This piece was written over two years ago. Chezi Goldberg was murdered in yesterday’s suicide bombing.
“We have not lost our minds, my friends. We have lost our hearts. And that is why we keep on losing our lives.”
Because, if you don’t cry, who will?
By Yechezkel Chezi Goldberg
The scene: 7:30 a.m. Israel time, Sunday December 2, 2001 — Eight hours after the triple terror attack at Jerusalem’s popular Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall.
He walked into shul, synagogue. I nodded my acknowledgement, as I always do.
He made some strange gesture, which I didn’t comprehend. I continued praying.
A few minutes later, he walked over to me and said: “Didn’t you hear?” “Hear about what?” I replied.
He grew impatient, almost frustrated. “Didn’t you HEAR?” I understood that he was talking about last night’s terror attack on Ben Yehuda Mall, a trendy night spot frequented not only by Israelis, but also Western tourists.
I assumed that he obviously was intimating that someone we knew was hurt or killed. I replied: “About who?” He looked at me as if I had landed from another planet. “About who? About everyone who was attacked last night.” I nodded.
“Yes, of course I heard.” “Then why aren’t YOU crying?”
His words shot through me like a spear piercing my heart. Our sages teach that “Words that come from the heart, enter the heart.” He was right, of course.
Why wasn’t I crying? I could not answer.
I had nothing to say. He pointed around the shul. “Why aren’t all of my friends crying?” I could not answer. I had nothing to say. “Shouldn’t we all be crying?” I could not answer. I had nothing to say.
What has happened to all of us, myself included? We have turned to stone.
Some would call it “numbness.” Some would call it “collective national shock.”
Some would say that we all have suffered never-ending trauma and it has affected our senses. Frankly, the excuses are worthless.
All the reasons in the world don’t justify our distance from the real pain that is burning in our midst. When an attack happens, in the heat of the moment, we frantically check to see if someone we know has been hurt or killed. And then, if we find out that “our friends and family are safe,” we sigh a deep
sigh of relief, grunt and grumble about the latest tragic event and then, we continue with our robotic motions and go on with our lives.
We have not lost our minds, my friends. We have lost our hearts. And that is why we keep on losing our lives.
When I left shul, my friend said to me with tears dripping from his bloodshot Eyes: “I heard once that the Torah teaches that for every tear that drops from our eyes, another drop of blood is saved.” We are living in a time of absolute madness.
It is obvious what is going on around us and yet, we detach ourselves and keep running on automatic in our daily lives. Last night, when it was only ten people who were known killed and just 200 injured, even MSNBC.com referred to the triple terror attack as a “slaughter.” (More tragedy, it turns out,
awaited us a few hours later.) And yet, we are not crying.
I know a woman who lost sensitivity in her fingers. When she approaches fire, she doesn’t feel the pain. That puts her in a very dangerous position because she might be unaware she is burning herself. If we are being hurt and we don’t feel it, then we are in a very risky position.
A devastating three pronged suicide attack on Jerusalem’s most popular thoroughfare should evoke a cry of pain and suffering from all of us, should it not?
Unless of course, we have lost our senses. And if we have lost our senses, then what hope is there?
When our enemies pound us and we don’t react because we no longer feel the pain, we are truly in a dangerous and precarious position in the battle and struggle to survive.
Perhaps, my friends, we are being foolish to really believe that the nations of the world should be upset about the continuous murder and slaughter of Jews — if we ourselves are not crying about it.
Am I my brother’s keeper? The most effective way for us to stop the carnage in our midst is to wake up and to react to it from our hearts.
How can we DEMAND that the Creator stop the tragedy when most of us react like robots when tragedy strikes?
If WE don’t cry about what is happening around us, who will?
If YOU don’t cry about what is happening around us, who will?
If I don’t cry about what is happening to us, who will?
Maybe our salvation from this horrific mess will come only after WE tune into our emotions and cry and scream about it.
As King Solomon said, “There is a time for everything under the sun.” Now is the time for crying. May He protect each and every one of us from our enemies so that we will not have to cry in the future.
“Where there is no man, be that man.”
Regardless of our level of religious observance or education, to serve G-d properly all Jews must be united. “All of Yisroel is responsible for each other”
(Midrash Eicha 3:39).
Suicide bombing in Jerusalem. Nine dead. 45 injured.
Shlomo Eliahu, the chief Rabbi of Safed has offered a plan to all those who “accidently” come upon porn sites while surfing the internet.
Please God, help me cleanse the computer of viruses and evil photographs that disturb and ruin my work …, so that I shall be able to cleanse myself
According to the reuters article, quoting Yediot, Rabbi Eliahu said he had “responded to a deluge of queries from Orthodox Jews worried that the lure of Internet sex sites was putting family relationships at risk.”
(hat tip to DJ Blood of Gods of Fire)
When Michael Jackson sang “Jew me, Sue me” and “Kick me, Kike me” do you think he was thinking about his children at the time?
They are Jewish and Jackson’s ex-wife is concerned with Jackson’s association with the Nation of Islam.
We live in a strange, strange world. I bet media whore Shmuely Boteach will have something to say about this!
Thankfully I am feeling better. My withdrawal from percocet was a success. After 48 hours of crying in the corner in the fetal position begging for mercy and more drugs I emerged a new man.
Back pain sucks. It was a tough week physically. Even more so mentally. Until last night, I hadn’t left the apartment in a week. I spent a bit too much time laying on the couch watching sub-standard B movies and reality tv. In fact, my wife and I have both become addicted to the oh so very sad Paradise Hotel.
It might be the greatest concept in reality television ever. Take a bunch of horny moronic twentysomethings, lock them in a luxurious resort with an abundant amount of fruity drinks and cocktails, throw in at least two certifiable insane people and one totally unstable female body builder and you got yourself a hit!
I cringe at nearly ever comment, stupid reaction and turn red with embarrassment at almost every interaction. It’s classic reality television that has nothing to do with reality.
Well, I’m back. As usual it was a chaotic trip. Details about my semi-annual, non-vacaction in the states are on the horizon.
It kind of sucked returning to a flat tire though. What sucks even more is getting up early to get to the tire place and slipping a disc by reaching for reaching for my jacket (couldn’t it have happened while doing something more exciting?). Yeah, so back is screwed, intense nerve pain, can barely move…
Thanks to the dr. who prescribed me percocet….
An old friend once told me “Life as a Jew is 10 percent happiness and 90 percent suffering. I’m starting to believe him.
Thankfully I have the Tenancious D and The Ben Stiller Show dvds to keep me entertained.
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