We are living in excruciating times as we witness Jewish history unfold and the hostage-ransom-deal play out. I have little light to shed on the difficult questions that torture us, such as: Could we have done better? Will more lives be endangered or sacrificed in the long run? Could we have done this earlier and saved even more lives? However, I would like to share some insights from the Torah that have helped me think about the uncertainties that we are living through.
In the opening of the book of Shemot, we read about the debates between Moshe and God as to whether Moshe would be an effective leader for God’s mission. In a way, Moshe is proven correct as the Jewish People are ultimately unconvinced (6:9) until after the plagues. However, the reason is not what Moshe thought. He was concerned about his personal shortcomings (3:11) and speech disability (4:10, 6:12). In reality, though, it was the intense slavery and crushed spirit of the people (6:9) that was responsible for their hesitation.
Why did their crushed spirit inhibit their ability to hear Moshe’s vision? I have always understood this to reflect their “slave mentality” that plagued them with the inability to perceive a new world order with the promise of freedom after their centuries of servitude. In other words, there was an understandable deficit in the ability of the people. However, the events of the past 15 months have offered a new perspective.
While there is strong support among the People of Israel for the current war(s), there has been little support for any one strategic approach to the hostage-ransom-negotiations. Whether Israel moves towards or away from an exchange, there is passionate protesting and little support. Not only does this reflect a deep mistrust of the government, but it is a symptom of the crushed spirit and broad vision of the people who see the immense dangers in every possibility. There is truly no good option, and everyone knows it and lives it. Similarly, the People of Israel recognized that whatever Moshe does will harm them. If he advocates and negotiates with Pharoah, the work gets worse. If he does nothing, Pharoah continues his genocide. This crushes the spirit and prevents the people from listening to proposals that they know to be profoundly flawed and dangerous. This is not a reflection of a limited vision but, unfortunately, of a well-informed lived experience and perspective. It was only after the Jewish People witnessed the supernatural Heavenly redemption that we were convinced otherwise.
When we take a step back and watch the news, our emotions are completely confused. Should we celebrate the return of hostages or should our fear of the dangers overwhelm that joy? Can we focus on the freed hostages while ignoring those who have not come back, and will not come home alive?
Interestingly, the Shulchan Aruch rules (OC 218:8), based on the Talmud (Brachos 54), that if one sees the wife of Lot (as a pillar of salt) two blessings are to be said. For her we say: “Baruch… dayan haemes— Blessed is God who is the True Judge,” for the tragedy of her death. In addition, for the salvation of Lot we are to say “Baruch… zocher es hatzadikim”, “Blessed is God who remembers the righteous (and saved Lot).”Similarly, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 223:2) rules, based on the Talmud (Brachos 59b), that if someone inherits a significant amount of money, two blessings are to be said. For the good news of the inheritance, the blessing of “Shehecheyanu” is said, while “Baruch… dayan haemes” is said for the death of the relative who had passed.
In these cases, one experiences mixed emotions reflecting the two differing and opposing events that occur simultaneously. One might have thought to say neither blessing. Shehecheyanu is said to express happiness for great news; Dayan haemes is said for a tragedy. In our current situation, it is a mix, so it could be neither. The law teaches us that we are to engage in both emotions and experiences, even when they are contradictory. The good and bad do not “cancel each other out” but they both exist and we are to focus on both, simultaneously. The ability to hold both of these conflicting emotions at once, a seemingly impossible task, is our gift and responsibility and so critical today.
This dialectic is also reflected in the Hallel which includes three verses that begin with the words “Ana Hashem”. The first (Psalms 116:16) is “O Lord, I am Your servant, the child of your maidservant, you have released the chains that have bound me”. The second is (Psalms 118:25) “O Lord, please give us salvation,” and the third is (Ibid.) “O Lord, please give us success.” It seems that all three verses are simultaneously relevant today. We are grateful to God for removing the chains of captivity, while at the same time, we pray for Him to save us and bring us toward full success.
Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz is the rabbi of Congregation Shaare Tefillah of Teaneck and associate principal of the Ramaz Upper School.
