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September 10, 2005
Ellul countdown: Healing the rifts
Traditionally, the destruction of the Second Temple was caused by senseless hatred within the Jewish community, which we note on the anniversary of that calamity, which can be thought of as a softening-up of our defenses which leads into the period of teshuva before the Yamim Noraim. Unfortunately, we have not learned much from this midrash, and Jews still bicker and pick at each other.
Yehoshua Karsh has an idea for mitigating this flaw in the community character, especially appropriate for the season of repentance and return:
A few years ago a group of Jews in Chicago got together to heal rifts and build bridges amongst the Jewish Community. They formed an organization they called “The One Project.” . . . For some it was to make up with a friend, for another to go out to lunch with someone who belonged to an organization whose platform they despised. There were some who called family and said they were sorry, there were some who started the steps to working out political problems within the synagogue. There were Orthodox people who spoke with Reform, Conservative, Reconstrunctionist, Renewel, Gay, and Unaffilliated Jews, and all of the above with each other.
In the spirit of the above I have agreed to take a step. A small but realizable step and I'm asking you to do the same. Heal a rift or build a bridge within the Jewish people and then pass it on. Ask one other person to do the same.
Judith | 09/10/05 at 08:30 PM | Categories: - Yamim Noraim
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