What is the true meaning of the Jews being God’s “Chosen People”? It is not necessarily a blessing, although it’s not a curse either. The “chosenness” demands a huge responsibility that the Jews were uniquely chosen for: to heal the world. And I wonder sometimes if I am doing my part.
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What does it mean to heal the world, especially in these times? It means being an example of living the life of a moral and upright person. But it means more than that. It means actively taking the responsibility to mend those places where the world is deeply wounded and suffering. No small task.
And this past 9/11 weekend, more than other 9/11 remembrances in recent years, I feel the burden and overwhelming loss of the American dream. It isn’t completely lost. But it is limping along, as so many people decide that they have the right to manipulate and distort that dream for their own purposes. We have citizens who choose to desecrate the memories of those who fell on 9/11 and, in the years since, those who died from cancer or lung diseases as a result of their exposure.
Where is the humanity of those who celebrate death and destruction?
For just one moment, can they find the heart to send prayers, even now, to those who have died? To the people who were trapped in the buildings? To those who ran to the attack rather than away from it? To those who knew the terror of feeling the flames and smoke at their back and leapt to their deaths?
In some ways, I was fortunate. I lived in California, and for some reason I woke up early and turned on the television. I heard the commentators talking about the first plane hitting the tower. My mind froze as I tried to make sense of what was happening. I was alone, as my husband was away on business in another state. That day, I walked around the house in a daze.
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All that was left were the memories of dust and ashes, of people running away, of firefighters running toward; of a man completely coated with dust; of people leaping from buildings. And all I could do was watch.
But today, I am resolving to do much more. To cry out so that God can hear my heart lamenting the debacle and the lack of humanity. To demand that everyone realize they have a responsibility to grab the hands of others and form an impermeable spiritual barrier that will stop this viciousness and hate. To commit myself to fighting against the barbarism that serves no purpose other than crippling the world.
In calling out this morning, I blew the shofar for the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Jews are not allowed to blow the shofar on Shabbat, but I wanted to make up for that this morning. I wanted to blow into the shofar like a bellow that knows no end. I wanted to cry into it so that God would surely hear it and recognize that some of us, especially some Jews, are prepared to take on this battle against humanity. I wanted to celebrate that I had people in my life, Jews and Gentiles, who would join me in this fight, this war.
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In these times, God has chosen all of us to join this conflict.
9/11 will never be over, and we must continue the fight.
Image: National Archives