Category: Tikkun Olam

War is Hell

The death and destruction of war are terrible, and it has never spared civilians.  It cannot.  The objective is to defeat the enemy, and that is done by breaking things and killing people.

The victims are innocent civilians, and the people in the hospital in Gaza are among them.  Everyone bears responsibility regardless of who fired the missile that caused the bloodbath.  This kind of tragedy will continue to happen as long as the war lasts.

As terrible as war is, moral wars need to be fought when you face an existential threat.  Hamas has proven that it is an existential threat to Israel and, therefore, must be eradicated.

For anyone needing proof of their barbarity beyond the vicious brutality unleashed on Israeli civilians, look no further than the keeping of the hostages.  These hostages include the 200 kidnapped from Israel but also the civilian population of Gaza trying to flee the carnage.  They have not permitted humanitarian aid into Gaza, and what little has gotten in has been stolen.

Hamas must be eliminated.  There is no choice.

It is time for all nations to find a way towards peace in the region.  Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi must join the United States and others to create a new Marshall Plan to rebuild in the aftermath of war, providing physical and governmental infrastructure to finally give the Palestinians the opportunity to live in peace and security alongside a safe and secure Israel.  Whoever cares for the region’s people must come to the table and start the work.

Every decent person is appalled by the loss of human life.

We pray for peace.

Shabbat Shalom

This beautiful song, better together, helps set the mood for Shabbat- lyrics, melody, and people combine to form an easy-listening message of deep importance.

Celebrate the power of unity with “Better Together” Song Around The World, featuring Jack Johnson, Paula Fuga, Lee Oskar and talented musicians from around the globe. This beautiful, feel-good song was a single, released in February 2006 from Jack Johnson’s third studio album, “In Between Dreams,” and was inspired by his love for his wife. “Better Together” has a universal message that “it’s always better together” when we lead with love as the answer.

Shabbat Shalom

It is time for change- The Litmus Test

We need a litmus test.

It seems an unavoidable conclusion to reach- we are okay with slaughter by people using guns; it is the price we pay for our rights as we see them.

If this sentiment makes you cringe, there is only one thing to do:  vote out of office for anyone who does not support responsible gun legislation;  and do not vote for anyone unwilling to pledge support of responsible gun legislation. This litmus test is for local, state, and national figures as this issue transcends these boundaries. Then, of course, we can continue to argue over politics or other policy issues. Still, this binary choice is what we need to make any meaningful changes.

Murderers use assault weapons to mow down masses at a time with regularity; Others use handguns to slay individuals daily. This state of affairs cannot stand. Yet, lamenting the loss is an empty gesture if that is all we do. Our commitment to creating a safer society must confront and coexist with the issues of personal freedoms.   Only our vote will make change possible.

As the candles glow, Remember Them

Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to the cause of humanity by helping Ukrainians during this harsh winter.  The Russians are brutal, targeting civilians to bring Ukraine to it’s knees.

Please help by donating what you can to the relief efforts.

Donate here and receive a Kippah to proudly display, like the Menorah in the window, that you #StandWithUkraine.  www.RabbiDavidLevin.com/Kippah.

Chag Urim Sameach!

Coming down from the High Holidays

 

Caution

Drop off Beyond this Point!

Our synagogue is built into the side of a large steep hill.  We have a beautiful ya’ar, a cleared garden-Forrest area where we can pray surrounded by the beauty of nature.  Our Rosh Hashannah morning service was more meaningful in this beautiful space.

We gathered at the edge of the garden to listen to the Shofar; the wood fence kept us from the drop-off into the lush wooded vale below. And the sign said, “Caution, Drop off Beyond this Point.”

To those of a certain age, it is reminiscent of the 1971 song by the Five Man Electric Band, Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign.  But our sign was not about keeping others out; our sign was about protecting us, keeping us safe from falling and getting hurt.  But there is a metaphorical message. What do you take with you when you leave the sacred space and descend back into the regular and mundane?

I imagine such a sign would have been appropriate at the Temple Mount. When you ascended, you performed many rituals and experienced those special moments within the sacred and holy space.   Such a sign would serve as notice that descending and leaving the sacred Temple’s ground carried risks.  How much of the divine and sacred would you take with you?

I vividly recall walking along the southern ramparts of the Old City walls.  To the right was the interior space of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount above; to the left, the bottom of the wall and valley so far below.  I walked the narrow path remembering the line from Deuteronomy, “I give you a choice between life and death….” To the right was the sacred Mount, and to the left was a long fall to the bottom.  It was harrowing, but I safely found my way to the stairs and ground level.  But what did I take with me?

It is easy to be swept up and immersed within sacred, holy spaces and moments.  But when we go back out into the world is the actual test of how much that particular special time changed us.  Jacob encountered the Angel and God, emerging forever changed, with a new name and a new mission as our Patriarch.  Moses was forever changed after the encounter with the burning bush.  He left that place forever changed, taking the holiness he encountered with him to lead his people.  Can our sacred encounters serve as a place for personal nurture and an opportunity to bring holiness with us back into the world?  Caution, Drop off beyond this point is the sign letting us know we can be safe if we carry the sacred from our metaphorical hilltop to the world below.

And the sign said
“Everybody welcome
Come in, kneel down and pray.”
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all
I didn’t have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper
And I made up my own little sign
I said, “Thank you, Lord, for thinkin’ ’bout me
I’m alive and doin’ fine”

Shabbat Shalom