Freedom of speech is central to a free society and is constantly under attack. That being said, I must paraphrase something Winston Churchill once said, “that we are masters of our thoughts, but slave to our words and actions.”
We can’t always win. And sometimes we make mistakes. And sometimes we get caught and punished. And sometimes it feels unfair. And sometimes it is just a bad day. But it still hurts. Like many of you, Leslie and I watched the Super Bowl with hopeful anticipation. As one quarter rolled into the next, the excitement gave way to loss and sadness.
It is hard to believe that it’s been a year since COVID-19 emerged. In the past 12 months our lives have dramatically shifted as we embraced life during a pandemic. The question we ask ourselves is what now? There is still so much confusion and unknown, with constant changes and upheavals coming our way. Where do we go from here?
In a recent Reader’s Forum letter entitled “A facistic insurrection,” the writer has once again chosen to use the Holocaust to reinforce her political opinions. In my opinion this is very dangerous, and shows a complete lack of regard for the millions who died because of the Nazi regime.
“To heal, we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal.”
I first discovered the writing of Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, who passed away this week at age 90, as a beginning rabbinical student. His spiritual and Hasidic writings gave emotional lift to my classes on Jewish law.
Next week’s haftorah (reading from Prophets), “Shabbat Shekalim”, contains the following verses: (2 Kings 11:19-20; translation from Artscroll)
Today, Jan. 27, 2021, has been designated International Holocaust Rememberance Day. Today is the 81st anniversary of the date in 1945 when Soviet troops burst into the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp. I’ve been pondering the significance of Holocaust Day and remembering what I saw on TV on Jan. 6.
It begins — “It was when Pharaoh sent out the nation” — with the most momentous event — namely the Jewish peoples’ miraculous crossing the Sea of Reeds — and forever having their noxious slave masters gone, resulting in perhaps the most beautiful of Jewish prayers, the Az Yashir.
Toward the beginning of my favorite documentary, “Baseball” by Ken Burns, the narrator intones the following: “Baseball follows the seasons; it begins each year with the fond expectancy of springtime; and it ends with the hard facts of autumn.”
