Life Versus Terror: a 9/11 and Contributors at Chabad.Org Have Written on the Anthology Great War of Life Against Terror

www.Chabad.org

Voices Life versus Terror: a 9/11 and contributors at Chabad.org have written on the anthology great war of life against terror. Each time I did so, I found myself encouraged, reaffirmed in my faith in the goodness of G-d’s world. If that was my experience, perhaps it may be yours as well. Following is an updated collection.

We’ve survived. We’ve cleared the rubble and Wanton Hatred, Wanton Love by Zalman Shmotkin picked up the pieces of our shattered pride and Today I Saw Evil by Yori Yanover shocked economy; we even have a design in the A Soldier’s Boots by Colonel Jacob Z. Goldstein works for a new glorious World Trade Center, com- Face To Face by Tzvi Freeman plete with a memorial to our dead. We’ve deposed How Do You Fight Evil by Tzvi Freeman the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam in Iraq. We have these big fat x-ray machines in our airports Hasn’t Belief in G-d caused more Evil than Good? by and patrol cars watching our bridges. Bin Laden’s Tzvi Freeman on the run or at least lying low. Why I’m Not Afraid by Tzvi Freeman And still we’re in the thick of battle, this war of When Heaven is Evil by Manis Friedman life versus terror. Turns out that this battle has been The Jewish approach to Tragedy by Dov Wagner going on all along, only we avoided looking it in Silence by Tali Lowenthal the face. It’s not an equal fight. One side has human Today the World Trembles, Today the World is Born bombs and lethal poisons and hateful determination by Simon Jacobson and absolutely no scruples. The other side has Nine, Ten and Eleven by Simon Jacobson goodwill and moral inhibitions and hesitant smiles and kind words and small charitable acts. It’s no The Twin Towers - A Spiritual Reincarnation by equal fight, since a single hesitant good deed is a Laibl Wolf billion times more powerful than all the bombs in The Burning Palace by Yossi Jacobson the world. Transcending Fear by Yanki Tauber Life shall triumph, as it always has. As it did The Jew’s Double Standard by Yanki Tauber when eight men and women survived the Great Guilt by Yanki Tauber Flood in an ark and emerged to resettle and repop- Why Does Esau Hate Jacob? by Yanki Tauber ulate the earth. As it did when 70 souls descended into exile and slavery, to climb out four generations One Year Later by Yanki Tauber later as a vibrant people with a mission to bring The Sacred and the Good by Jay Litvin freedom and sanctity to the entire world. As it did Life After Terror by Jay Litvin when Mordechai refused to bow to Haman and when the Maccabees refused to accept the desecra- tion of the Holy Temple. As it did when the free world defeated Hitler, and when the evil of Stalinism crumbled to dust just 15 years ago. Life shall triumph, for life is so much stronger than terror. Numerous times during the two years since 9/11 I’ve read and re-read the articles that our editors

1 www.Chabad.org

Voices Wanton Hatred, Wanton Love Raw, cold-blooded, fanatical, baseless, relentless hatred can be matched and combated only with pure, by: Zalman Shmotkin undiscriminating, uninhibited, unyielding, baseless, unsolicited love and acts of kindness. But we need not just plain love. We need love that costs us. Love that we get nothing back for. The barbarians willingly gave up their lives to sow September 17, 2001 their hatred. We need to be willing to lose sleep, to suf- Standing only a few hours before Rosh Hashanah, fer losses, to be uncomfortable, to sacrifice our pleas- when we pray to G-d to demonstrate His mercy to ures, in order to help another human being — with at the entire world, please allow me to share with you least the precision, determination and passion that some reflections about the recent events that have so Evil’s compatriots of last week employed to fulfill their affected us. mission of hate. We all look for consolation and we seek to con- Every one of us can make a difference. sole. But the sheer enormity of the evil we just expe- The Rebbe would always quote the Maimonidean rienced is so hideous, so repellent, we’re left with no adage: Each person should see himself as though the words. entire world is on a delicate balance and with one deed Of course, we stand behind our military, our intel- he or she can tip the scales. ligence agencies and our elected leaders in their Only a few handfuls of terrorists turned our world efforts to eradicate this evil. upside down. Let us not underestimate the power of But we shy away from personally looking this each of us to turn it upright again. evil straight in the eye, we shrink from taking it on. Every good act, every expression of kindness and Timidly, we prod and encourage each other to love, will be a thousand antibodies to neutralize the “return to normal life.” viruses put in place by the forces of evil. For how could anyone of us purport to combat In response to darkness, we will fill the earth with something so grotesque and so awesome? light. To defeat evil we will saturate our globe with I’d like to propose, though, that we can and need good. to do just that. And when we do our part G-d will surely do His part Much has been written about the motivation, the to protect us and transform our world to the one we all conditioning, the bloodcurdling ruthlessness, the hope and yearn for, one that will be filled with His precision of last week’s crimes against humanity. glory, like the waters fill the ocean. All accounts and hypotheses point to the same Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, [email protected] is simple truth: The primary motivation, the underly- the director of Chabad.org ing force behind every action executed by last week’s murderers was: Hatred. Pure, unbridled, blind, indiscriminate Hatred. Hatred of freedom, Hatred of democracy, Hatred of “infidels,” Hatred of Jews, Hatred of anything and everything besides the murderers themselves. Wanton, simple hatred. It is this that we must combat. It is this that we must eradicate. What is the remedy to Wanton Hatred? The Lubavitcher Rebbe of righteous memory answered this many times, with clarity and certitude: Wanton Love.

2 www.Chabad.org

Today I Saw Evil by Yori Yanover a few calm course corrections, to insure full impact. Evil engulfs the innocent with a ball of fire and rises in a victorious after-dance. Evil removes thousands from among the living with one ideologically-certain whoosh of flame. I resolve today to point at evil and call it by its right- I was working on my news report this morning and ful name. I resolve today not to euphemize the truth, there was a faint boom in my background. We live on not be understanding of the plight that caused flesh and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, right off the FDR blood to degenerate into mass-killers, not to presume a Drive that surrounds the island with a ribbon of five spark of the Divine in people capable of this horror. I million cars each morning. Noise happens. Then my resolve today to contribute as best I can to the eradica- wife called and said there was a rumor somebody tried tion of the Islamic system of terror and death, of the to blow up one of the Trade Towers, could I go look? criminal Mullahs and Kadis and Ayatollahs who have Our living room windows feature a magnificent raised a generation of dedicated murderers. panorama picture, starting with the Empire State Today I wish to belong to a civilized society that Building on the extreme right and ending with the East turns on its enemies and pounds them to the ground River and Brooklyn Heights on the extreme left. Smack until they raise the white flags of surrender. Until, like at the center used to stand the two towers of American post-Nazi Germany, they take on the burden of proof commercial resilience and might. They were still there that they belong once again to the Human race. as I was rushing to the living room, phone in hand, except there was a Dali-style gaping hole in the one on (September 11, 2001) the north side, and sooty, black and brown smoke was billowing from it. By Yori Yanover, [email protected] Then my wife was saying, on the phone, it was a plane that did it, crashed into the building. And as she’s speaking, I see another schmuck pilot coming way too close to the towers, about to repeat the mistake of the first guy. He was moving south, green and sparkling in the benign morning sun, and I was sure there was something terribly wrong with the Air Traffic Control at La Guardia, or Newark, to have allowed two slips like that on the same day. But then it turned, corrected course and headed directly into the bright, reflecting side of the southern tower, and instantaneously an orange ball of fire erupted and grew ever bigger, and I knew it hadn’t been a mistake all along. Helpless and shocked I stood in my living room, the phone in my ear, and I was screaming and crying “Oh, my G-d” so many times, my voice mixing with tears until I wasn’t screaming any more, just staring in disbelief. This is what a satanic act looks like: Bright, metal- lic, swinging with ease across the sky, turning with complete mastery of the laws of physics, of the laws of life and death, of the laws of pain and fear. Evil makes

