There was a day that I will never forget.

I was scheduled to go to the synagogue that morning to practice reading Bereshit from a Torah scroll. But then I heard the news. The World Trade Center had fallen. Like most of us, I stayed at home, staring at the television. But the next day, I went to the synagogue and I practiced. And twenty-two years later, you can still see my tears on the scroll.

Our people are once again facing tragedy – an act of terrorism that can barely be imagined.  Babies beheaded, children and old women taken captive, over two thousand dead.  Today, our entire people is crying.  And most of the world is crying along with us.

We long to find something we can do.  And we long for an echo of God’s words to Jeremiah:

I will build you firmly again,
O Maiden Israel!
Again you shall take up your hand-drums 
And go forth to the rhythm of the dancers. 

Again you shall plant vineyards
On the hills of Samaria;
You shall plant and live to enjoy the fruit.

It seems that the whole world is filled with despair.  But Judaism teaches that even in the darkest places, there are sparks of light.  Our people will come together, and someday, God willing, we will find peace.

By now, most of you have seen lists of how we can help.  We can give tzedakah, we can contact friends in Israel, we can advocate for Israel with non-Jewish friends.  But I want to mention one other thing that we can – and must – do.  We need to take care of ourselves.

In times of crisis, in times of loss, self-care is the key to everything.  We can’t take care of others if we are totally depleted.

This is going to be a long struggle – for the Israelis, for the world, for the entire Jewish people.  The war will be difficult.  And when it’s over, our Israeli brothers and sisters will need to reexamine the whole of Israeli society.  They will need us every step of the way.

The Psalmist wrote Ivdo et Adonai b’simcha, serve Adonai in joy. And that is what we must do. In the midst of our mourning, in the midst of our tears, we must find ways to celebrate the small things in life. In the words of Jonathan Sacks:

Life may be hard, but it can still be sweet, the way the Challah and the apple are when we dip them in honey on Rosh Hashanah.  

Jews have never needed wealth to be rich, nor power to be strong.  To be a Jew is to live for simple things: the love between husband and wife, the sacred bond between parents and children, the gift of community where we help others and others help us and where we learn that joy is doubled and grief halved by being shared.

We must worry about the big picture.  We must help our brothers and sisters in Israel.  But we must also take time to enjoy the sweetness, to taste the Challah and the apples, and to savor the love of our families.

Our love, our ability to find joy in the midst of darkness, and our determination to cling to life will get us through this. And someday, we will find peace.

Shabbat Shalom,
Art