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Falling Apart – Parshat Vayeitzei

Falling Apart

The last few days have been filled with tragic news from all corners of the world. Every morning has its own horrific story. People are feeling emotionally drained, wondering how much longer this can go on. It feels like things are slowly starting to unravel and beginning to fall apart. Is there hope?
I can’t help but think about the fact that it took just 8 people to create an upheaval in Paris and much of Europe. The 8 terrorists and their actions have forever altered the course of French history. Life has changed as a result of what they have done. The same happened in America on 9/11 when 19 people changed our country forever.
We know that every single day on our planet, the are billions of people doing good things. It can be argued that millions of peoples lives are changed in a good way every single day. However, if just 8 people can turn a country on its head for the worse, then it must be possible for just 8 people to change a country for the better. Jewish mysticism teaches that “Zeh Leumat Zeh Asa Elokim” and that everything in this world has an “opposite”. Where there is a negative charge, the must be a positive as well. There is a way to “terrorize” the world with goodness. There is a way for a tiny band of people, or even one person, to bring about tremendous change.
While all looks bleak and when we wonder if there is a way out of all of this, we must remember that the antidote already exists in our world. We must continue adding light and “fight” for goodness and truth. Let’s not let those who lost their lives to this senselessness die in vain. Let’s honor their memories by creating hysteria and panic around more goodness than the world could imagine.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mendy Hecht
November 20, 2015 | From the Rabbi's Desk | 0

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