3 www.Chabad.org

Voices voir of hope and strength. I have seen it in our Armed A Soldier’s Forces for 26 years. But September 11th exposed this hope in each and every person. Boots I saw hope in a firefighter who stood on burning By Colonel Jacob Goldstein debris with his boots melting, hoping to find survivors. I saw hope in the eyes of a rescue worker who pulled a yarmulke out of the wreckage and gave it to me, hoping that I could find out to whom it One of the first tasks you learn as a soldier is belonged. how to shine your boots. No matter where you’re I saw hope in a volunteer who heard that I was stationed or what your mission, your day begins going to blow the shofar at Ground Zero on Rosh with polished boots. Hashanah. When she heard the notes of the shofar, When my men and I arrived at Ground Zero, tears began to stream down her face. When the serv- fires were raging out of control and the smoke was ice was over, she gathered herself together, took a burning our eyes. The first thing I noticed was the deep breath and went back to work. ash. Cars, people, buildings — everything was I saw hope and strength in the Army combat engi- covered in ankle-deep ash. Some time later it neers who built a sukkah at Ground Zero for rescue occurred to us that many people who had been workers and families of the Jewish faith. I heard inside the World Trade Center had been complete- hope in the words of President Bush and Governor ly burned, cremated by the intense heat of the Pataki. I saw hope in the actions of Mayor Giuliani, explosions and fires. This ash was their remains. who was constantly with the workers, encouraging I did not clean my boots that night. How could them and thanking them for their help. These ordi- I? Would it make a difference? Within four hours nary people, these rescue workers, these leaders, I would be back outside, amid the carnage and help give us hope and faith in a time when we need destruction. I have not shined my boots since it most. September 11, and when my mission here is com- A grandfather was talking to his grandson about pleted and I am no longer needed at Ground Zero, how he felt. He said, “I feel as if I have two wolves these boots will be buried, never to be worn again. fighting in my heart. One wolf is full of anger, The question I hear every day, from soldiers, despair and hopelessness. The other is full of com- civilians, politicians and rescue workers is, “How passion, strength and hope.” could G-d allow this to happen?” They ask me this The grandson asked, “Which wolf will win this as I walk on the ashes, as I climb over destroyed fight in your heart?” buildings, and as I pass the constant stream of The grandfather answered, “The one that I feed.” families in mourning, peering over the barricades. I could tell them that there are people who choose If there is one thing we need most today, it is hope. to do good and people who choose to do evil. But Feed the hope and faith in yourself and others around what do I say to the thousands of innocent people you. Never give up. Never lose hope, as it is the who are suffering, the victims and the bereaved? essential ingredient with which we will rebuild our What can I offer? I can only try to offer hope. society. Without it, we have buildings that can be destroyed. With it, we are one nation under G-d, Essentially, my job is hope. I am not trained in indivisible. desert warfare, I cannot fly an F-16, and I get stuck sometimes just trying to send e-mail. But I Colonel Jacob Z. Goldstein is the chief chaplain of do know the value that Judaism places on hope the New York Army National Guard. He and his and faith. The Talmud teaches us that even if the team were eyewitnesses to the tragic events of blade of an enemy’s sword is at one’s throat, one September 11th, and one of the first military units to must never give up hope. arrive at Ground Zero. Inside every person there is an incredible reser- Originally published in Farbrengen Magazine www.farbrengen.com 4 www.Chabad.org

Voices buy into the idea that human life has value and that any good could come from this world. And their peo- Face to Face ple had no chance to protest. Instead, a civilization that had just begun to flourish began to stagnate, in by Tzvi Freeman many cases to become parasitic. And to harbor the virus of terror that strikes today.

Today, the two worlds, those who have traveled The Manhattan skyscape changed yesterday. So and those who stayed behind, stand face to face. did the world we live in. Let us count the ways: Today we say to the screaming imams who incite their congregations to thirst for blood, to the Mullahs, 1) Little Joanna Macdonald lost her father. He the Kadis and the Ayatollahs of the world, to those went to work in Manhattan Tuesday morning and did- who have taken the Divine spark of Man and twisted n’t come back. One human life, the Torah tells us, is it into a missile of destruction, who have taken an entire world. Tens of thousands of other worlds, human devotion and caused it to degenerate into a big and small, were similarly shattered or destroyed. disease of mass-murder, we say, “It is time for you to 2) America entered global space. The same space be destroyed, to be utterly pulverized to the ground of the globe as London, Paris, Berlin, and yes, Tel with all the vengeance of which the human soul is Aviv. The space where the destruction of war hits at capable — or to renounce your ways and turn to the home, where you live. Yesterday, Joe Middle- path of dignity the rest of the human race has cho- America received his citizenship of the world. sen.”

3) Terrorism is no longer a word. It is now a taboo. No longer can anyone dance on two sides of the And we, us little people stuck in between, what fence. You’re either one of us who value human life, should we do? or you’re a terrorist. We should make our statement as well. We should 4) NATO is at war. In fact, the entire civilized go outside and plant more beauty in the ground. world is at war. With whom? With a Saudi multi-mil- Teach our children to love and to do kindness. Build lionaire in hiding? With those countries that shelter homes that cherish the Torah values that have so terrorists? No. We — all of us who are for a world much transformed the world. Give quietly to those worth living in — we are all at war with those for who have less than us, and lend a hand to those that whom the world is no more than a killing-field, for suffer. Gather with our community to study and to whom suicide and mass murder are the doorway to pray with a single heart. Do all those things that heal paradise.e. the world and bring out its beauty, that make it into a good place, a place of which it’s Maker is proud, a Let me put it this way: world as it was meant to be. And live in that world now, as much as we possibly can. About five hundred years ago, a great part of the world slowly woke up to a journey. Not just a journey In a few short moments, the darkness will vanish to a New World across the sea, but a journey to a new and that new world will come to be in all its glory. world in the heart of Man. To a world of human dignity and worth, of social contract and rights, a world And that will be our revenge against terror. of progress, a world worth building and believing in. A good and sweet year to all humankind. May this As Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Nachmanides) had be the last year of sadness and horror and the first of predicted centuries before, Adam awoke and human- geulah and the liberation of the Jewish people and all ity was born. humanity.

Part of humanity refused to travel that road. They By Tzvi Freeman; [email protected] see had also read the words of the prophets, the story of http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=3009 for bio, info Adam, male and female, created in the image of G-d. and more articles by this author as well as to order his book, But that’s where it stopped. Their leaders couldn’t "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth".

5 www.Chabad.org

thing” worth negotiating. Voices With every spoonful of worry we foster it, with How Do You every glance of trepidation, every concession we make from our lives to acknowledge its threat — Fight Evil? until Evil rises brazenly to attack us with our own instruments. by Tzvi Freeman This theme is repeated throughout the Torah. When the snake approached Eve, the sages explain, she wasn’t ready to give it the time of day. In her world, the snake might as well not even existed. So the snake had to say, “Is it true you’re not allowed to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” Of course the snake knew this was a lie. But this way, Eve took notice of it. The snake became someone worth For decades, the word was taboo. If you spoke it answering. And therefore, empowered to make a on the radio, they would blip it out. Only fundamen- mess. talist preachers, stirring the fear of the hell and Similarly, Moses. Moses began his career as liber- damnation into their flock would use such a word in ator when he killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was public. Or perhaps a vendor of perfumes, luring the beating a Jewish slave to death. When he discovered darker side of its consumers. that his deed had become public knowledge, the But today, it’s everywhere. Torah tells us that “Moses was afraid. And Pharaoh The word is ‘evil’. As one commentator put it, on sought to have him killed. So he fled” First Moses 9/11 the world had a moment of clarity. There, on was afraid. Only then did Pharaoh seek to have him the TV set, for all to see, was unadulterated, indis- killed. Without Moses’ fear, Pharaoh had no power. missible, raw evil. Moral relativism died at 2000º All the more reason why 9/11 was our moment of Fahrenheit. clarity: Because we saw this no longer as an idea, but But not so easy: Now that we’re all allowed to use clearly acted out, a metaphor in action. the word again, what is it? These people who wish to bring us down in terror, Is it a real thing, with substance and power? Or is do they have any power of their own? Do they have it no more than the absence of truth, a vacuum of resources that can feed a populace? Ideas that can reality, darkness, a negation of light? If it is real, thrust them ahead of our progress? Do they attack us then how could G-d have allowed it in His world? with missiles of their own device and engineering? But if it is only darkness, how is it possible for dark- No. They have nothing of their own. They were ness to defy light? empowered by us through the bizarre machinations No answer will satisfy us entirely. Evil is too of Cold War politics. They wield razor blades bought close to us to see clearly; too painful to place a label in our hardware stores, and with them they hijack air- upon. We feel that perhaps we are callously justify- planes we devised to better our standard of life. They ing the horrors that have befallen good people. strike fear in our hearts with powder stolen from our Perhaps we are rationalizing G-d — and ourselves laboratories. Dust. Knowing full well they cannot — off the hook. But, on the other hand, without any infect a nation. But they can get us real scared. And grasp of what evil is, how can we be expected to for evil, that is already a victory. Because then, fight it? through our fear, evil has become real. In Torah the metaphor for evil is darkness. No Knowing this is immensely useful. Once we have more than the absence of truth. A void of reality. found evil’s secret, we know how to deflate it. The Like darkness, Evil has no power of its own. From strategy is almost identical, whether it be the evil that where, then, does it derive the power to cause so sweeps the globe or within your community, or that much pain in the world? Generally speaking, from lies in the darker recesses of your own heart, waiting us, from our fear of it. That we consider it a “some- to terrorize you at any chance.

6 www.Chabad.org

Because evil forces us to reach deep inside, to find Voices our inner strength, climbing ever higher, until reach- How Do You Fight Evil? ing a brilliant, blinding light — a light that leaves no crevice for darkness to hide. Against that light, Evil melts in surrender, having fulfilled its purpose of being. For, in the beginning, darkness was made with a single intent: To squeeze out the inner light of the human soul. A light that knows no bounds.

It is not a simple solution, because we have Fight evil with beauty. Defy darkness with infinite already nurtured evil to the point that it thrives and light. grows each day. At the beginning, Adam and Eve could have simply ignored it and it would have even- By Tzvi Freeman; [email protected] see tually dissolved into the sparks of G-dly light they http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=3009 for bio, info revealed in the Garden. But once Evil has been fed and more articles by this author as well as to order his book, and lives out of its bag, it can never be dealt with so "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth". smoothly again. About the artist: Sarah Kranz, [email protected] has been illustrating magazines, webzines and books (includ- Nevertheless, our major weapon against Evil is ing five children’s books) since graduating from the Istituto still our disregard for it. This is perhaps the Europeo di Design, Milan, in 1996. Her clients have includ- Lubavitcher Rebbe’s most common response to ed The New York Times and Money Marketing Magazine of those who wrote asking for counsel to deal with the London Evil in their daily lives — whether it be anger, temptation, disturbing thoughts, bad dreams, over and over, the Rebbe writes, “do more good and remove your mind from the issue.” Even in matters of health, the Rebbe advised, “Find a good doctor, who will be concerned with your problems. Then simply follow his instructions and remove your mind from the sick- ness.” On a global scale, Evil is not something to fear, much less negotiate with. That only gives it more power. Yes, there are times when you have no choice but to battle Evil — as the Maccabees did against the Syrian-Greek oppressor. But stoop to conquer Evil and you will only join it in its mud. Against Evil, you must march to battle on the clouds. You must tram- ple it while never looking down. On the contrary, while in battle against evil, you must find yourself reaching higher and higher. That is why it is so important today for us to create more light. Even a little light pushes away a lot of darkness. For every shadow of darkness we have seen, we must produce megawatts of blinding light. Just as those possessed by evil did the wild and unreasonable, beyond that which the craziest doom- sayer could have predicted, so, too, we must do kindness beyond reason. In fact, this is the purpose of evil, why a G-d who is entirely good devised evil to be in His world. 7 www.Chabad.org

Voices

Hasn’t Belief in no room for anything else. You could destroy the world with this belief. G-d caused more For this idea to enter our world, another knowledge had to be married to it, a crucial fact about this Evil than Good? One G-d: That He is in love with the world He has made, and especially with the people He has placed By Tzvi Freeman upon it. The Long Answer: For the “long answer”, let me tell you a story from the Holy Zohar, mentioned also in the Midrash Rabbah. A story I call The Aleph Files [see Dear Rabbi, http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=43152]. Turns out that monotheism is a solution to nothing. Before monotheism, we had barbarians. After By Tzvi Freeman; [email protected] see monotheism, we have barbarians. Monotheistic bar- http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=3009 for bio, info and more articles by this author as well as to order his book, barians. "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth". What’s the difference between them and us? We have one G-d. So do they. We pray to Him three About the artist: Sarah Kranz, [email protected] times a day, they do five. We smash idols, so do they. has been illustrating magazines, webzines and books (includ- Our goal is for all pagans to perish from the face of ing five children’s books) since graduating from the Istituto the earth; so is theirs. Europeo di Design, Milan, in 1996. Her clients have included The New York Times and Money Marketing Magazine of And here’s the scary part: They give up their lives London in the name of Allah. Well, what do we have to say about that? We have martyrs galore! Why, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son for G-d’s sake. Then there’s the story of Chana and her seven sons. We even have a name for it: Kiddush Hashem — “the sanctification of G-d’s holy name.” They say it’s the highest level a Jew could reach. And he goes straight to heaven. Fact is, this wonderful monotheism of yours has made lush forest and pasture into desert, shackled the poor into their poverty, and closed one-fifth of humanity to the advance of humanitarianism. Of the thirty armed conflicts in the world today, Moslems are involved in twenty-eight of them. So what was the whole point of this one G-d idea? So that people could get blown up for eating pizza? So that Allah could delight in the smoke of the twin towers? How can you tell me that monotheism is such a great idea, when it brings to such horrifying catastrophe? The Short Answer: You’re right. Monotheism is a dangerous idea. The most dangerous idea there is, because it leaves 8 www.Chabad.org

a Jew." He encouraged people to travel there and dis- Voices couraged anyone from leaving. He dismissed all the doomsayers, declaring that G-d loves His people and Why I’m Not Afraid will make great miracles and wonders for all to see. And that is just what happened: forty scuds struck by Tzvi Freeman Israeli soil -- not one of those killed anybody. And even greater miracles will happen this time around. 5) The time has come. The prophecy that "they will beat their swords into ploughshares" has already begun. The technology and the mindset of that era is Some people say I should be trembling right now already in place. These winds of war are the final in fear. That we should all be melting like marsh- death-throes of the monster of evil before its utter mallows. Too bad for them -- I'm not. demise. I am not an evil monster, so why should I be afraid? Why not? It looks like war. If we had enough faith, we could 1) I believe in G-d. That may sound very sancti- achieve that all the people of the world would be monious and proper. Don't worry, I'm not the sancti- redeemed from their evil dictators without war, monious, proper type. I simply hold the conviction without terror and without fear. That is the power of that I am not a pussycat rolling down the hill in a joy and faith and confidence. So let's lift each other box, looking out at a big, scary world going by. up with whatever we can muster. At the very least, Instead, my world has an interpretation -- that there let's not frighten one another. is purpose, meaning and deliberate intelligence behind what goes on. And that I am an active partic- ipant in that meaning. So that if I will believe and By Tzvi Freeman; [email protected] see trust that G-d is running the show and He is taking http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=3009 for bio, info care of all of us, that belief and that interpretation and more articles by this author as well as to order his book, will prevail and be so. "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth". 2) I'm not a loser. A War on Terror means just that: a war not to be terrified by those who want you to be. If you're terrified, they've just won another battle -- and you've lost it. They've just gotten stronger, you've gotten weaker. And next time, they'll hit even harder and you'll lose even bigger. I have no interest in losing, so I refuse to be afraid. 3) There is enough high blood pressure and anxiety in the world already. We don't need to tighten any screws on our brothers and sisters in Israel. We don't need to punish the tourism industry in that precious land any further. We don't need to steal any more sleep from the parents and grandparents of all those students studying in the Holy Land. We need to for- tify their inner faith, which every Jew has from birth and only needs to be awakened. We need to uplift each other with words of confidence. We need to live on faith, not on fear. 4) It worked in the past. When the Gulf War loomed over our heads in 1991-92, these fear-niks were screaming loudly then, as now. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, on the other hand, repeatedly told us that "Israel is the safest place in the world for 9 www.Chabad.org

