There are 23,008 words in the book of Deuteronomy that we begin this week. But despite its length, Moses’ final speech to the Jewish people only seems to scratch the surface of what he needs to say. The length of the text can only convey a small measure of its emotional content.
For the past two years, the Jewish world has struggled to find words to describe the toll 10/7 has had on us. At first it was the devastation, the tremendous loss of life, the horrific plight of the hostages. Later it was the campus protests and the increased incidents of antisemitism. Most recently, it is the horror of a destroyed Gaza, of starvation and destruction inflicted in our name. In this physical and emotional struggle, American Jews are left profoundly confused and profoundly bereft. As a rabbi, I wish I had the words, but it is impossible to encapsulate so many conflicting emotions.
This weekend we mark Tisha B’Av, a solemn day of mourning for the destruction of the first and second Temples, as well as other horrors that have occurred throughout Jewish history. But as much as we lament the devastation that was inflicted upon us by the Babylonians and Romans, we also admit to our failure as well. According to our tradition, we carry a large degree of the responsibility for what befell us. Moving forward we must learn to balance our own wounds with our own complicity. Many of you have reached out in the last few months looking for a way to unpack what you are reading and seeing on the news. I am interested in starting a small dialogue. If you are interested in joining the discussion, please let me know. I would also like to promote a Tisha B’Av resource from AJR that I have a piece included in. Click on this link to download a free copy,
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex