Greetings friends
This week, we are coming up on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is on January 27 – commemorating the date the Soviet army liberated the prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. It is a shout through the echoes of time for us to remember, talk about, and teach those around us. The further we get from it, the less survivors there will be, and my fear is the closer we get to repeating it.
It is more than 100 days since the October 7th terror attack on Israel by a group now supported the world over who have one goal and one goal only – the elimination and death of every Jew in the world - and more than 130 people are still held as hostages.
These were not soldiers – but - women, children, babies. There is no equivalent in history, and the silence is deafening –
How is that acceptable by any stretch of the imagination? I fear for the descent of humanity - and when pressed, or to court voters, donors and consumers, governments and institutions, state they want to fight anti-semitism – but only by linking it with Islamophobia. I guess I’ve been living in a bubble. I’ve missed the senseless slaughter and protests and boycotts and calls for the death and destruction of all Muslims everywhere. Where have I been? This is a failure of leadership not seen since the episode of the “spies” in Numbers.
The great scholar Joshua Heschel once wrote - Hitler and his followers came to power not with machine guns but with words, and they did so with a debased view of human beings rooted in contempt for God.
How close are we to seeing this again?
We must focus on educating and teaching the youth about the reality of dehumanization.
Martin Luther King tried, and it was his day this past week - a truly great man, a visionary who 60 years ago said - "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
We were so close, but now we are back to emphasizing color and differences and do not seek for people to be equal.
We must end the dehumanization of any and all people and the segregation and hatred. It is not just a past thing. What happened once can happen again and may be happening now. We can stop it.
Unfortunately, I still remember only a few years ago when the only Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel was being banned in some communities - Maus by Art Spiegelman – telling the story of his father in concentration camps - with Jews depicted as mice and Nazis as cats, banned for having naked cartoon mice and using the phrase “god damn.” Well - God damn.
One of the joys of freedom is the ability to discuss things we do not all agree with. Censorship is becoming uglier and uglier and more and more restrictive. It does not contribute to that discussion, and removing important teaching aids like this is harmful. Let us hope book banning ends so discussion and education can reign.
Last week, G0d introduced himself to the world via the plagues of Egypt. He had said how, when, why, and what, and none of it had to do with punishing the Egyptians for their treatment of anyone or for a world of slavery, but if you took a poll, almost everyone would say that was the reason. And all these plagues are not long-ago events but current. They still occur in our lives.
This week, we see the next three – and to many, they are the true big three, although the ones from last week left Egypt bereft.
This week, we have:
Locusts – they bring devastation and contribute nothing. They decimated anything that was left.
Darkness was such that it was palpable. You could not see your hand in front of you. Darkness brings fear because we cannot see. Lighting a candle brings light and drives fear away. This dark would not be stopped by a candle, and that kind of fear leaves you paralyzed and afraid to move. This is the plague that probably still affects people the most to this day. How many of us still live in darkness? What is it you refuse to see? Do you fear the light because it hurts your eyes? What can we each do to help bring more light to ourselves and to the world?
You can certainly start by bringing it into your own life, and when you do – help bring it to others.
And finally, there was death of the first born – ma’kat bech’orot - purposed mass execution - not first-born Egyptians – but first born in Egypt – for everyone who did not have the blood of the sacrifice on the doorposts and lintels –the original vaccine passport.
You can overcome all the plagues of life. Continue to let the growing light into your lives because light gives us the ability to see, and when we can see, we need not be afraid. Keep practicing forgiveness and use this time to continue to forgive those you need to forgive and ask forgiveness from those you need to seek forgiveness from and give thanks and celebrate your freedom and joy; do not succumb to fear – and please feel free to share this audio and video with any you think might enjoy it, and of course, enjoy all of our past audio and video episodes which are available on our YouTube channel. This episode will be posted on our channel - click here to watch the Rabbi David Gellman Show in the 2024 cycle.
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Thank you all for allowing me into your homes, into your electronic devices, into your hearts – as you are all with me in mine –
Be well, be happy, be healthy, be free, be kind, be forgiving, be compassionate, be independent of mind and deed, be mindful of your intentions and be good to yourself. Continue to celebrate freedom of choice in your life, do not give in to the fear that is so prevalent, and enjoy the peace that comes from acceptance – as always - if you have any questions or suggestions or want to say “hi,” please send me an email. I love hearing from you.
And remember, anytime you do not want to receive these anymore, please send me an email so I can remove you. And know - that I truly appreciate your sharing your sacred time with me.
Enjoy and celebrate your life and the lives of others, and in doing so, find your passion in life. Be happy, sow the seeds of, and reap the rewards of peace, love, and miracles, and make sure you also celebrate your unique individuality and incredible awesomeness.
And remember – your world is what you make it. Just wish upon a star, continue to be a miracle in someone’s life, and light the light of love. May the year bring all your hopes, dreams, and wishes to fruition.
Blessings
RD
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