We all heard interviews with representatives of Voices Moslem groups. We heard them condemn what hap- When Heaven is Evil pened. But when asked, “Are the people who did this going to Heaven or Hell?” They couldn’t answer. by Manis Friedman As long as we are labeling what happened as “terrorism,” anyone can condemn — even those who agreed with the perpetrators. There is another word that needs to go - “Fanatics”. And by the same token, “extremist”. Both very use- less words. If your cause is just, if you are on the right In this past year, words have become very important. side, what is wrong with being an extremist? Is there In truth, words are all we’ve ever had. But in light of the really too much of a good thing? Have you had too reactions and responses to what today is known simply much of a good thing lately? as “9/11”, finding the right words has proven to be quite a challenge. If something is good, how does more make it bad? More should be better. Do we spoil our children with On that horrible morning we heard words like “crim- too much love? (Sometimes we use the phrase “too inals” and “madman”. Toward the end of the day, the much love” when we mean “not enough discipline.” attitude and language began to shift. The word “evil” Actually, inadequate discipline is usually a sign of not was being used. That was a positive change. enough love.) How about too much money? A lot of The good news is that there is a moral nerve, a moral money is only bad if that’s all you have. sensitivity that Americans are revealing that is real and So why are we condemning fanaticism? That strong. which is wrong in big scale is wrong in the small On most subjects Americans are morally confused. scale. It may not be as detrimental but it is equally However, when we see something that is clearly evil, wrong. We need to get to the root of the problem, to America has no tolerance for it. By the same token, the moral issue that separates the good from the bad. when we see something that is clearly good, America Since World War II we have not been faced with honors it. So when the word “evil” was introduced into such a monumental issue of morality on which the the discussions of 9/11, that showed that we had moved world was divided. Just as President Bush said, “You toward something good — moral clarity. are either with us or with them. There are two sides to That’s one word that was important to add. this issue. And G-d is not neutral on the subject.” There are other words that are important to delete. So let’s not talk about “terrorism” — there is no One example is the word “terrorism”. such ism. Let’s not condemn “fanatics” and “extrem- If our response is to be a moral one, if we are to ists”, that serves only to distract us from the heart of become better people, if something positive is to come the matter. Rather, let’s talk about the root, the subtle of all this, then we mustn’t categorize it as terrorism. It’s beginnings of this evil. the wrong word. There is no one in the world that teach- The subtle beginning of this evil is the belief that es his or her children to believe in terrorism. In fact, when you die you go to a better place. That is Evil. It there really is no such thing. There is communism. There may sound noble, spiritual, heavenly, religious and is socialism. There are beliefs, religions, political sys- comforting. It also causes these believers to fly air- tems, and philosophies. These are the “isms.” Terror is planes into large buildings. nothing more than a tool used to enforce them. This What about the virtues of martyrdom? Isn’t this a point was illustrated by the kinds of people and nations noble act? that joined the “Coalition against terror.” Even Arafat was “fighting terror.” Of course this was not noble and it was not martyrdom. When I trade in my old car for a newer The truth is that this has been a catastrophe in the model, is that an act of self-sacrifice? If you give up waiting for the past 2,000 years. We have acquired too your life because you believe that you will get a bet- many “isms”. And many people with many “isms” will ter one, is that martyrdom or just plain narcissism? Or inevitably cause a war. The bigger the numbers, the big- perhaps the worst possible form of narcissism. ger the war. True martyrdom is when you give up your life pre- 10 www.Chabad.org

Voices When Heaven is Evil that G-d doesn’t want you to kill, then you are one of the good guys. If you don’t believe you don’t make a difference. Now, that we realize that commandments are indis- pensable, we should take another look at them all. Is honoring my parents negotiable? Is giving charity optional? Or are they essential to civilization itself? cisely but because life on earth is important enough On Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of the creation and necessary enough to give up your life for it. Is of the world, when we wish each other a good year, Heaven a better place? The answer must be “No.” do we mean good as in successful, or good as in Easier? Yes. Better? No. moral? Or, are they in fact one and the same? We want to remain on earth because this is where we serve G-d. This is where we make a difference. Rabbi Manis Friedman, www.rabbifriedman.org, a noted The belief that heaven is a better place is an evil and Chassidic philosopher, author and lecturer, is dean of Bais it leads to unthinkable horrors. Chanah Women’s Institute of Jewish Studies. G-d wants a world of people diverse in culture, in style, in appetite, in opinion — maybe even in religion; but not in morality. There cannot and may not be two moralities. This is what we mean when we say, “G-d is one.” We’ve all had such a moment of clarity on September 11. Look how easily and spontaneously the word “G-d” came to everyone’s lips. Would you have expected this? In this secular, materialistic, assimilated community, the word G-d came most nat- urally to our lips. Not any religion-specific deity, sav- ior or prophet, but simply G-d. And why did that happen? Because we saw beyond “religion” and “secu- larism.” We weren’t thinking about heaven, but about good and evil. You can have two of everything else and it’s okay. Have two religions or five or fifty. Have sixty different versions of heaven. Pray twice a day or five times. On a carpet, on your knees, standing up. Whatever. But when it comes to morality there is only one G-d. You don’t want to eat fish on Friday or work on Sunday? Gezunterheit. As long as the diversity does- n’t include differences of opinion on “Thou shall not kill.” When we all agree on the definition of that one commandment, then and only then will there be peace in the world. So just at the point in history when we thought that G-d and faith had finally become irrelevant, it turns out that the non-believers are unimportant (or not per- tinent). Because if you believe that G-d wants you to kill, then your are one of the bad guys. If you believe The world has trembled and we are all traumatized. 11 www.Chabad.org

Voices

The Jewish Approach To tremendous pain being suffered by so many people. However, we do not allow the grief to become all- Tragedy consuming. We must turn tragedy into triumph, and ashes into rebuilding. We cannot allow those who by Dov Wagner would destroy us to be successful, by being para- lyzed by our sorrow. Let each one of us find ways to add in positive acts of goodness and kindness, of charity and prayer.

That’s what the theme of these coming weeks The enormity of yesterday’s atrocities has only will, indeed must, be. We will not lock our doors in begun to slowly sink in. It hasn’t really — there’s no fear; we will not retreat into hiding and grief. Rather, way that our minds can deal with so much raw pain we will enter a New Year filled with sadness, but and suffering.. also with purpose, with tears, but also with optimism and joy. This is the only fitting memorial we can cre- There’s no way we can ever understand why such ate for the thousands of lives shattered and lost. a thing could happen, nor how human beings could possibly be torn to such extremes: the unfathomable By each of us adding a little bit of light to the hatred and depravity of the terrorists who threw world, we can hopefully ensure that our world will away their lives in snuffing out so many thousands never again be marred by pain and darkness, until of others and those who support them and applaud we merit the sounding of the great shofar, with the them, and the selfless bravery of the rescue workers onset of a better time. who risked or gave their lives trying their utmost to save and help total strangers. We can analyze, theo- By Rabbi Dov Wagner, [email protected]. Rabbi Wagner is rize, and philosophize to no end, but what good the Chabad representative on campus at USC; the above would that do? message is from an e-mail he sent to his constituents.

The Kabbalah teaches that there is generally balance in our world, forces of both light and darkness, good and evil. Darkness serves but one purpose: to be transformed and converted to light.

A great darkness has been released in the world, a series of coldly planned actions unprecedented in their wanton and random destruction. If we allow this darkness to engulf us, all of those people will continue to suffer, as will we all. But, we don’t have to give in. We have the ability, hard as it may be, to fight back: to build out of the ashes, and to create light out of the darkness. We can choose to add in acts of goodness and kindness, and to do random wanton acts of good in memory of, and counter-balance to, the horrors that have been perpetrated.

The Jewish approach to tragedy has always been twofold. On the one hand, we grieve. There is no way any human being can ignore the terrible and 12 www.Chabad.org

Voices Silence In our generation, too, there is a need for this by Tali Lowenthal power of silence. It is not a passive power, but one that leads to vigorous and joyous action. The Jewish response to the harrowing events of the Shoah is the determined and energetic action to rebuild Jewish family life and Jewish knowledge.

