This phrase which begins this week’s Torah Portion, Ki Teitzei, should conclude with the words “nothing good.” War is the antithesis of life and love and all that makes human life worthwhile.
Indeed, the very first verses of the portion deal with one of the most horrific elements of war – the treatment of women. The Torah states in verses 11-13 of Deuteronomy, “when you see among your captives a beautiful woman and desire her as a wife… you must take off her garments of captivity, bringing her into your home, allowing her to bewail her father and mother for a month, then (and only then) bringing her to you to be her husband.” While this is less than ideal and certainly not a section of Torah easy to talk with Bnei Mitzvah students about, for it’s time this was progressive.
The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban is sadly all too familiar. As Jews, we have lived under the thumb of all the major empires of the past two thousand years – the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and British. We retain the wounds inflicted upon us by these mighty super powers, continuing to lick our wounds and mourn our losses all these years later. We have survived them all, and in many ways eclipsed them all. But, still, despite this, we have not emerged victorious.
Our prayers are with the people of Afghanistan. We pray for their safety and well being. And, we pray for the day when, in the words of Isaiah 2:4, “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and never again know war.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
P.S. – I’ll be at the Chautauqua institute on Friday night with Susan Schwartz. CSS will have regular 6 PM services led by Dr. Yonina Foster.