Ghosting God, Ghosting Self
Day 144
“This is the day Adonai has made, I will rejoice in it”. Today is October 7, 2026; three years since the brutal, awful, horrific massacre, rape, baby killing by Hamas on this day in 2023. It seems absolutely impossible to “rejoice in it” on this day and, yet, We the People are reminded to rise above the fury, the anger, the resentment, the grief, the betrayal by both Hamas and the Israeli Government, which may or may not have known/had advance warning re: this attack, and find a path to “rejoice in it”! Saying Yizkor, saying Kaddish, remembering the souls who perished in this massacre, the souls who were kidnapped and later killed, the souls who were kidnapped and then later returned I believe, will lead to “rejoice in” this day.
As Jews we have much to be grateful for, Israel is still a country, albeit one who has stunk up the beauty and brilliance of the Biblical dictates, the calls of the Prophets, the words of God through Moses to love your neighbor, to love the stranger, to not elect/appoint a tyrant as king/elected leader, etc. We the Jewish People still enjoy freedom and choice here in the United States, with all of the anti-semitic rhetoric and actions. I am not in la-la land, I know the anti-semitism of the 50’s and 60’s, I know the anti-semitism my father and uncles faced while in the military during World War II, I know the anti-semitism my father faced in getting a job because he would not change his last name to one that “didn’t sound so Jewish”. Yet, with all of this happening, with some pretty scary Democrats and Republicans seeking elected offices, We the Jewish People have never had it better vis a vis, opportunities. Unlike Nazi Germany, there are no signs, yet, NO JEWS ALLOWED. While many believe it could happen, it hasn’t yet and by tracking problems, by worrying about what is not in the moment, We the Jewish People turn our back on our resilience, our history, our Bible, on the Call of God from Sinai that is happening in this moment.
I am sickened over 10/7, it is like 9/11 for America, so as Jews in the U.S., we have suffered two devastating catastrophes in less than 25 years, it is totally discombobulating AND, because of our history, because of our heritage, because of the lessons and teaching of our ancestors, the teachings of the Bible, the teachings of the prophets, We the Jewish People can and must have a different response than just vengeance, than just anger, than just hatred of the stranger, hatred of our enemies. The Bible tells us We the People have to feed our enemies, provide them with drink, we are commanded to help our enemy when his/her animal falls under its burden, when it is lost we have to return it to our enemy, we are told in Proverbs(aka the wisdom of Solomon) to NOT GLOAT when an enemy stumbles or is in trouble. As Joe Biden warned the Israeli government and people, seeking vengeance will not help relieve the suffering, I believe vengeance prolongs the suffering and does not help anyone deal with the grief. As so many people who are survivors of people who have been murdered have expressed, guilty verdicts don’t bring back their loved one, executions don’t fill the hole left by the horrific loss of life. Isn’t it time for We the Jewish People to learn from our tradition, and find ways to let the vengeance seeking go?
This is not to say We the Jewish People don’t have to defend ourselves; of course we do! Jewish lives are just as important as Christian lives, Muslim lives, there is not hierarchy on the worth and dignity of a human soul as All of We the People are created in the Image of God, created equal in the ‘eyes’ of God. We are all endowed with “certain unalienable rights” and no one has the right to restrict our right to freedom, to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness. This is the promise of the Exodus from Egypt and We the Jewish People must honor this promise given to us by God, even when another people doesn’t honor it for us!
This is a hard truth that has not come without much angst for me. I have to honor my enemy especially when they are degrading me, I can’t stoop to their level or I become like them and everything they say about me becomes a reality. I am so sad about the tremendous loss of life that Hamas perpetrated on the friendliest of communities for the people of Gaza, I am so sad about the tremendous loss of life Israel imposed on the people of Gaza because Hamas would use them as human shields, I am so sad for the captivity and death of the hostages and I am outraged the world, including the Israeli Government did not do more to make a deal for the hostages and, instead allowed their egos to believe the IDF would find them. Find something to rejoice in today, to honor the dead by living!
God Bless, Stop Ghosting God, Ghosting Self, Rabbi Mark