Through our power of silence we too, like Aaron, Editor’s note: Dr. Lowenthal wrote this as a commentary to the Torah reading of Shemini, which describes Aaron’s reac- will merit Divine revelation. G-d will bring the tion to the tragic deaths of his two elder sons, Nadav and Messiah, rebuilding the Temple and bringing lasting Avihu. We find its message appropriate to the tragic terror peace to the world. attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon on 9/11.

By Dr. Tali Lowenthal; And Aaron was silent Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Leviticus 10:3

Speech signifies comprehensibility. Melody is beyond language, expressing moods which words cannot describe. Silence is yet higher.

The power to be silent at certain moments of life and of history is an important strength. It expresses the awareness that G-d is infinite, and cannot be encapsulated in our human conceptions of what should take place.

The Talmud tells of an instance in which Moses himself was told by G-d to be silent. G-d showed him in a vision all future generations of the Jewish people, and the leaders of each generation. Moses was greatly impressed by the wisdom of Rabbi Akiva. Then he saw the way the Romans tortured him to death. “Is this the reward of his Torah knowledge?” Moses asked. G-d answered: “Be silent. Thus it arose in My thought”.

This is not to say that the Torah advocates a fatal- istic approach to life. Before the event, one must do everything possible to prevent tragedy. But once it has happened, G-d forbid, through the acceptance and the silence we reach a special closeness to the Divine. Our Sages tell us that because Aaron was silent, he was rewarded by G-d speaking directly to him.

13 www.Chabad.org

Voices the families that have directly suffered as a result of this calamity. This is not only their pain, it is our pain. We Today the World Trembles, have been reminded as never before that we are one people, one organism, and we all share in this catastro- Today the World is Born phe. by Simon Jacobson This atrocity was perpetrated not just against some individuals, it is directed against all New Yorkers, Americans and the entire human race, regardless of race, color or religion – black or white, Jew, Moslem or Christian, man or woman, west or east. All of us are The world has trembled and we are all trauma- children of G-d, and the loss of one child irreversibly tized. affects the entire family. As Jews who have seen the abyss and not only Let us join together in spiritual introspection, in survived but flourished, we are behooved to lead and Torah study, prayer and charity as one united voice of show the way to deal with horror and grow through strength and support for all our friends, and against all the process. To shine a light even in the darkest of the enemies of humanity. times. To face horrendous loss with dignity, to feel 2) Confront the Evil the pain of so many and not become demoralized. To As good people we find mad terrorism inconceivable. stand up and defend our cherished beliefs, with a That is a tribute to our morality. But also to our naiveté. sober look at the evil without being consumed by it. We have now stared evil in the face. Our shock and We are approaching Rosh Hashanah, the birthday trauma is not only about the enormous loss of life and of the world and humanity, the day that determines the sheer unbelievable fact that the two towers of the the destiny of the entire world. Indeed, this infamous World Trade Center have been flattened. The trauma is Tuesday morning was the third day of Selichot — much deeper: we have looked evil in the eye, something prayers for forgiveness said in preparation for the we have never seen before, and we are numb with New Year. shock. The Rosh Hashanah prayer Hayom harat olam Unprovoked – not in the middle of a war, not on a rings more relevant today than ever. Harat means battlefield – our city has been attacked, thousands of both “tremble” and “birth.” Hayom harat olam — innocent people killed, and we still have no inkling “Today the world trembles; today the world is born.” why. Why were we targeted? Why would some mad- How do we transform the world’s tremble into the man go to such lengths to destroy our two great struc- world’s birth? tures? How has it threatened them and what do they stand to gain? I cry with America, cry for a nation that When circumstances are so overwhelming, we has been so benevolent and charitable, and suddenly so must turn to forces beyond our own limited minds viciously attacked with such blind hatred. As good peo- and experiences. We must access our inner faith. As ple we ask “why?!” and this big unanswered “why” is one terrorist attack survivor said: “You appreciate because we have seen for the first time naked evil — faith when you have nothing else besides faith.” evil that has no purpose except destruction. And that Torah offers us a Divine blueprint for life both in utterly shocks and shakes up all good people. That times of normalcy and definitely when life becomes serves homage to our virtue. unbearably unimaginable. Looking into Torah helps us rise above the paralyzing emotions and utter con- Americans have been so fortunate, so protected. Our fusion; it gives us a broader view and helps us put geography has kept us away from all the major wars things into perspective. Above all, it allows us the that have ravaged this earth. This comfortable facade is dignity to cease being victims, to realize that though now gone. Our prosperity has completely obfuscated we cannot fathom these events, we have the power the stark contrast of good and evil. All our cable chan- to do something about it. We may never know why nels and websites have provided distractions that have senseless tragedy strikes, yet we have the strength allowed us the luxury of denial — creating an illusion and aplomb to forge ahead. of false security and comfort. 1) Honor the Loss This illusion has now been shattered. Security in this vulnerable world is contingent on some form of denial. Our hearts, condolences and prayers go out to all 14 www.Chabad.org

Voices Today the World Trembles, right to deprive another of their freedom and life. Passionate madness — as misguided as it may be — Today the World is Born is more powerful than complacent sanity, which often results from material prosperity. We have now been challenged as never before to define and fight for what we stand for, what we are ready to die for. And we must do so with no less passion and devotion as the This denial has been taken away from us. And when evil being waged against us. that happens it crystallizes our true beliefs, what it is that we are ready to fight and die for. In the past there have been those that argued for the pacification of the “terrorist cause” — “We must Seeing and recognizing evil is a blessing. Indeed, understand why they would do this and eliminate their the book of Daniel refers to “crystallization and clar- incentives” and similar hollow arguments. The absurd- ity of things” as a blessing and sign of Messianic ity of this attitude was amply demonstrated by Lord times. Chamberlain’s illusion of vanquishing Hitler. As Now we must face the truth: There is a terrible evil Chamberlain deplaned in London waving his arms in in the world. And it threatens us. No more denial. No victory with a peace agreement in hand, crying “we more argument that this is just isolated to Jerusalem have peace in our times,” we have humbled the tyrant and the Middle East. No, no. It’s here and now, in Hitler by appeasing him with Czechoslovakia’s New York, in Washington, in every corner of this Sudentenland, Hitler was already moving into great country and the world. No one is immune. Czechoslovakia and Poland… How will we rise to the occasion? Is it enough to Restraint in the face of war called terrorism is cata- deal with the symptoms by eliminating the horren- strophic. Appeasement, Churchill said, is feeding a dous criminals that perpetrated this? That will not crocodile in the hope that he will eat you last. even bring us back to the situation prior to this The nature of evil is such that when you do not stem tragedy. We must once and for all, destroy the infec- it, it grows. Witness all the attacks on Israel. When the tion. Anything less will be a dishonor to those lost Israeli leadership began showing weakness and doubt, and their families, and — to our higher calling for the terrorists began to rise up in arms. With every addi- truth. tional concession the Arab audacity grew, in direct pro- When faced with evil we have three choices: 1) Go portion. Lack of a strong definitive position creates into denial and look the other way, ignore it. 2) Be demons that can and have perpetrated the unthinkable terrified and intimidated by it. 3) Fight it. But in acts we have witnessed today. fighting it there are also two choices: 1) Attack the The weakness of Israel’s position against its enemies symptoms, or 2) Destroy the root, and eliminate the brought on the intifadah and merciless attacks on its possibility of any future atrocities. citizens. Every cause has an effect. The ambiguity We can no longer ignore it. We must not be intim- caused the tragic effects in that region. When you don’t idated by it. We must fight. But not just with learn the message from the first effects, the effects vengeance and retaliation to punish those responsi- intensify. And when there is a breakdown at the strate- ble, but at the root. gic front line in the heart of the Middle East, the next Being a good person does not mean naïvely ignor- step is the attack on America, which we can ignore no ing evil — that is stupidity. Goodness means looking longer. The suicide bombings in Jerusalem have now obvious evil in the face, fighting it with all you have, become an American reality and… nightmare. and still remain standing with dignity. The argument Unfortunately it took the tragic loss of thousands of that we “should not stoop to the level of the terror- lives to wake us up to the spreading cancer of terror. ists” is tantamount to fear of facing the truth. That is America must now lead the world in this war waged not being a good person, that is a coward. against humanity. And all countries of the world must We must make it the call of our times that our join this war. country and every country on earth must eradicate Many are asking — more privately than publicly due this evil from the face of this earth. Fundamentalism to the “politically incorrect” nature of the issue (yes, is an individual choice, but no country can tolerate it for some the mask of ‘political correctness’ still when it affects other people’s lives. No one has a 15 www.Chabad.org voices

