A miracle occurred in the midst of the terror and tragedy of October 7, 2023. For the first time in over two millennia every Jew is aligned. From Ultra-Orthodox to the “Yom Kippur Jew”, from those who observe Judaic laws every day to those who participate in Judaism one day a year – we are all aligned.
The First Temple was destroyed because there lacked a belief in God. Four hundred years later the Second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred Jews had for one another.
There is no gray now, only black and white. Life is being viewed in high-definition resolution. Antisemitism is making itself clearly visible to all who are looking. Around the world, in places of education, in institutions of governance, and in public gathering places and streets. It is being recorded, published, and broadcasted.
Good people are standing up. As individuals, and as groups of humans. As much as we are seeing antisemitism birthed in the most unexpected of places, so has the pushback. It takes time to respond to noxious stimuli, to fully define the magnitude of the insult and its potential for doing harm.
I am not going to profess any knowledge as to why October 7th happened. Why is not important. It is dangerous to ask that question because it allows us to get stuck on it. We have been asking why to a multitude of calamities over thousands of years, and all we get is another one following the previous one. The proper question to ask is, what am I going to do about it?
In front of us is an opportunity that has not existed since the destruction of the Second Temple two thousand years ago. Perhaps even a reason for our most recent dispersal too. What we need to do is maintain our alignment over time. We need to keep the door open for people to join us and support them when they arrive.
Loving kindness, giving without expecting anything in return, is a source of happiness and fulfillment. Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning”'s theme is that life is defined by happiness and fulfillment, especially during times of suffering.
What stands before us during this time of immense suffering is a unique opportunity to remove hate from the world. To replace it with loving kindness, so that we may all live full lives. That peace and happiness prevail for the generations that follow us, allowing them to fulfill the immense potential found in the human condition.
Hugs,
David/
