From Lawlessness to Peace
From Lawlessness to Peace
From the desk of Rabbi David Lyon
In last week’s Torah portion, Noah, we read about the flood that came after God saw that the earth was filled with “lawlessness.” In Torah, the word “lawlessness” is a single Hebrew word, “Hamas.” That’s right. In Torah, hamas caused God to bring a terrible flood in order to wipe out lawlessness. Though God promised not to bring a flood again, human beings could enable hamas to overwhelm the earth if they didn’t care for all of God’s creations as they were commanded to do. A rainbow, though a beautiful sign and symbol that God wouldn’t flood the earth again, could not save us from the trouble we could create for ourselves — eco-disasters, despoliation, wastefulness, inhumanity, war, etc.
For Jews, Christians, and Muslims, three Abrahamic faith traditions, the Noah story is part of our common roots, and hamas is a common threat to all of us. Hamas is a devastating evil that God aimed to rid the world of, and yet, it remains human nature to challenge God’s holy work. But no rainbow is going to save us this time from troubles we have let fester. Acts of war are a part of history and the Jewish people have either been the horrific victims of them or the remarkable victors who wrote biblical songs attributed to God’s redeeming power, to return after 2000 years to a land that God promised to our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Land of Canaan, the Holy Land, and Israel are names that have accompanied the Jewish people for more than three millennia in its search for freedom, redemption, and revelation. The Jewish people are not conquerors or colonialists, like the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Mamluks, Ottomans, or British, who ruled the land in ages past. The Jewish people are an indigenous and native people who never disappeared from the land in 4000 years. So, despite the terrorist group, Hamas, which has in its charter to destroy Israel and Jews, now the State of Israel is a fixture in the Middle East and will not succumb to the pressures of history or contemporary war.
This week, in Lech-lecha, we read in Genesis 12:1ff, that God said to Abram (Abraham), “Go forth from your native land, from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” It was Abraham’s journey and destiny to be a father of nations. As the Torah tells us, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”
In the name of our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel, let us merit blessings, too. Let us remove hamas from our world through contributions to Israel’s strength, to the cause of humanity, and to the promise God entrusted to us through God’s covenant reflected in Torah; but not only with us, but with all God’s children who seek peace. Then may all people “sit under [their] grapevines or fig trees with no one to disturb [them]. Though all the peoples walk each in the names of its gods, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, forever and ever.” (Micah 4:4-5),
To make a difference, please support Congregation Beth Israel in its efforts to teach, inspire, and lead. And see this initial list, below, of resources on Israel education and financial support for Israel, today.
L’Shalom,
Timely and Urgent Resources on Israel Education and for Financial Support
www.HoustonJewish.org (Houston Jewish Federation)
The Gary Rosenthal Family is generously matching all gifts made to the Israel Emergency Fund by November 1 up to $1 million.
www.honestreporting.com
We embrace the principle that a healthy democracy requires a well-informed citizenry. Accordingly, the mission of HonestReporting is to ensure truth, integrity and fairness, and to combat ideological prejudice in journalism and the media, as it impacts Israel. We engage the next generation and educate the public to understand and value the above aspirations.
www.algemeiner.com
The Algemeiner, a global news destination published online and in print, serves as an independent media voice covering the Middle East, Israel and matters of Jewish interest around the world. It was founded in 1972 by famed journalist Gershon Jacobson as Der Algemeiner Journal and was originally published in Yiddish. In 2008, Dovid Efune was named Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director. In 2012, he launched Algemeiner.com.Algemeiner is a Yiddish/German word that means “universal” or “all inclusive.”
www.timesofisrael.com
The Times of Israel is a Jerusalem-based online newspaper founded in 2012 to document developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world. The Times of Israel has no partisan political affiliation. It seeks to present the news fair-mindedly and offers a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces.
www.reform.org.il (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism)
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is the communal, spiritual and social Jewish movement that acts to promote the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state according to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, enriches Jewish identity among the vast and diverse Israeli public, and merits to significantly influence religious, educational and public discourse in the State of Israel and in the entire Jewish world.
www.fidf.org (Friends of the IDF)
Purpose: To champion the courageous men and women of the IDF and care for their needs through transformational opportunities and support as they protect the State of Israel and her people.
Vision: To secure the survival of Israel, providing a thriving homeland for Jews worldwide.
Mission: We transform the lives of the young men and women of the IDF through empowering educational, financial, well-being, and cultural initiatives.
www.israelrescue.org (United Hatzalah)
We are a community-based volunteer emergency medical services (EMS) organization committed to providing the fastest response to medical emergencies across Israel even prior the arrival of ambulances and completely free of charge.
www.ajc.org (American Jewish Committee)
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. We work to shape a brighter future by taking on the toughest challenges and pursuing the most transformative opportunities. Through our unparalleled global network of offices, institutes, and international partnerships, AJC engages with leaders at the highest levels of government and civil society to counter antisemitism, open new doors for Israel, and advance democratic values.
www.myjewishlearning.com/article/modern-israeli-history-a-timeline/
My Jewish Learning is all about empowering Jewish discovery for anyone interested in learning more. My Jewish Learning was launched in 2003 and is now a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest nonprofit, nondenominational Jewish media organization in North America.
Recommended Books by your Clergy and Educators:
Rabbi Daniel Gordis, “Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After its Creation Has Israel Fulfilled its Founders’ Dreams?” 2023
Rabbi Daniel Gordis, “Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn”
Yossi Klein Halevi, “Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor”
Walter Laqueur & Dan Schueftan, ed., “The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict” 2016
Deborah E. Lipstadt, “Golda: Israel’s Matriarch” 2023
Dan Senor and Saul Singer, “The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World” 2023
Ari Shavit, “My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” 2013
As you read and learn, continue to explore your questions with reliable Internet searches.
If you have questions about anything you might encounter, please reach out and ask us at Congregation Beth Israel, info@beth-israel.org.