Rabbi's Corner

Message from the Rabbi

Choose Healing over Suffering
בִּנְפֹ֣ל (אויביך) [א֭וֹיִבְךָ] אַל־תִּשְׂמָ֑ח וּ֝בִכָּשְׁל֗וֹ אַל־יָגֵ֥ל לִבֶּֽךָ׃ 
If your enemy falls, do not exult; If he trips, let your heart not rejoice, (Proverbs 24:17)
Near the end of the seder we proclaim, “Pour out Your wrath on the nations who do not know You.”  It is a moment of extraordinary courage.  We say, to the world loud and clear, that we seek the demise of those who want to hurt us.  In every generation we can easily name those who are our latest and most dangerous adversary.  The instinct is to want their destruction and maybe after a few cups of wine we are even more emboldened.
Haven’t we had enough violence?  Haven’t we had enough hatred?  Haven’t we had enough pain? This year I ask you to substitute the statement of suffering witha statement of healing.  ”If your enemy falls, do not exult; If he trips, let your heart not rejoice,” (Proverbs 24:17) and begin the healing this world desperately needs. As it says in Exodus 15:26 [God] said, “If you will heed your God יהוה diligently, doing what is upright in God’s sight, giving ear to God’s commandments and keeping all God’s laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I יהוה am your healer.”
Chag Kasher V’Sameach