The great turn of the 20th-century philosopher and Harvard professor, George Santayana famously said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”, Early last week, when the Jewish world commemorated the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, a painful and tragic incident occurred making Santayana’s words prophetic. The Talmudic Rabbis remind us that the reason for the destruction of the 2nd Temple, which occurred in 70 C.E.) was because of Sinat Chinam – Baseless Hatred (Talmud Yoma 9B). Nearly 2000 years later, that lesson was tragically forgotten. At the Kotel, the last remnant of the 2nd Temple, Jews gathered to read the Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, and pray. There are three sections at the Kotel. The main plaza is divided between a “men’s section”, and a “women’s section”. South of the main plaza, in a much smaller area, there is a designated “non-orthodox” section where men and women can pray together in an Egalitarian setting. As Tisha B'Av was about to begin and non-orthodox Jews made their way to this section, they were met by Orthodox protesters who attempted to occupy the site and set up partitions separating men and women. The protesters tried to shout down the worshippers, and things became physical. Eventually, the police had to come to break up the conflict and cool down the tension. Jewish and Israeli leaders have denounced the behaviour of a fundamentalist mob. The lessons are tragic, as we witness the greatest threat to the Jewish people is the Jewish people. Yet, as tragic as the events this past Sunday were, there is more to the lesson from which the Jewish world can learn. In order to make sense of the tragedy of Tisha B’Av, The Talmudic Sages remind us that the Messiah was born on Tisha B’Av. From the pure hate that led to a national tragedy comes the possibility of goodness, holiness, and Pure Love.
This morning we read from Parsha V’Etchanan. V’Etchanan is always the Parsha that immediately follows Tisha B’Av. The Parsha itself portrays B’nai Yisroel sitting intently and listening to Moshe's first discourse on the Law. Moshe reiterates the covenant, the punishment of exile, and the constant possibility of return. Moshe reiterates the experience of revelation at Sinai as well as a re-statement of the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments. Moshe teaches this new generation that when they experienced revelation, they witnessed the fire. And the fact that they sit on the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River is a testament to that fact. Moshe reminds this new generation that this Torah is perfect, one can interpret but we cannot add or subtract words. Instead, we must struggle and make sense of every aspect of Torah. Moshe then introduces the lone piece of dogma in the entire Torah: Shema Yisroel Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad Hear O Israel the Lord is God the Lord is One. The Parsha concludes with Moshe reminding B’nai Yisroel that in order to fulfill the Covenant, it must reclaim the land.
Central to Moshe’s message is the transcendent power of God’s Covenant at Mt. Horeb. The covenant was made with their ancestors, it is made now with this generation and it will be renewed with each and every generation. Then Moshe tells this generation V’Ahavta et Adoshem Elokecha – Love the Lord your God. Moshe clarifies that this is accomplished through deed, B’Chol Levavcha U’Vechol Nafshecha U’vechol Meodecha – With all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your possessions. Only by demonstrating a love for God with every fiber of being; will B'nei Yisroel be able to enjoy the covenantal blessings. Moshe understood that Love will be the key for this covenant to survive. When B’nai Yisroel loves God, it will listen, cherish and keep all the means of expressing that love towards God. Perhaps, just as important is that to truly demonstrate one’s love for God, one must demonstrably love God’s Torah and God’s people. Moshe also reminds them what will happen when love wanes and they cease listening, cherishing, keeping and observing, and caring for one another.
For Moshe, love was not just an emotion it was a source of energy. It was a constructive force. Moshe also understood that Love was something that needed to be acted upon. Love was not for the passive. The Aggadah tells of Rabbi Akivah’s impending death and his recitation of the Shema while being tortured immediately prior to his death is an expression of love, maybe the ultimate expression of love. What parent wouldn’t choose his/her own life in exchange for his/her child? Love isn’t a seasonal short term fleeting emotion such as just a summer. Rather, Love is every day, love is hard work, and love is commitment. Because Love is all those things, love transcends time. So while ChaZaL can say that the destruction of the 2nd Temple was due to pure hatred; ChaZaL can also teach that from the fleeting, short-term destructive nature of hatred comes the transcendent, constructive force of goodness, of holiness, and of a future that focuses upon the possible. As Jewish leaders around the world, including the current Israeli government, denounced this tragic behaviour; the current Bennet/Lapid government said that it would renew the 2016 agreement. Perhaps the current government has learned its lesson from History as well as from the previous government. A people divided by fundamentalism, intolerance, and ignorance endangers their very survival. We saw it with two Kingdoms and the eventual destruction of the First Temple in Kings I and Kings II. We saw it again, as the sages reminded us in the Talmud (Yoma 9B), we witness it as younger diaspora Jews turn away from Israel, and we witness it when religious fundamentalism and closed-mindedness drowns the idea of Ahavat Israel (Love for the Jewish People). However, if we overcome this with all our heart, our soul, and by all of our means, perhaps we can aspire to a better world. Certainly, the Talmudic sages thought so.
Rav Yitz
No comments:
Post a Comment