Rabbi's Message

Our first couple of Torah portions in the book of Genesis teach us about the importance and the power of words.  God creates the world with words teaching us that we our words too can build up or tear down.  Then there is Noah.  When God tells Noah that the world will be destroyed via flood, Noah is silent. Commentators over the ages have been puzzled by Noah’s silence. But his silence is precisely the point. Nearly the entire portion of Noah is filled with God’s speech and Noah’s actions–but not words. From his building the ark through the entire Flood, Noah utters not a single word. 

I have been thinking a lot about Noah’s silence this week, especially since a conversation that I had with a friend who lives in Israel.  She simply said: “ein milim, there are no words,” and proceeded to cry.  
Ein Milim.  It is really hard to find words to describe what we are all feeling.  How can words describe the heartbreak and concern that we feel?  How can words describe the atrocity Israel endured
Nightmare of nightmares.  How can words describe the physical pain so many of our brothers and sisters are feeling and the emotional pain that we all feel?

Ein Milim.  There are no words.  But just as Israel knows that she must find the strength, amidst its great sorrow, to respond, so too must we, do our best, to find the words that others must hear and that we need to hear as well. And so, a few words:

• The attack that took place in Israel on October 7th was a barbaric massacre that can only be described as a terrorist attack in which the world bore witness to pure, absolute evil.  Israeli civilians, men, women, and children, young and old, were murdered in cold blood.  Any attempt to compare or equate Hamas’ terrorist rampage with Israel’s response in Gaza is a failure to understand the facts, and more tragically represents a moral failure of humanity.
• Israel has a moral right and imperative to protect its citizens and to rescue Israelis that were taken as captives by Hamas. Hamas explicitly wants to exterminate and eliminate Israel.  This is a war of morals and justice. It is a war that we now can no longer avoid.
• We must do everything in our power to support our brothers and sisters in Israel.  Through education, advocacy, volunteering, solidarity, and prayer, we can make a difference from afar.  
• We must care for one another.  The last twelve days have been traumatic for all of us.  Trauma and vicarious trauma are real.  The emotions we are all feeling are real and should not be swept under the carpet.  At the same time, we must remind one another that like our brothers and sisters in Israel, we are not alone.  We are here to support one another through this time of tragedy, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear.

At TBS and in our local South Jersey Jewish community, there have been and will continue to be many opportunities to gather in order to learn more about what is happening in Israel, to do our part to help, to pray, and to support one another. Our TBS community has provided me much comfort over the last few weeks as I have watched our community come together in so many ways, from our youngest to our oldest, in support of Israel.

Ein Milim.  It’s hard to find words.  But is not hard to find the love and support of this community.  And it’s not hard to know that we must remain steadfast in our support of Israel today, tomorrow, and for all of the years to come.  

Am Yisrael Hai.