Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

May 21, 2021 | 10th of Sivan 5781 | Parashat Nasso  
 
Kein Y'hi Ratzon - May it be God's Will
 
For the past 11 days, the violence in the Middle East has been on everyone’s mind.  After four non-productive election cycles, Israel was about to create a new coalition government that may have been able to make critical inroads toward a healthier Israel for all citizens.  Within hours of this monumental partnership being codified, there was a tragic incident coinciding with both Ramadan and Yom Yerushalayim that triggered the outcry and outrage we are all witnessing in real time.  Not unlike America, both Israeli and Palestinian societies wrestle with multiple internal conflicts that have ripple effects leading to heightened tensions between them.  These painful internal challenges are currently highlighted for all the world to see.
 
Anti-Israel sentiments in the United States and Europe were hard enough to navigate before the proliferation of social media.  Today the barrage of information – both accurate and falsified – is overwhelming!  Many of us have enormous compassion for the Palestinian people who have suffered from a painful lack of concerned, productive leadership for more than seven decades. This vacuum has put Israel in a conflicted overseer role for far too long which, in turn, has had a devasting psychological impact on both Palestinians and Israelis.  More importantly, it has created an environment in which brothers are failing to see the desperation and humanity in those who are suffering most.  
 
The world is a geopolitical hot mess and corrupt leaders are manipulating the current vulnerable situation for their own gain.  It is hard not to be moved by the disproportionate loss of human life among Palestinian civilians.  By the same token, the world should be horrified by the constant barrage of indiscriminately fired rockets from Gaza into Israel, instilling fear and putting innocent lives at risk. If Israel’s defense system were not so sophisticated – and thank God it is - the number of Israeli civilian deaths would be exponentially higher.  To the untrained eye, Israel is too often seen as the instigator of this warfare which, in turn, pulls the veil off a certain type of antisemitism that is always there, just waiting to be revealed in hurtful, insulting and sometimes violent ways. 
 
In the Jewish diaspora, ideas and passions run the gamut of where to lay blame and what should happen next.  Jewish citizens of Israel are also not of one heart as to how to foster (or even define) peace in the region.  The expansion of extreme religious Zionism has not been helpful to the cause.  Israel is so fractured internally that it may not be able to form a cohesive government.  What then? 
 
As Americans, we are no strangers to the harmful effects of fanaticism and unbridgeable divide. As with so many other issues, Israel is sure to become yet another wedge opportunity to foster division between otherwise political allies who will not be able to process the events in the Middle East with the same set of facts on hand.  Emotional, historical and religious ties are seldom subject to reason. 
 
We must all brace ourselves for coming months of challenging conversations, shocking hurt, and growing displays of antisemitism that many of us have skirted for so long.  My advice is to listen and learn as much as we can from different Jewish voices and not get stuck on one analytical trope.  If our rabbis and sages, of blessed memory, modelled one practice that we must all take to heart, it is that healthy, sustainable Judaism is built on dialogue and disagreement.  Multiple voices at the table are essential for there to be peace in the world.  More importantly, Godly answers will only be revealed when everyone feels heard and respected.   
 
In this week’s parashah, we are introduced to the text for the tri-fold blessing that our priests were charged to bestow regularly upon the Israelites as part of their sacred duties.  We must bless each other, today and every day, so that others will be blessed through our example, and possibility for abiding peace between nations will be that much closer at hand. 
 
May the Lord bless you and protect you! 
May the Lord deal kindly and graciously with you! 
May the Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!  
Kein y'hi ratzon.                                            (Numbers 6:24-26) 
 
Shabbat Shalom, 
Rabbi Marcia Tilchin  

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