Today the World Trembles, The call of our times is a spiritual one. As our mighty structures crumbled before our very eyes, as war hit Today the World is Born Lower Manhattan, we have been humbled in ways that no human deserves. Our man-made cultures have been exposed. We are now left with the only thing that matters: our souls. Materialism has been exposed as no lingers)— Is this a war against several extremist more than a means, a vehicle for our spiritual values. Moslem fundamentalist groups, or against the entire And that is our hope, the fuel that sows our future. Our Arab/Moslem world? Is Moslem fundamentalism an soul gives us the strength to prevail, and grow. integral part of Islam and the societies that live by Indeed, the name Ishmael means “G-d will hear.” In Islam? the words of our sages: “Why is he named Ishmael? I believe that the answer to this question lies exact- Because in the future G-d will listen to the cry of the ly where it should lie — squarely with the Arab nation for what the children of Ishmael will do in the world. America must challenge them to answer this future, at the end of days, as it says ‘G-d will listen and question clearly and unequivocally. No more time for answer.’” ambiguities and double talk. No more room for mod- Yet, we must do our part. We must learn from the erates using extremists for their own political benefit. experience and not return to the delusion of material- I am not an expert on Islam, but it’s hard to believe ism as an end in itself. that suicide and murder are condoned. Does a 4) Rebuilding the Pillars Moslem have to murder the “evil infidels of the West” to achieve his religious goals? Is there room for such With the shattering of our physical pillars — pillars an interpretation of Islam? Let the Arab/Moslem in more ways than one — we must learn to recognize world answer that question once and for all, so that the true eternal pillars upon which this world stands, we all know on which side they stand. both the world at large and our personal world (which is a mini-universe, a universe in microcosm): 3) Spiritual Wake-Up Call “Upon three pillars the world stands: Torah, Service, However, this is not only about a battle against evil. and Deeds of Kindness” (Ethics of the Fathers 1:2). It is more importantly a time to embrace our true core value system, to reconnect to our purpose and what Let us recommit to reinforcing and rebuilding these we stand for and are ready to die for. Indeed, the bat- three pillars: tle against evil is one with the battle for good. If we Torah: Join a Torah class. Add a few minutes of study do not recognize and eradicate the evil around us, we each day, consistently. cannot embrace the good. Service: Say an extra prayer. (Suggestion: Psalms 20, Up until now, America could have gone on with the 23, 150). illusion of prosperity masking any lurking evil, allow- Deeds of Kindness: Give additional charity. Add in ing only Israel to suffer the consequences of the ene- acts of goodness and kindness. mies of civilization. Now, when the streets of Lower Let us build and strengthen our immortal pillars, Manhattan and Washington D.C. look worse than any make them stronger than ever. And their immortal nightmare in Jerusalem that we have been watching strength in turn will hold us up and make us stronger. on TV six thousand miles away, this illusion has been stripped away. Our comfort zones have been shaken We have the power to comfort our trembling world at the root. and give birth to a new one. After so many years of our comfortable prosperity, Let us join together in one united voice of strength now, the battle of good and evil has become a reality and support for all our friends, and against all the ene- – a battle of life and death – here in the United States. mies of humanity. Suddenly, all the distractions of sports, games, May this evil be eradicated from our midst, and may entertainment, nightlife – all our pettiness and mean- this Rosh Hashanah bring true peace to the world. ingless activities – have melted away. New Yorkers 5) The Cosmic Meaning greet each other with a new cordiality. Nothing What does all this mean? After we deal with the pres- remains except the stark truth of our own integrity. ent and immediate needs, the initial shock, the loss, we must soon being looking ahead at the bigger picture. 16 www.Chabad.org voices Today the World Trembles, influence the globe with our sense of justice, without the destruction that kept humbling European coun- Today the World is Born tries. We have now grown up. We have abruptly been dragged into the reality of deep-seated passions that defy our relatively naive attitudes. But we are ready. All events of this magnitude signal the launch of a We are ready to mobilize the world — all countries of new paradigm. All tremors on this enormous scale the West and East — for a final battle against all usher in the birth of a new world. At this new juncture forces of destruction. no one can predict the enormous changes and the new And this is the final frontier. Nazism and Fascism paradigms ahead of us. have fallen. So has Communism. Now we are faced A fascinating Midrash helps illuminate this for us, with the last powerful remnants of the demonic force with an uncanny prediction: of terror. The King of Poaras (“Persia”; according to This is the meaning of the Midrash: “Do not fear, I Maharal, this is a reference to the “kingdom of have done all this for you… the time of your Ishmael”) will bring destruction to the entire world, Redemption has arrived.” and all the nations will be outraged and confused... The onus is upon us. We must see through the fog, and Jews will be outraged and confused and say: confusion and outrage and rise to the occasion. We Where shall we come and go, where shall we come must muster every ounce of strength to embrace our and go? G-d will answer them: My children, do not spiritual roots, the solid foundation of our country — be afraid. Everything I have done, I have done for the ideals embodies in “In G-d we Trust”, E Pluribus you. Why are you afraid, do not fear, the time of your Unum (“From many, one”), and “All me are created Redemption has arrived... equal.” Arab terrorists have now attacked the “entire We have no hate in our hearts as we honor our world” and we are “outraged and confused.” And we dead, as we comfort our sorrow, as we poise our- must not be afraid and see it for what it is. selves to do what we must do. After all the pain and loss, this revelation of evil in It should not be called retaliation or vengeance. It our world is also a source of clarity to enable us to is our sacred duty to rally all of humanity against the once and for all eradicate it, and once and for all rec- cancer that plagues us and expunge every form of ognize our true spiritual and moral values — to rise evil that remains, and kindle humanity’s powerful above our own selves for the greater good. We must and inherent force of good. recognize that this can help launch us into a higher The enemy is not Muslim and Arab. All men are state of awareness — that the time of redemption created equal, with inalienable rights granted by from material blindness to spiritual light has arrived. virtue that we are all G-d’s children, created in the We can and must shine a light into the “darkness divine image. Everyone has the right to practice and that has covered the earth and the clouds that have believe in their unique way. The enemy is anyone engulfed the nations” — a new type of light of love who breaches the universal and absolute law of hurt- and consideration, one that will last long after the ing or killing another person. Of denying and robbing darkness and clouds lift. any person of their fundamental, G-d given rights. The struggle with Ishmael is not a modern one. It is And the enemy is any country or group that harbors, a historical and cosmic one that goes back thousands allows and tolerates people like that. of years. All countries — including the Arab states — must We stand at the threshold of a new world. America join in this war. And if they don’t, then they have has been protected on this side of the hemisphere declared war on humanity. from the primal Biblical battles of the Middle East, The world has not changed forever (as many are and from the wars that ravaged Europe, climaxing saying). The exact opposite is true. It has returned to with the two world wars. We were groomed and nur- its original state: an obvious war between right and tured to grow into a powerful, independent force of wrong, good and evil, light and dark. good, and with our distance we had the ability to What has changed is that we no longer can deceive 17 www.Chabad.org voices Today the World Trembles, Today the World is Born

ourselves from these truths. This type of change — though utterly unsettling — confronts us today. We grieve over our losses, but we take on this wake up call. Better to discover this brewing evil before the destruction can get worse. America has matured and is now faced with its greatest challenge since the creation of this great country: to bring true freedom and unity to the world. One that respects the diversity of all peoples and nations. We must lead the world in the final war to eliminate all evil and teach everyone not to tolerate it. And as America goes to war in the physical sense, all of us must wage spiritual war against selfishness and narcissism. We must declare and demonstrate in action that we no longer will tolerate injustice of any sort. With our souls stirred as our vulnerabilities have been exposed, as we are shaken — awakened from our complacent reverie as our conventional superfi- cial security blankets have been pulled from us, we stand at a defining moment in history. Before us lies the unprecedented ability to open a new chapter and introduce a new paradigm where our material existence is not an end in itself but a means for the sub- lime and the transcendent, a seamless fusion of matter and spirit. As the world trembles in this Rosh Hashanah sea- son, we should see these trembles as birth pangs pre- ceding the birth of a new world. A time when there will be “no war or strife,” all nations will serve one G-d with one consent, and there will be “no more evil and no more destruction…for the world will be filled with Divine knowledge as the waters cover the sea.” We now have our greatest opportunity to shine and fulfill our true destiny: to bring this world to Redemption. September 2001

Rabbi Simon Jacobson, [email protected] is the author of the best-selling Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe (William Morrow, 1995), and the founder and director of the Meaningful Life Learning Center, http://chabad.org/article.asp?aid=84316.

