Dear Friends,
Noah was a righteous man. So we are told in the Torah. But, Noah was silent in the face of the evils that surrounded him. And, we all know how the story ended: a huge flood ensued and destroyed the vast majority of life on earth.
Now, we are faced with great evil which surrounds us in the form of direct incitement to murder Jews, particularly in the Land of Israel. And this incitement goes beyond the spoken word. It permeates the internet. It reaches the homes, the minds, and the hearts of so many more people than we might imagine. And, the result is that individuals, adults and youngsters, are taking it upon themselves to carry out the evil directives.
Noah was a righteous man, but he was silent in the face of evil. At the end of the Biblical story of Noah, the Torah tells us that God promised not to inundate the world with another flood. But, if we maintain our silence in the face of the current vicious incitement, we, the human beings who inhabit our planet, might well become responsible for allowing a flood of evil to inundate our world.
This Shabbat we will be part of a larger interdenominational effort to express our solidarity and unity with Israel. We will have a chance to let our presence at services speak for itself. We will have the opportunity to stand, sit, sway, sing, pray and just hang out together with people who care. We will be with people who believe that peace, life, and mutual respect are sacred values. I hope to see you at services this Shabbat, as we raise our voices and speak up for love and for life.
May thiss Shabbat be a Shabbat of peace, of comfort, of healing, of joy and of love.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Gilah Dror |
