Friday, December 28, 2012
Transcending and Include Tragedy: Reflections on the Newtown Shooting
Posted by Zvi Bellin, Ph.D. at 7:43 AM
Parashat Vayechi
16 Tevet 5773 / Dec. 28-29, 2013
Bereshit 47:28 - 50:26
Bereshit 47:28 - 50:26
Transcending and Include
Tragedy: Reflections on the Newtown Shooting
by
Zvi Bellin, MHHQ
The shooting in Connecticut last week makes it almost impossible
not to feel the pain of an imperfect world. In such times it is easy to
surrender our hopes and dreams of a better reality. As Jews we have unique
tools to be re-inspired to live fully as we transcend and include such
tragedy. For example, we can learn a powerful lesson from two archetypal
characters - Jacob and Josef. In parshat Vayechi (“And he lived”) we read about
the end of Jacob’s life. He is in Egypt surrounded by his children and
grandchildren. Jacob is reunited with his beloved son Joseph, who he thought was dead for many years.
Chapter 48, verse 11 reads:
יא וַיֹּאמֶר
יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-יוֹסֵף, רְאֹה פָנֶיךָ לֹא פִלָּלְתִּי; וְהִנֵּה
הֶרְאָה אֹתִי אֱלֹהִים, גַּם אֶת-זַרְעֶךָ.
|
11 And Israel said unto Joseph:
'I had not thought to see your face; and, lo, God
has let me see your children too.'
|
The Torah’s word choice for thought
is very curious. In the Hebrew (see bolded above) we have the word pilalti.
This is from the same root as le’hitpalel or tefilah – to pray or
prayer. The Torah is providing us
insight as to what it means to really pray in
the face of the most terrible circumstances.
Jacob is not only saying simply that
he had not thought he would see Joseph’s face, rather he was saying he never
believed or imagined the possibility that he would see Joseph’s face again.
This is what prayer can be – an opportunity to imagine the unimaginable, to
create possibility where there seems to be impossibility. When we tap into our
spiritual life through prayer we are accessing what Viktor Frankl calls, “the
defiant power of the human spirit.” When we pray in a traditional sense, we
say, “Hey God! There are a lot of things wrong with this world and the solution
seems impossible – but I believe that life can be different and I am not going
to give up on doing my part to make it different!” When Jacob says that he
thought he would never see Joseph again, we see his lapse into despair, his
disconnection with the possibility that life can turn out any different than
the misery he was living in.
In the face of a horrendous tragedy
like the one that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT,
taking time to dwell in the Jacob response is very natural and important.
Little children’s lives were brutally cut short, as were the lives of the
teachers and staff that stayed dutifully to protect them. It is important to
acknowledge the brokenness of our world, though unlike Jacob, we should make
sure that our spirits are not broken too.
An alternative to Jacob’s despair can
be seen in Joseph, who keeps his dreams alive and never loses a connection with
the defiant power of his spirit. It reminds me of the popular adage from Pirkei
Avot, "It is not incumbent upon you to finish
the task, nor are you free to desist from it."
All across the country people are
speaking loudly about gun and bullet control reform, about better care and
sensitivity around mental health needs, and about the need for closeness and
love in every community. Great tragedy exposes the great cracks of our society.
We cannot escape the ugliness in the world, and we should not try to. Moishe
House is not just a place where events happen. Each house is a space for
community to unite through mourning and celebration. As Rabbi A.J. Heschel
suggested, now is the time to pray with our feet. Allow your community
to be inspired past the pain to meaningful Jewish practice and social service. Continue
to create moments of caring and support where people can come home and be
themselves. Learn from Jacob and acknowledge the despair and then act like
Joseph and dream of a bright today.
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