Truth and lies

Far too often Israel and its many supporters believe that when we hear insidious lies being told in the media that we don’t have to say anything. We think, no reasonable person would believe such lies, so we say nothing. I often think this way but recently I have come to realize that this is simply not the case, no matter how much I wish it to be. If these lies are not confronted many people will believe them. It is for this reason that we must all engage in this battleground for the mind.

My friends I do not wish to bombard you with information about the Arab-Israeli conflict but I also feel compelled to speak out and fight the lies I too often hear directed at the only Jewish state and at my people so I say this: I am a Jew, a member of an ancient, noble race who for 1000’s of years has sought to improve the human condition. In 1948 after 2000 years of exile we reestablished our state in our historic homeland and ever since have fought to keep that dream alive. Israel is far from perfect. However, Israel is a pluralistic democracy where 6.5 M Jews, 1.5 M Arabs and ½ M Christian, Druze, Baha’i, etc. live in relative peace and prosperity. It is surrounded by despotic regimes that have no tolerance for any ideas outside of their own extremely narrow Islamist worldview and it is fighting for its life.

I can tolerate criticisms of Israeli policy. I too disagree with many of its governments policies – I do not think everyone who raises such concerns is an anti-Semite. However, when anti-Israel protests across the globe turn into firebombing synagogues, telling Jews to go to the gas chambers, stabbing and pepper spraying random Jewish people, and terrorizing entire communities, I am forced to conclude that current Israeli actions are revealing anti-Semitism not causing it.  

After WWII many people asked the question ‘how could the Jews have just let the Nazi’s line them up and march them into the gas chambers?’ Post WWII when Israel takes action in a defensive war against a terrorist organization that does not recognize its right to exist somehow it is doing so without restraint. In answer I have this to say. With the creation of the state of Israel the Jewish people decided that we would never again be victims. That we would defend ourselves by the same moral code that any ethical democratic society would apply to itself, but we would never go back into those gas chambers again.

Therefore I ask you my intelligent, thoughtful friends if you are confronted with such ideas do not remain silent – speak out against them so that one day we can fulfill the words of the prophet Isaiah when he said “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” 

One life

He remained annoyed with himself until he realized that not knowing what he wanted was actually quite natural. We can never know what to want, because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come…There was no means of testing which decision was better, because there is no basis for comparison. We live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold. And what can life be worth if the first rehearsal for life is life itself? That is why life is always a sketch. No, “sketch” is not quite the word, because sketch is an outline of something, the groundwork for a picture, whereas the sketch that is our life is a sketch for nothing, an outline with no picture. – ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’, Milan Kundera

Unhistoric acts

"The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs." – George Eliot, “Middlemarch”

In wake of the the events of this week, we were all reminded not just of the evil that lurks just below the surface of humanity, but also the good that is present each and everyday. We are reminded not just of the horror that people can so easily and thoughtlessly create, but of the great goodness that groups can show in the face of said horror. While as a society we often focus on 'great' people like presidents, explorers, actors, actresses, etc we forget that it is ordinary people living good, decent lives everyday that form the strength of humanity's greatness and define us as true beings made in the image of our creator. This has been a sad, sad week and I mourn for the city that I called my home for a time, but I also rejoice in the true goodness that I saw in the face of such senseless violent and destruction.

Under the Banner of Heaven

Just finished reading "Under the Banner of Heaven" it is an amazing book, about fundamentalist faiths in general and the Mormon faith in particular. It is a fascinating exploration of the mindset of religiously inclined people and what drives them, I loved this passage in particular.

In the view of psychiatrists and psycholinguistics, any individual who proclaims to be a prophet, or a guru- who claims to communicate with God- is, almost by default, mentally or emotionally unbalanced to some degree*

*of course, many have argued that psychiatry is itself is simply a variety of secular faith - religion for the nonreligious.

On moral ambiguity and patriotism

This weekend an American patriot died, the man, Chris Kyle, was perhaps the most dangerous man in the world, a USMC Seal, he served with distinction and honor. I was deeply saddened when I heard the news that he was shot and killed, and while the details are still coming I was even more disturbed by the reaction of many which boiled down to “those who live by the sword die by the sword”, some seem to think that somehow he deserved to be killed in the same violent fashion that he caused so many others to experience.

 He never sought to glorify his work but he understood its place. He understood the worlds of Thomas Jefferson who said: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” and those of Col. Jeesup in “A Few Good Men” who said ”we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You?...I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives…”

Today I mourn the loss of a true patriot and a man who put himself in harm’s way so that I may live in freedom. Baruch dayan ha’emet

It was my duty to shoot the enemy, and I don’t regret it. My regrets are for the people I couldn’t save: Marines, soldiers, buddies. I’m not naïve, and I don’t romanticize war. The worst moments of my life have come as a SEAL. But I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job. – Chris Kyle

General Wisdom

“…according to the measure of what a person lacks in general wisdom, he will lack a hundredfold when it comes to Torah wisdom, because the Torah and general wisdom are closely linked together.” Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kremer (The Vilna Gaon) as quoted by Rav Baruch of Shklov is his book “A Hebrew Translation of Euclid”

In Peaces

One who takes leave from his friend should not say “go in peace” (lech BE-shalom), but “Go to peace” (lech LE-shalom). Jethro told Moses, “Go to peace” – Moses went and succeeded in his mission. David told his son Absalom, “Go in peace” – Absalom went and was hanged. When taking leave of the deceased, however, one should say “Go in peace” The Talmud, Berachot 64a

Why do we use one for the dead and one of the living? For those still living we say” go to peace” the implication being that it will not be easy, that while alive we must always be wary and actively seek peace with the understanding that the way may not always be clear and we will often fail. While in death the physical hardships of life are over and while the soul can continue to grow, its path is not encumbered by material hardships, therefore “go in peace” your physical labor is done, now go peacefully on your way.

