From the Desk of Rabbi Jacobs

The coastal plain of the Mediterranean from the Eastern shores of modern Israel--where it is known as ha-shefelah-- to the south and west at Gibraltar is home to both ancient and contemporary centers of population. Great cities like Alexandria—home of a storied library in antiquity—rose and fell, launched vessels of trade, and were homes to varied populations. Jewish communities rose in most, and this often led them to periods of growth, prosperity, and, in many cases local or regional dominance. Documentation is inconsistent, but tradition tells of very long-standing Jewish life and involvement in trade in silk and spices. 

Along with these commodities, these ancient Jewish communities carried cultural and intellectual property. Levels of literacy, intellectual activity, and morality were carried, too. By the second century, the Diaspora community of Jews was in regular communication, carrying news and ideas. Later, as empires rose and fell, and Roman notions of citizenship fell away, Jewish communities became safe havens for Jews going from port to port, whether as traders or emigrants, whether by choice or force. 

Over centuries and generations, a cultural umbrella developed around the entirety of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching the Iberian Peninsula, including three great religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity (the official religion of Rome after 380 c.e.), and Islam (the Caliphate reaching Spain and its greatest extent after 711 c.e.). In each area within the greater civilization, populations were mixed and remixed, influencing one another, and laying the basis for modern philosophy and sciences through a reworking of ancient texts.

Universal good, however, was not achieved. The struggle for domination and power, the instinctive evils that came to be known to some as the ‘7 deadly sins’, and to Judaism as ha-yetzer—the (evil) inclination—led to multiple versions of self-destruction following eras of moral disruption. This was not new, but a theme that Torah set in place from the time of Noah, through the whole of the ancient Israelite narrative. Later this week, more about the weekly portion, but for today a single verse:

וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַאַ֣ף תִּסְפֶּ֔ה צַדִּ֖יק עִם־רָשָֽׁע׃

“Abraham came forward and said, ‘Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?’”[Genesis 18:23]

In the ancient context, the subject is Sodom, the city about to be destroyed. In modern context, as Israeli forces march and roll into Gaza City, the same ethical question is bandied about, as if the IDF possessed some divine ability to sort between the not-so-good and awfully bad under the rule of the exceedingly barbaric Hamas. 

We might ask, what has been done amid the clamor to free the hostages taken on October 7? Why has humanitarian assistance been delayed for the beleaguered children of Palestinian families whose homes are in the path of destruction? These are grave concerns, not easy to resolve. Little progress is yet evident for those kidnapped during the Hamas raid, 4 individuals were released but 200+ remain in captivity. We clearly are not yet informed about the details, though we would like to know.

For those others—as Gazan social norms are collapsing, and looting has grown a problem, days have elapsed during which clear messages from Israel said: leave Gaza City, leave the areas adjacent to Israel, take refuge near the Egyptian border. Doomsday is near…

Hamas has chosen to do anything but assist the evacuation. Have they also used the pitiful sight of hordes in disarray, seeking shelter near hospitals and UN aid stations, and targeted their own people? I find it a real possibility. Further, for decades, the tunnel city underneath Gaza City has been expanded and upgraded. Israel will see the imperative of closing those tunnels down, but there is an urban center above…where people have scratched together lives…where children and adults will continue to be wounded, to die. 

I cannot believe that Israel wishes “to sweep away the innocent along with the guilty.”

In a perfect world, Hamas would change to civility, to acceptance of the State of Israel, to democratic elections and a free society…In a perfect world, Israel would find reason to stop the bombs, end the invasion, to allow all citizens and residents free and equal access to the highest level of service…In a perfect world, Jews and Arabs, Christians and Moslems, Bedouin and Druze will build a City of God…

Our world is not perfect. We muddle along. We pray for peace. And we wait…

Rabbi Tarfon taught: It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it. [Pirkei Avot 2:16] 

Hallevai…may it come to be.