Rabbi Robbins references Vayikra 19:32: “one must rise up…and honor the face of the old man.” She writes that respect and honor are at the root of our tradition, which attributes an elevated status to all who age. She critiques our culture that tends, instead, to isolate and humiliate our elders.
Rabbi Bouskila considers the post-Tisha B’Av drash written by Rabbi Uziel in 1933, when Nazi Germany was in power. Rabbi Uziel wrote that it was the job of the rabbis—spiritual leaders—to lead the community in healing its divisions; only by healing our internal rifts could we strengthen ourselves against outside threats.
Rabbi Sacks cites a number of recent American presidents who specifically referred to the covenant that is addressed in Va’etchanan as a basis for a democratic society. His point is that Moses was prescient in his belief that a nation founded on a covenant with God would inspire other nations to follow suit. He writes of the irony of the political culture of the United States being more Judaic than that of Israel.