One's Purpose

"To fulfill ones purpose is not to be a slave…" - Jim Butcher, Cold Days

Steeped in History

“All Jews who are at all conscious of their identity as Jews, are steeped in history.” Isaiah Berlin

An Argument for Faith

Whatever begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist. Therefore, the universe has a cause. - Kalam cosmological argument for God

Disparaging Faith

In trying to disparage 'faith', [Richard] Dawkins and his allies constantly confuse 'evidence' with 'proof'; those of us who believe in God do so without proof but not without evidence. As the Oxford theologian (and biophysicist) Alister McGrath has observed: "Our beliefs may be shown to be justifiable, without thereby demonstrating that they are proven." - Mehdi Hasan

On Super Storm Sandy

I'm a little late getting to the party on this one, but I wanted this for posterity. Happy that as the winter begins to take hold, we're all recovering the best we can...

Veteran meteorologist Stu Ostro of the Weather Channel, (capital letters in the second paragraph are his):

"History is being written as an extreme weather event continues to unfold, one which will occupy a place in the annals of weather history as one of the most extraordinary to have affected the United States.

 "REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE OFFICIAL DESIGNATION IS NOW OR AT/AFTER LANDFALL -- HURRICANE (INCLUDING IF "ONLY" A CATEGORY ONE), TROPICAL STORM, POST-TROPICAL, EXTRATROPICAL, WHATEVER -- OR WHAT TYPE OF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER, PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM NEED TO HEED THE THREAT IT POSES WITH UTMOST URGENCY.

"A meteorologically mind-boggling combination of ingredients is coming together: one of the largest expanses of tropical storm force winds on record with a tropical or subtropical cyclone in the Atlantic or for that matter anywhere else in the world; a track of the center making a sharp left turn in direction of movement toward New Jersey in a way that is unprecedented in the historical database, as it gets blocked from moving out to sea by a pattern that includes an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure aloft near Greenland; a 'warm-core' tropical cyclone embedded within a larger, nor'easter-like circulation; and eventually tropical moisture and arctic air combining to produce heavy snow in interior high elevations. This is an extraordinary situation, and I am not prone to hyperbole.''

on the need for balance

"Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no worldly occupation; if there is no worldly occupation, there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear of God; if there is no fear of God, there is no wisdom. If there is no knowledge, there is no understanding, if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge. If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour." Pirke Avot,3:21

Reciprocation

Pacifism only works when it is reciprocated. Holland can afford to be more or less pacifist because it’s surrounded by European Union countries with similar dispositions. Lebanon and Israel face hostiles who use violence as a matter of course. - Michael Totten, “The Road to Fatima Gate”

Lessons

"I believe the lessons of the Holocaust are these. First, if an enemy of our people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him. Don't make light of it. Do all in your power to deny him the means of carrying out his satanic intent." - Menachem Begin, "The Prime Ministers" by Yehuda Avner

What we want to hear

Nobody these days wants information, everyone wants affirmation. - Colin Cowherd

A Gentleman

“If it is right, it happens — the main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away. - John Steinbeck

"A gentleman is simply a patient wolf." - Lana Turner

A religion can be theologically problematic but devotionally true.” Yossi Klein Halev

On Achdus

Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, the son of Rav Avraham Kook taught specifically how we must love heretics. He brings the example of Avraham who when told that Lot(very evil man) had been kidnapped during the war of the 4 kings against 5, he immediately went to war bringing his students and followers with him just to save an evil idol worshiper. Another example he brings is Moshe Rabbenu who came down the mountain to his followers worshiping the golden calf. G-d told Moshe he wanted to destroy the people, but Moshe said if you destroy them, I want you to destroy me too. He was also willing to give his life for the sake of idol worshipers. 

Rav Kook also taught that derech eretz precedes Torah. Our sages ask: why were the armies of Ahav(one of the most evil kings of Israel) victorious while King Saul fell in battle? Although Ahav was wicked, there was loyalty and love between the people of his kingdom at the time and Loshon Hara wasn't heard. In Bereahit Rabbah it is stated: so great is peace, even if people worship idols, yet there is peace between them, it were as if I(G-d) cannot pass judgement against them. In Saul's time, they were the greatest scholars and tzaddikim but there was little loyalty and love, and Loshon Hara was spoke.

Learning and Praying

The Talmud (Taanis 2a) refers to prayer as “service of the heart” avodah shebalev. When one prays one addresses directly God, so it may be asked, when does God speak to us? The answer is through learning Torah. The words of our Torah are the words of the holy one blessed be he, by learning Torah we enable our service of the heart to let God’s voice in.