In January 2020 BC (before COVID) Rabbi Bouskila last met with Israeli author A. B. Yehoshua before his passing on June 14. Rabbi Bouskila recounts his history with the author, including discussions on the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, or the Israel-Diaspora divide.
This Shabbat is the second Shabbat of consolation, following Tisha B’Av. We chant from Isaiah 49:14-51:3, wherein the prophet addresses the mourning for the destruction of Zion and concludes with hope for divine comfort.
Well-being is within our reach, although many us of may feel unfulfilled or alone. The need to inflict misery is in our nature, yet we can learn from our teachings. We study the narratives of the Golden Calf and the Sin of the Spies to remind ourselves of our moral transgressions. However, sin also includes acting against our authentic nature.
At the beginning of the book of Devarim, Moses reviews the history of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness, starting with the appointment of leaders throughout the people, heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. He continues:
The Aseret HaDibrot should be understood as a covenant for both a theology and a way of life. It transcends a halakhic list of laws, to become an educational covenant.
In the aftermath of devastating tragedies, readers from Brooklyn, as well as from my community in Maryland and in Virginia, have reached out to ask for a discussion of Divine Justice and what to do when bad things happen to good people.