Shabbat Ekev
Torah:
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25 / Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 - 51:3
“The Heart
Weeps”
Dear Friends,
You have heard me declare the beauty and glory of
the Land of Israel numerous times through this blog. You have read my limitless praise for the
establishment of the State of Israel and all its wonder, hope, and promise for
the future of the Jewish people. I
remain positive and optimistic despite the events of previous weeks in the Holy
Land.
You see, in recent weeks, three incidents of Jewish
terrorism occurred – three incidents that shocked the soul of the Jewish people
and brought tears to our hearts. In one
incident, Jewish fanatics burned the Church of Loaves and Fishes on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee. In a second
incident, Jewish extremists firebombed two homes in the West Bank town of Duma. An 18-month old baby, Ali Saad Dawabshe was
killed and other members of the family are still fighting for their lives.
Spray painted on the walls in Hebrew were the words, “Revenge” and “Long live
the king messiah.”
In another incident, and ultra-Orthodox man
wielding a butcher's knife, attacked a crowd at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride
Parade. Six people were stabbed and
16-year-old high school student Shira Banki died.
In this week’s Torah portion Moses cautions us that
when we return to the Land of Israel and enjoy the wonderful bounty and
blessing which God bestows upon us, we must be careful no to grow arrogant and
haughty. We must be careful not to become
conceited and so over-confident that we transgress God’s law and commit heinous
and sinful acts. These events
committed by pious Orthodox Jews have me wondering. Yes, Israel and the Jewish people have many
concerns and much to worry about.
Nevertheless, our tradition teaches us to rise to the high ground and
act with responsibility, justice, and fairness.
We are a light unto the nations and must lead by the most righteous
example. The perpetrators must be brought to justice and a clear message sent
to the world that this behavior is not Jewish and will never be tolerated.
Yes, the heart weeps. Ultimately, Moses’ message of keeping
faithful to our holy tradition of law and justice will win out. Israel’s
eternal message of wonder, hope, and promise will continue.
Shabbat Shalom,
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