18 www.Chabad.org voices One can have an elaborate structure of all nine ele- Nine, Ten and Eleven ments — a complete intellectual and emotional system — but if you are missing the tenth dimension, Malchut, by Simon Jacobson everything is compromised. Malchut also represents the Divine presence within nature and all of existence. At the pinnacle of Yom 9/11. Nine Eleven. September 11. Kippur — the conclusion of the Ne’ilah prayer — we declare that G-d is One and we repeat seven times that Ruminating on the first anniversary of Tuesday “HaVaYaH hu ha’Elokim” — G-d that transcends all of September 11, feeling the grief and trauma of my fel- existence is one with the G-dliness within all of exis- low New Yorkers as they and thousands of visitors tence. solemnly gathered at Ground Zero, something rings a bell. Where have I heard the numbers nine and eleven Religion that believes in a G-d in Heaven but forgets before? It then comes to me. In the Sefer Yetzirah about G-d’s presence on Earth (ten minus one — nine), (Book of Formation), the oldest Kabbalistic text, or annihilates life on Earth (ten plus one — eleven), will attributed to the patriarch Abraham, a cryptic phrase be fundamentally bankrupt. states: “Ten sefirot of nothingness; ten and not nine, 9/11 — and all the events of the past year — remind ten and not eleven.” us that science, politics, economy, every one of our sys- The ten sefirot (divine attributes) are the basic tems, must include the tenth dimension, Malchut, for us building blocks — the spiritual DNA — of all of exis- to survive. This tenth ingredient is the key to our securi- tence. Exactly ten. Not nine, not eleven. Exactly ten, ty and future. not more, not less. Precision is critical to all systems. Above all, Malchut is distinguished for its bittul (self- One missing or extra point in a computer program, one effacement). Malchut is the moon, with no light of its deficient or additional cell, can wreak devastating own, reflecting the light of the sun. When you shine your havoc. own light, you are only as great as you are. You may be 9/11 is a day that shook up our entire system, a day very great, but human greatness is always limited, tem- that exposed our vulnerabilities and revealed the tenu- poral, mortal. When you become a channel that reflects ousness of global stability. What is the missing ingre- a light greater than your own, when you are dedicated to dient in 9/11 — the tenth dimension — that manifests something beyond yourself, you become greater than the events unleashed one year ago on September 11? yourself. When you dedicate yourself to eternity — and to eternal values — you become eternal. Yom Kippur — the tenth day — is that ingredient. Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the universe with the Before 9/11, Americans, and much of the rest of the human at the center. The following ten days rebuild the world as well, felt that we had it “all figured out.” Our structure of existence, culminating with Yom Kippur, unprecedented prosperity, high standard of living, when Moses descends from Sinai with the Second sophisticated technology, created an illusion of invulner- Tablets and the promise of hope even after destruction. ability. 9/11 reminded us that we need the tenth truth, Malchut, and the bittul it espouses. In Kabbalistic language this ten-day period is called binyan ha’malchut, the building of sovereignty. Religion without the dignity and balance of Malchut Psychologically, in this period we rebuild human dig- — without the basic respect for the G-dliness in others nity — the essential value and sanctity of every per- — becomes a destructive force. Just as is the case with a son’s life derived from the fact that each human being business corporation. is created in the Divine Image. Don’t cut out the tenth dimension, and don’t add to it. In the ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, Don’t be too secular and don’t be overly religious. Don’t and especially on Yom Kippur, we reaffirm the indis- overindulge in the material and don’t escape into the pensable nature and inalienable rights of every human spiritual. Balance and integrate the two. Don’t be less or being on earth, by virtue of our connection to G-d, more religious than G-d. Don’t be materially or spiritu- who chose each of us to fulfill our unique mission. ally arrogant. G-d created a universe and entrusted us with the power to refine and not destroy the material And it is this Divine ingredient — the dignity of world. Malchut — that was missing from the demonically distorted religious beliefs of the attackers. Love of G- Rabbi Simon Jacobson, [email protected] is the author of the best-selling Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe d is one with love of all people, if for no other reason (William Morrow, 1995), and the founder and director of the than their being reflections of the Divine Image. Meaningful Life Learning Center, 19 www.Chabad.org

No, I can’t make sense of it all. But I am determined Voices to give the events meaning — to honor the gut-wrench- ing dissipation of loving souls gruesomely disembow- Twin Towers - A eled from their loved ones for ever.. My hand cannot reach across the ocean and comfort survivors and mourners. My wishful meanderings of Spiritual mind and thought cannot mask the scream of inner tor- ment deep within. But I believe with absolute resolute- Reincarnation ness that you and I have been afforded a soulful wake- by Laibl Wolf up call. The price has been high, too high. But I cannot bargain with the dead. I cannot negotiate the terms or the coinage. I must pay the price of making their lives meaningful, their death a spur, their lives never reduced We were witnesses to mass murder, coming “live” to futility. How do I pay? By making my life (and I ask into our living and bedrooms. Millions of viewers like you to make your life) one of contribution to a new you and I watched in stark disbelief the cold, callous, society of empathy, peace and mutual understanding. premeditated carnage. A mass murder planned for Utopian? I don’t think so. Just as there is a threshold years, was executed with brutal betrayal of life’s mean- of national psychosis that promotes audacious terror- ing. This was Nazi-like fanaticism at its ugliest and ism, so is there a threshold of collective wisdom that most potent. Instant ovens with no need for architec- yields a harvest of sweet fruits of compassion and car- tural planning and engineering finesse. ing. You, and I, are very real digits of spiritual energy Or were we witnesses to an act of superb heroism — that can tip the world across the threshold of moral fis- freedom fighters prepared to nobly sacrifice them- sion — the point where person and person, nation and selves for their faith and respond assertively to foreign nation, beast and animal, all synergise to multiply the tyranny and subjugation? An act of pluck and courage powers of insight and wisdom throughout the world. arising miraculously from the downtrodden souls of Anything less is cheating the opportunity that the suffering people, politically brow-beaten and financial- unchoosing martyrs are offering to us. ly whipped by western oppressors? Let me share with you seven specific guidelines to Would the real truth please stand up? And it will. draw upon for personal and global transformation: But why was I witness? Can I possibly understand (1) Recognize that you are uniquely gifted from the purpose of death, pain and suffering? No. But I can Above. You are a spiritual configuration unlike any that choose to learn from it — or run away cowardly shrug- has ever existed, or will exist. Confer your specialness ging my shoulders and bearing a glazed look of disbe- on those who have been deliberately placed in your lief. The Cosmos is providing me with an inglorious environ — and that includes everyone you meet and chance to learn a most painful lesson — the hard way, encounter — friend or stranger. through the involuntary sacrifice of thousands of souls. (2) Nurture your human qualities of compassion, The temptation continues to wallow in my pain; to tor- sharing, and contribution. Practice these all the time, ture myself with titillating addiction to the scenes of like a musician practicing scales. Keep putting small human guided missiles exploding into balls of fire and coins into charity boxes, dropping coins in the box of body projectiles falling awkwardly to certain death, of street buskers or vagrants. Pay compliments whenever two of the world’s largest buildings imploding into dust the opportunity beckons. Offer random acts of good- and ashes bathing anyone the in vicinity in ghostly ness by maintaining a mindful and conscious aware- shades of ashen dirt, hiding the sun above and the sun ness of life’s opportunities. (You will be amazed at the within. Why am I witness? prolific openings that come your way to serve others). So I shake myself out of such daze and stupor. I tear (3) Respond to personal provocation and personal myself away from the image of that technologically insult with a sense of wonderful opportunity to practice frozen moment of impact, sharing disbelief with the other-centeredness. When someone insults, hurts, or curbside observers whose lives will be forever punctu- demeans you, you are witnessing their pain, their cam- ated by the deafening staccato of crumbling buildings ouflage, and their fear. They are the ones in true pain, and of massive girders screeching in dismay. whether knowingly or otherwise. Become a 20 www.Chabad.org

