Jews have a right to exist and to thrive and to build their own country, culture, society. Israel has a right to defend itself. There are many who argue this. Many thought and still think the Jews don’t have a right to exist. Many think that Israel does not have a right to exist. We’ve learned to ignore these voices. We’ve learned to overcome acts of aggression, violence and hate. We’ve learned to defend ourselves. We don’t always agree on how. We don’t always agree on what’s the best way to cope with these threats. On how to make friends of our enemies. 2 Jews 3 opinions. In Israel everyone is a prime-minister. Everyone knows what’s best. But when you are always right everyone around you is always wrong. These disagreements quickly turn ugly. These last few weeks have shown us that we are not immune to hate. Anger, darkness, racism have been brewing in our own hearts and minds. Protests disrupted with violence. Voices silenced. Arab Israelis scared to leave their homes. Social media ablaze with curses, damnations, between Jews and Jews, Jews and Muslims. Tisha be’av taught us that hate destroys. Hate is a very powerful force that can bring down the world. Hate is a hot coal flaming within us, burning ourselves and hurting others. How does a country on the one hand defend itself, its borders, its citizens, but on the other hand maintain a heart of patience, acceptance, love? Yes, Hamas is responsible. Yes, there is anti-semitism in the world. Yes, the Palestinian people need to take responsibility for their own destiny. But yes, we too need to take responsibility for our future. We cannot afford to allow this or any other conflict to entrench our hearts, our minds, our deeds with hate. Thoughts become things. When our thoughts are filled with curses, bitterness, and hate we create a certain reality around us. We emanate, we project, we manifest. Yes we Jews have a right to exist and to thrive and to build our own country, culture, and society. But which country are we going to build? I envision a society that teaches us, that inundates us with compassion, understanding, and love. A culture where we can disagree, but do so with patience and respect. A country that defends itself but feels deeply for its enemies. A country that protects its people without thinking twice, but does so out of love and not out of hate. For me this is what Israel stands for. We are now recovering from the battle, licking our scars. Tisha be’av is an opportunity to remember the destructive force called hate and what it can do to us. Let us, as individuals and as a society, focus today on how we can bring love into our hearts and let go of any anger or hate we harbor. How we can build a future together. Not apart.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 16:33:34 +0000
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