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Shabbat Shalom,
Last Friday night I began our Shabbat service with the words of Rabbi Donniel Hartman:
“I’m not sure if this is Day 616 of the war or Day 1.”
And he’s right. Day 616 is staggering; Day one is daunting. Daunting not because the attacks against Iran are not justified - they are. Daunting not because we lack moral clarity in this latest war - we have it. Day one (now day eight) is daunting because Jews across the world are holding many emotions all at once. Fatigue, hope, fear, trepidation, and perhaps a hint of optimism.
This war with Iran is enormously consequential and has the potential to shape future generations within the Middle East and beyond. It has long been the vision of Iran to dismantle and destroy the State of Israel. To intercept that threat and reorient ultimately toward peace is the task at hand. And it is no simple task.
I’m sure you have seen the images of the skies across Tel Aviv, the bombed out buildings, and most recently, the strike on Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. Each morning, we wake with the quiet hope that the news of the night will not leave the world, and us, in despair.
Our Temple B’nai Abraham community is a big tent, encompassing a rich diversity of political and religious identities. There’s agreement, there’s dissent, there’s the embrace of some perspectives and the resistance of others.
Wherever we stand, may it be in a place that brings us toward a greater sense of Jewish peoplehood. We are our brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:9), forged in the fires of Egypt, freed from slavery in order not to be like Pharaoh, who hardened his heart to the suffering of both his own people and the Other.
I am heartened by the outpouring of compassion I have seen over the past week. The stories of our loved ones in Israel finding the extraordinary courage to wake up, live life, and tuck their children in at night. We should be blessed with the same strength and resilience. And, I was heartened and felt seen by this editorial in the New York Times, acknowledging the rise in antisemitism here at home and the need for urgent action.
The prophet Isaiah wrote at a time of great upheaval in ancient Israel. The Assyrians were moving westward and would soon vanquish the northern Kingdom of Israel and subjugate the southern Kingdom of Judah. In many ways, all Isaiah knew was war. Yet in Chapter two of his writings, he shares an oracle, a vision for the end of days:
Thus God will judge among the nations and decide for the many peoples, And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not take up sword against nation; Neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4).
If Isaiah could envision a world of peace - so can we! Day by day.
Shabbat Shalom,
Max
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