In Solidarity with the Tree of Life
“But, love has to be stronger than hate or there is no future for us.”
Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale
No! No! Not again.
Yes. Once again, we are greeted with the news of violent expression of hatred. Eleven Jewish people have been slain, worshiping in their Synagogue, The Tree of Life. Countless mourners are tragically bereft. All in this country which was founded on religious tolerance and promises of the pursuit of happiness for all.
Once again, our Jewish brethren are murdered by a maniac who was fueled by persecutory belief that is, in fact, pathology. The human heart and soul run amuck into distorted, life destroying madness.
No. No. Not again.
Yes, again.
It is with reverence, respect, and love that I turn to Jewish teaching in the aftermath of this incident. Not with presumption that I can express their wisdom with the depth of a practitioner of the Jewish faith. But, as a Christian, led to transcend the boundaries of belief systems in grateful obedience to the highest form of Love, I join with our Cousins in Faith. As a woman with generational ties to, respect for, and love of the Jewish people, especially my dear friends, I speak out in solidarity with their grief, fear, and love unleashed.
Their grief is poignant.
Their fear is real.
Their response of love is awe inspiring.
As I listened to the news, saddened by the horror, the story shifted. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue was speaking in tones of wisdom and equanimity. He spoke of the Jewish commitment to life, and to serving life, even in the face of persecution. He offered this in response to a journalist who was seeking to understand how the Jewish surgeon, who saved the life of the assailant, could bring himself to attend to the life of one who had just taken 11 of his own people. Worshiping in the holiest of places, the Synagogue. Assuming the most vulnerable of positions, worship.
How?
The Rabbi spoke of the Jews’ reverence for life and commitment to honoring it…regardless.
My dear friend reminded me of the Jewish concept, Tikkun Olam: repairing of the world. Healing of the world. Wanting to learn more about this idea, I consulted Chabad.org. From this source, I understood more deeply the motivation of this great people to respond to hate with an insistence on life.
May we all be so motivated.
Tikkun means to repair, improve, fix, prepare, set up, or heal.
Olam, in Biblical Hebrew is, “all of time”. Modern usage is, “the world”.
“In Jewish teachings, any activity that improves the world, bringing it closer to the harmonious state for which it was created” is Tikkun Olam.
Tikkun Olam is “to do something with the world that will not only fix any damage, but also improve upon it.”
“Each act of Tikkun Olam is a fine tuning of our world’s voices. With each tikkun, we are creating meaning out of confusion, harmony from noise, revealing the unique part each creation plays in a universal symphony that sings of its creator.”
Olam is also interpreted hidden. “We are to repair the world so that its creator is no longer hidden within, but shines through each thing in magnificent, harmonious beauty.”
Though I was familiar with this concept in Judaism, further reading has amplified it for me and offered a resounding resonance with my experience of beloved Jewish friends, colleagues, and the Rabbi in The Tree of Life Synagogue. With the ways they lead their lives and the values they embody.
May we all join our Jewish brothers and sisters in this reverent response to life. “All human activities are opportunities to fulfill this mission, and every human being can be involved in Tikkun Olam- child or adult, student or entrepreneur, industrialist or artist, caregiver or salesperson, political activist or environmentalist, or just another of us struggling to keep afloat.”
May we know that, “Each tikkun has the potential to change everything.”
And always remember, “Silence is consent.”
Shalom.
