A thought worth sharing in the wake of tragedy and on the cusp of a new year

[George Robinson <GRComm...>]

Khaverim --

Some of you in the Jewish journalism world may know Zalman Shmotkin from
his work with Chabad. Even if you don't I think you may find some
comfort in this message that I and many others received from him by
e-mail just before Erev Rosh Hashanah.

I pass it along to you with best wishes for a healthy and safe new year.

Shalom,
George Robinson

"History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of
     urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to
endure."
     Justice Thurgood Marshall, Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives'
     Assn. (1989)


Zalman Shmotkin wrote:
> 
> By the Grace of G-d
> Erev Rosh Hashana, 5762
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> Standing only a few hours before Rosh Hashanah, when we pray to G-d to
> demonstrate His mercy to the entire world, please allow me to share with you
> some reflections about the recent events that have so affected us.
> 
> *
> 
> We all look for consolation and we seek to console. But the sheer enormity
> of the evil we just experienced is so hideous, so repellent, we're left with
> no words.
> 
> Of course, we stand behind our military, our intelligence agencies and our
> elected leaders in their efforts to eradicate this evil.
> 
> But we shy away from personally looking this evil straight in the eye, we
> shrink from taking it on. Timidly, we prod and encourage each other to
> "return to normal life."
> 
> For how could anyone of us purport to combat something so grotesque and so
> awesome?
> 
> I¹d like to propose, though, that we can and need to do just that.
> 
> Much has been written about the motivation, the conditioning, the
> bloodcurdling ruthlessness, the precision of last week's crimes against
> humanity.
> 
> All accounts and hypotheses point to the same simple truth: The primary
> motivation, the underlying force behind every action executed by last week's
> murderers was: Hatred.
> 
> Pure, unbridled, blind, indiscriminate Hatred. Hatred of freedom, Hatred of
> democracy, Hatred of "infidels," Hatred of Jews, Hatred of anything and
> everything besides the murderers themselves. Wanton, simple hatred.
> 
> It is this that we must combat. It is this that we must eradicate.
> 
> What is the remedy to Wanton Hatred? The Lubavitcher Rebbe of righteous
> memory answered this many times, with clarity and certitude: Wanton Love.
> 
> Raw, cold-blooded, fanatical, baseless, relentless hatred can be matched and
> combated only with pure, undiscriminating, uninhibited, unyielding,
> baseless, unsolicited love and acts of kindness.
> 
> But we need not just plain love. We need love that costs us. Love that we
> get nothing back for.
> 
> The barbarians willingly gave up their lives to sow their hatred. We need to
> be willing to lose sleep, to suffer losses, to be uncomfortable, to
> sacrifice our pleasures, in order to help another human being -- with at
> least the precision, determination and passion that Evil's compatriots of
> last week employed to fulfill their mission of hate.
> 
> Every one of us can make a difference.
> 
> The Rebbe would always quote the Maimonidean adage: Each person should see
> himself as though the entire world is on a delicate balance and with one
> deed he or she can tip the scales.
> 
> Only a few handfuls of terrorists turned our world upside down. Let us not
> underestimate the power of each of us to turn it upright again.
> 
> Every good act, every expression of kindness and love, will be a thousand
> antibodies to neutralize the viruses put in place by the forces of evil.
> 
> In response to darkness, we will fill the earth with light. To defeat evil
> we will saturate our globe with good.
> 
> And when we do our part G-d will surely do His part to protect us and
> transform our world to the one we all hope and yearn for, one that will be
> filled with His glory, like the waters fill the ocean.
> 
> [SNIP]
> 
> Again, L¹shana tova!
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin
> Director, Chabadonline
>

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