with the message that hatred must be eliminated from our world
stage.
As
a Jew, part of my reaction is to delve into Judaism’s wisdom looking for a path
that will improve the world. There is a blessing that is a part
of Jewish liturgy which is to be recited each morning upon
rising: Baruch Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melech Ha-Olam,
She-asani b’tzalmo….blessed are
You Lord our G-d, Sovereign of the Universe, who made me in the divine image.
According
to Judaism, those words are meant to shape actions. They are not designed to be
uttered and forgotten. They are to remind us that being created equally in
the divine image means the words that come out of our mouths and the deeds that
we perform each day must reflect that truth. When we use the
words of the blessing to shape our character, there is no place for hateful language
nor hate-filled actions in our lives. If
we truly believe that we were created equally, then we should never stereotype
individuals and see them as the “others” in our community, society, or world.
We have a shared humanity.
Although
we are increasingly facing a world that appears to be filled with hate and
those among us who are the targets of the words and actions that
are being used are feeling fearful, I urge all of us to please
remember some wisdom written by Rav Avraham
Isaac Kook, a Jewish visionary and Israel’s first chief
Rabbi. “Righteous people don’t complain about evil, but rather add
justice to the world; they don’t complain about heresy, but rather add faith,
they don’t complain about ignorance but rather add wisdom.”
Rav Kook
also knew that:
“The
narrow-mindedness that leads one to see whatever is outside the bounds of one’s
own people, as ugly and defiled, is a terrible darkness that causes general
destruction to the entire edifice of spiritual good, the light of which every
refined soul hopes for.”
May
our presence here this evening remind us that it is incumbent upon us to be
agents of goodness in the world, not to be broken, but to promote compassion
for our fellow human beings. It is not enough
to say that we want to eliminate senseless hatred …we must put our words into
actions. Let’s strive for open hands, hearts, and minds as we interact with one
another. I know that when we lift up others, we too will be lifted. The light we will add to the world will be
added to the light of others, dispelling the darkness that seems so heavy right
now.
May the
souls of the members of Aytz Chayim who whose lives were so tragically and
violently ended be bound up in the bond of life as we dedicate ourselves to
eliminating hatred.
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