The Newsletter of Congregation Beth Jacob “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!” CONGREGATION BETH JACOB P.O. Box 3284 Plymouth, MA 02361 508-746-1575 www.cbjplymouth.org MARCH/APRIL 2012 5772 HOLIDAYS Thurs, March 8, Purim Sat, April 7, Pesach (Passover) Thurs, April 19, Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Thurs, April 26, Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) Thurs, May 10, Lag B’Omer Sun, May 27, Shavuot Sat., July 28, Tisha B’av Holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the dates listed. A MESSAGE F ROM RABBI S ILVERMAN… At our Friday night service on February 24, I spoke about that week's news, which involved the unintentional burning of volumes of the Quran (Koran) by the American military at a base in Afghanistan. The event was acknowledged by the officer in charge with great apologies and regrets. So far, what had hap- pened was not a tragedy. There were serious moral implications to the event; and it was appropriate that a serious measure of contrition was expressed. A lesson had been learned. Tragedy ensued, however, when certain individuals decided that this event was to be taken as an insult and an attack on Islam; and as a consequence, these individuals spread the word and took on a "mob men- tality," rioting, committing many acts of civil disorder, and committing acts of murder. They acted as if the burning of holy books was a worse offense than killing a human being. While this scale of values is a complicated one to dis- cuss, it is clear, in Judaism, that the taking of a person's life is a far worse ethi- cal violation than the accidental burning of books, no matter how holy, pre- cious, and loved those books may be. In my remarks, I quoted a passage from the writings of Amoz Oz, a renowned Israeli author. That passage generated some discussion; and for everyone's information, and possibly for the sake of further discussion, I wanted to reproduce that text here, in context. From an interview with Amos Oz, in "The Seventh Day: Soldiers' Talk about the Six Day War." One of the men from Hulda [Amos Oz's kibbutz] died during the war, about 24 or 25 [years old]. When I came back from the war, I went to see his par- ents. A few of the kibbutz members were there, and the mother was crying. The father was biting his lips to hold back his tears. One of the older members tried to comfort them, “Look, after all, we've liberated Jerusalem," he said, "he didn't die for nothing." The mother burst into sobs and said, "The whole of the Western Wall isn't worth Micha's little finger as far as I'm concerned...." If what you're telling me is that we fought for our existence, then I'd say it was worth Micha Hyman's little finger. But if you tell me that it was the Wall we fought for, then it wasn't worth his little finger. Say what you like -- I do have a feeling for those stones -- but they're only stones. And Micha was a person. A man. If dynamiting the Wall would bring Micha back to life, then I'd say: "Blow it up!" Food for thought. -- With best wishes, Rabbi Lawrence Silverman: Rabbi’s Message 1 President’s Message Sisterhood 2 Brotherhood PARTY 3-4 Donations 5 Yahrzeits/Condolences 6 Social Action Corner 7 Calendar 8-9 Ad Page 10 Inside this issue:
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The Newsletter of
Congregation Beth Jacob
“How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!”
CONGREGATION BETH JACOB P.O. Box 3284
Plymouth, MA 02361 508-746-1575
www.cbjplymouth.org MARCH/APRIL 2012
5772 HOLIDAYS
Thurs, March 8, Purim
Sat, April 7, Pesach (Passover)
Thurs, April 19, Yom Hashoah
(Holocaust Remembrance Day)
Thurs, April 26, Yom Haatzmaut
(Israeli Independence Day)
Thurs, May 10, Lag B’Omer
Sun, May 27, Shavuot
Sat., July 28, Tisha B’av
Holidays begin at sundown on the
evening before the dates listed.
A MESSAGE FROM RABBI SILVERMAN…
At our Friday night service on February 24, I spoke about that week's news,
which involved the unintentional burning of volumes of the Quran (Koran) by
the American military at a base in Afghanistan. The event was acknowledged
by the officer in charge with great apologies and regrets. So far, what had hap-
pened was not a tragedy. There were serious moral implications to the event;
and it was appropriate that a serious measure of contrition was expressed. A
lesson had been learned. Tragedy ensued, however, when certain individuals
decided that this event was to be taken as an insult and an attack on Islam; and
as a consequence, these individuals spread the word and took on a "mob men-
tality," rioting, committing many acts of civil disorder, and committing acts of
murder. They acted as if the burning of holy books was a worse offense than
killing a human being. While this scale of values is a complicated one to dis-
cuss, it is clear, in Judaism, that the taking of a person's life is a far worse ethi-
cal violation than the accidental burning of books, no matter how holy, pre-
cious, and loved those books may be. In my remarks, I quoted a passage from
the writings of Amoz Oz, a renowned Israeli author. That passage generated
some discussion; and for everyone's information, and possibly for the sake of
further discussion, I wanted to reproduce that text here, in context.
From an interview with Amos Oz, in "The Seventh Day: Soldiers' Talk about
the Six Day War."
One of the men from Hulda [Amos Oz's kibbutz] died during the war, about
24 or 25 [years old]. When I came back from the war, I went to see his par-
ents. A few of the kibbutz members were there, and the mother was crying.
The father was biting his lips to hold back his tears. One of the older members
tried to comfort them, “Look, after all, we've liberated Jerusalem," he said, "he
didn't die for nothing." The mother burst into sobs and said, "The whole of the
Western Wall isn't worth Micha's little finger as far as I'm concerned...." If
what you're telling me is that we fought for our existence, then I'd say it was
worth Micha Hyman's little finger. But if you tell me that it was the Wall we
fought for, then it wasn't worth his little finger. Say what you like -- I do have
a feeling for those stones -- but they're only stones. And Micha was a person.
A man. If dynamiting the Wall would bring Micha back to life, then I'd say:
"Blow it up!" Food for thought. -- With best wishes,