Dear TBZ Community:
It is hard to believe that this Shabbat marks four weeks since October 7th. Four weeks since the massacre that took so many lives. Four weeks since more than 240 people, including children and elderly, were kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas. Four weeks of holding the pain of that day and of the terrible ongoing loss of life in the aftermath, both of innocent Gazan people and of Israeli soldiers, is unbearable. Four weeks of holding the concern and outrage that we are experiencing here in the United States and all over the world, with the rise of antisemitism.
Four weeks in, I am also feeling the difficulty of holding the dichotomy that has been created – a narrative of division, as if our human experience is not capable of holding compassion both for the terrible fate of our people in Israel as well as for the children in Gaza. As if our minds are not capable of holding criticism for policies and the Israeli government, which has failed to support and lead the civil society and to prioritize the return of the hostages (and even endanger parts of Israeli society), and support of the people of Israel and Israel’s right to exist. What is also harder for me is that it seems that we are expected to choose: Do you stand for a ceasefire, or do you stand for Israel? Do you stand for Palestinians, or do you stand for Israelies? If you criticize the Israeli government, then why don’t you support Israel? A narrative that only creates more and more division between people. And division is the worst response to this moment.
(By the way, since when do we expect all Jews to agree and hold the exact same opinion? What happened to the joke that says with three Jews you have four opinions? Can we be together in pain, in the darkest of our times, remember this? Can we disrupt the binary thinking that is not only unhelpful in this moment, but is creating more division and actively harming us and our communities?)
What I am aiming for is to be able to hold and have moral clarity in the midst of these complicated times. And, of course, that also becomes something that people disagree with: what I think is moral and the right thing to do, might not be what someone else thinks is moral or right.
But while I hope for clarity, I have a disclaimer (and this is my own personal view, which you can disagree with): I am confused. I, personally, am confused. The clarity I yearn for is not coming easily. I am seeing the ravages of war, deaths, and devastation in Gaza; I desperately want the war to end. But, at least at this moment, I don’t have clarity that a ceasefire is the solution. Because I also think we need to get rid of Hamas, and defend ourselves from non-stop missiles falling on civilians across Israel. But I so desperately want this war to end, not only for the people of Gaza, but also because I see friends of friends burying their children, young soldiers who are also caught in this terrible war. And I don’t trust the current government of Israel, as I didn’t before October 7th, especially as I see and hear from my Israeli friends and families the government’s failures (including continuing to push their extremist agenda in the West Bank and beyond). And without a clear path towards a diplomatic solution and peace (can we still dream about it?), all these deaths, I feel, will be in vain. I am not a politician, I am not versed on military strategy, and I am confused. I am confused amongst all this complexity.
But I still aim to hold and have moral clarity – the Torah offers this for me this Shabbat. One of the stories we read in this week’s Torah portion, Vayera, is about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. After the three visitors come to Abrham’s tent and announce the birth of Isaac, they also announce the destruction of these cities. Abraham, without hesitation, asks a question that rings the most true in this moment:
וַיִּגַּשׁ אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמַר הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם־רָשָׁע
Abraham came forward and said,
“Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?
Abraham knows to ask the hard question; what makes this even bolder is that he asks this question to God! Abraham, who we often meet as one who trusts and responds to God without questioning (the next part of the Torah portion has the sacrifice of Isaac story), in this case is willing to challenge God’s certainty of what to do now.
Rashi, the medieval commentator, explains the word הַאַף (“will you”) and teaches that the Targum Onkelos (Arameic translation of the Torah from the 2nd Century) translates the word האף in the sense of anger. The explanation would be as follows: “will Your anger urge you to destroy righteous with wicked?” Abraham challenges God and says: are you going to let your anger define your actions? Are you really going to kill the innocent together with the evil ones because of your rage?
The story doesn’t end there. Negotiations begin. Negotiations that still result in the full destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, while saving just a few people. There is no “happily ever after” ending to the story. Even when Abraham challenges God, the story is still messy and complicated. So in a way, we are left with the same confusion. But I hope we are left with more than that. We are left with the clarity of Abraham, the clarity to stand for justice, for the innocent, and for the wounded, and we are left to recognize that our anger will only lead us to more destruction.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization of which I am a board member, wrote a letter this week that mirrors what I have shared here. On the dichotomy, division, and complexity of the last four weeks she wrote:
Over the past few weeks, some have demanded that we choose sides — that we either dismiss or “contextualize” the Hamas attacks as justified resistance, or give Israel carte blanche to destroy Hamas, regardless of how many civilians are killed in the process.
We choose the side of humanity.
We choose the side of Abraham, the very first Jew, who in our parasha this week models hospitality and care for strangers, pleads on behalf of the innocents in a city slated for destruction, and also attempts to protect his own family from external danger. We learn from him that making a peace agreement with a foe may carry risk, but can also bring long term security.
And in a moment when too many offer easy answers, we strive to hold complexity. We seek answers that do not diminish the humanity of anyone in Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza.
May we have the clarity to choose humanity.
May this Shabbat bring blessings and consolation to all of you and your loved ones.
May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing. And may we find joy in the midst of darkness.
May the hostages come home soon to their families and friends, and may we see peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Claudia