Anything I say today will seem political. Im afraid to write at all. But I must. Because this parsha is so incredibly connected to whats happening in the world right now. And I must share it. This weeks parsha is Matot (tribes) and involves a war with Midian, a nation whose basic principles threaten the very existence of the nation of Israel, and in truth the world, and therefore must be eradicated. As many of you know by now, Israel has taken ground action and entered Gaza.... The Rebbe RaShab is a Rebbe from Lubavitch who wrote about unity and loving your fellow Jew. His thoughts about the Midians are as follows: [[The Hebrew word midian means strife. Midian is the essence of divisiveness, which is the root of all evil. Thus our Sages speak of groundless hatred as the greatest of evils. In truth all strife is groundless hatred: the so called grounds that people and nations have for hating and destroying each other are but the various façades of the divisive I of Midian -- the ego that belies the common source and goal of humanity and views the very existence of others as an encroachment upon the self. On the cosmic level, G-d is the ultimate oneness, and everything G-dly in our world bears the stamp of His unity. All evil derives from the distortion of this oneness by the veil of divisiveness in which G-d shrouds His creation. So before the people of Israel could conquer the seven nations that inhabited the Land of Canaan [Israel] -- which represent the seven negative traits of the heart -- they first had to destroy Midian, which is their source and cause. This is also why the destruction of Midian could only be achieved under the leadership of Moses, who embodied the traits of utter self-abnegation, (and thus) harmony and truth. (Maamar Heichaltzu 5659)]] What is interesting is that in an effort to achieve oneness, we must eradicate that which thwarts, prevents and blocks our ability to achieve it. My friend said to me that it is important to remember we are trying to eradicate the ideas that are keeping us from this oneness. This is true, but it is incomplete. There are four levels of body/existence according to Kabblah/mysticism: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. And this blockade to overall health must be eradicated, however un pc this may sound, on every level. Usually I would think that in order to have oneness, we just have to see it all as one. But, there is a level at which we must make efforts to create a space to allow that oneness in. In order for a woman to have a baby and bring life into the world, her womb must grow and her stomach must make space for that life to happen. This puts pressure on her other organs. But she is making space for life. If I had a disease, G-D should forbid it, I would kill the cells that are affecting my body. We might differ in how to kill those cells. One might opt for a general antibiotic that kills all cells, good and bad. One might choose a different medicine. Another might choose to heal through changing ones diet and helping the healthy cells get rid of the bad cells on their own. Another might wish to pray that the bad cells die or dissolve or leave the body on their own or by the bodys own powers. But all ways agree that the bad cells must go. I am afraid to say this. Not because I dont believe it, but because I am afraid it will be taken the wrong way. That I will look militant, biased or small-minded. Let me say I do not take lightly the death of innocents. Let me be clear, I do not take lightly, prefer, want, wish, hope for, care for, or feel any positivity whatsoever about the death of innocents. I do not take lightly the killing of anyone. And I also want health. And although I dont always agree with the methods, I agree that this disease must be stopped. It is wreaking havoc on the body that is this world. So, in short, I choose life. Supporting the actions of Israel, even though it involves death and even though some of those deaths are of innocents and even though that makes me incredibly sad, is ultimately choosing life. I mourn for the loss of life. I wont say on both sides, because, while it may appear to be so, this isnt about sides.This is about trying to achieve ultimate health in the, as the Talmud points out, collective system that is the oneness of this world. At the end of the war against Midian, the Israeli fighters return to the rest of the nation and undergo a seven day process that one must undergo after coming in contact with dead. These seven days can be compared to the seven days of mourning (or shiva) that one partakes in when a loved one passes. Dying is sad. It is a part of life. And even though the Jewish nation was told by G-D Himself to wage war against the Midians, they still had to reflect and cleanse themselves afterwards. There was still a process of letting go and moving on and respecting what they had done in order to move forward with what they had to do. May we all be blessed with TRUE and EVERLASTING peace in the WHOLE world. May we be blessed to heal speedily. May innocent lives be spared, may the Israeli troops be blessed to have the wisdom and ability to get rid of that which thwarts progress towards peace and ONLY that which thwarts progress towards peace and may it happen swiftly, with no causalities for people of any faith. ---------------------------- Some commentary gems from this weeks Torah portion, which I found unnecessary to delve into, but important enough to share. (thanks to Chabad.org for compiling these): And Moses spoke to the people: Arm yourselves... to take G-ds vengeance on Midian (31:3) G-d had said to Moses, Avenge the vengeance of the children of Israel upon the Midianites; yet Moses said: To take G-ds vengeance on Midian! G-d said to Israel: It is you who have an account to settle with them, for they caused Me to harm you. But Moses said: Master of the worlds! If we had been uncircumcised, or idol-worshippers, or had denied the mitzvot, the Midianites would not have hated us. They only persecute us on account of the Torah and the precepts which You have given us! Consequently the vengeance is Yours; and so I say: To take G-ds vengeance on Midian. (Midrash Tanchuma) ---------------------------- To take G-ds vengeance on Midian -- for whoever stands against Israel, stands against G-d. (Rashi)
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:34:40 +0000
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