voices destruction through self-aggrandizement, self absorption, and self-centeredness. Twin Towers - A Spiritual The Twin Towers were monuments to our quest to touch the sky — perhaps a latter day Babel. Now we Reincarnation need to reach inwards — to touch the twin qualities of humility and love. Allow these new twins to emerge from the spiritual womb. Reincarnate the souls of those torn so rudely from us, but as practical teacher/healer in that precise moment. Use your wis- visions for a much better, more caring, and truly dom of words and silence to help heal them. faithful, stance of love and humility. You count. Do it and live it. You are a child of a living, pulsating, (4) Practice compassion. Compassion is not the compassionate Creator. same as giving in, turning the other cheek, or simple submission. Compassion includes self-esteem, assertiveness, and wisdom. Compassion is the wis- Rabbi Wolf, a renowned mystic, author and speaker, lives in Australia and lectures worldwide on Kabbalah and Jewish dom of giving wisely. Not all giving is wise. mysticism. His daily meditations and weekly essays can be Sometimes giving spoils and denies an opportunity viewed on his website, www.laiblwolf.com for the other’s growth. Wise giving provides the other with the opportunity for a growth spurt. This is true compassion. (5) Nurture inner strength. Become strong of char- acter, of purpose. Identify your visions, for self and humanity. Formulate goals for their achievement. Strategize practices for the soul’s true expression — at home, at work, and in the world. Inner strength and self esteem include the courage to defend one’s integrity as a person, and property as a nation, but with tears streaming down our cheeks when a just war and battle are thrust upon us, or when punishing a recalcitrant child, or removing an anti-social presence from our midst.. (6) Dedicate your heart, mind, and body, to grace- ful balance. Mind: accumulate data, share people’s life’s experiences, and reflect and meditate. Heart: practice empathy and spend a few moments in the other person’s genetic, environmental, and physio- logical “shoes”. Body: discipline yourself to health and wellness practices so that the soul enjoys a beautiful temple as its abode and means of self-expression. (7) Choose to be a person of faith. Accept the axioms of the sanctity of life over abstract principle, of quality of life over quantity of possessions, of compassion over ego. Allow that faith to be practiced mindfully, consciously, soulfully, at all times. Each one of us is a microcosm of the macro-cosmos. When the world is in pain, it reflects our personal pain. When the world experiences wanton destruction, it is when we practice spiritual self-

21 www.Chabad.org

voices palace and then desert it? The Burning The Midrash records G-d’s reply: “The owner of the palace looked out and said: ‘I am the owner of the palace.’ G-d looked out and said to Abraham: ‘I am Palace the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe.’” by Yossi Jacobson What is the meaning of G-d’s response? Note that the owner of the palace does not make an attempt to get out of the burning building or to extinguish the flames. He is merely stating that He is the owner of the palace that is going up in smoke. It is as if, instead of racing out, the owner were calling for help. G-d made the palace, man set it on fire, and only The anniversary of the creation of the world cele- man can put out the flames. Abraham asks G-d, brated on Rosh Hashanah, coupled with the first “Where are you?” G-d replies, “I am here, where are anniversary of September 11, ought to serve as an you?” Man asks G-d, “Why did You abandon the urgent call for the Jewish people to reclaim its mis- world?” G-d asks man, “Why did you abandon Me?” sion statement articulated at the moment our faith was Thus began the revolution of Judaism —- humani- born, 3800 years ago. ty’s courageous venture to extinguish the flames of How did the Jewish faith come into existence? immorality and bloodshed and restore the world to the The Midrash describes the birth of Judaism with harmonious and sacred palace it was intended to be. the following cryptic parable: Abraham’s encounter with G-d in the presence of a “And G-d said to Abraham: ‘Go from your land, burning palace gave birth to the mission statement of your birthplace, and your father’s house...’” Judaism - to be obsessed with good and horrified by (Genesis12:2) — To what may this be compared? To evil. (Midrash Rabbah Bereishit 39:1; as interpreted a man who was traveling from place to place when he by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in Radical Then, Radical saw a palace in flames. He wondered: “Is it possible Now, Harper Collins, 2000). that the palace has no owner?” The owner of the palace looked out and said, “I am the owner of the Two years ago, on September 11, 2001, we, too palace.” So Abraham our father said, “Is it possible witnessed a palace going up in flames. I will never that the world lacks a ruler?” G-d looked out and said forget that Tuesday morning standing on the roof of to him, “I am the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe.” my Synagogue in Brooklyn, gazing in disbelief at the Abraham’s bewilderment is clear. This sensitive horror of our lifetime. human being gazes at a brilliantly structured universe, Yet, I believe that by forgetting the conversation a splendid piece of art. He is overwhelmed by the between Abraham and G-d, 3800 years ago, we failed grandeur of a sunset and by the miracle of childbirth; to do our part in the protection of the destroyed he marvels at the roaring ocean waves and at the palace. silent, steady beat of the human heart. The world is For too long, many Jews have succumbed to the indeed a palace. lure of the modern popular notion that there is no such But the palace is in flames. The world is full of thing as absolute evil behavior. “Thou shall not bloodshed, injustice and strife. Thugs, abusers, judge,” has become the cherished motto of our times. rapists, kidnappers and killers are continuously We have been taught to rather understand the under- demolishing the palace, turning our world into an lying frustrations compelling the aggressor to follow ugly tragic battlefield of untold pain and horror. his extreme route. What happened to the owner of the palace? This “sophisticated” and “open-minded” point of Abraham cries. Why does G-d allow man to destroy view has allowed many of us to sustain an ethos of His world? Why does He permit such a beautiful boundless tolerance, accepting all forms of behavior palace to go up in flames? Could G-d have made a as just, since at the core of every mean act lies a cry- world only to abandon it? Would anyone build a ing heart.

22 www.Chabad.org

voices The Burning Palace

Few ideas have been rejected in Judaism with so much passion, because the refusal to take a stand against what is wrong, will result in wrong’s victory. For example, a non-judgmental view of a suicide bomber may appeal to our sense of compassion and understanding. Yet in reality it assists the “frustrated activists” in their continuous slaughter of innocent victims. Judaism, in its impassioned attempt to turn the world into an exquisite palace, created absolute universal standards for good and evil. These standards are defined by the Creator of the universe and are articulated in His manual for human living, the Torah. Taking the life of an innocent person is evil. No ‘if’s, ‘but’s or ‘why’s. The killer may be badly hurting, but that never justifies the act of murdering an innocent human being. Have we lost sight of our mission statement craft- ed by Abraham and G-d on that fateful day thousands of years ago? For six years the Jewish State has dis- played extraordinary tolerance towards terrorists and their assistants. The result of this moral confusion is devastating: Thousands of innocent Jews and Arabs are now dead, and terrorists the world over have learned that they can continue their despicable work without serious consequences. Good people of the world are waiting to be inspired by our four-millennia long heritage of standing up to evil and banishing it from G-d’s palace.

Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, [email protected] has lectured on Chassidic teachings to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences in six continents and twenty states and is the author of the tape series "A Tale of Two Souls."

23 www.Chabad.org

they picked up what was left and got on with the joys and sorrows of living. voices These were not people who were indifferent to Transcending Fear their physical existence. They cared about their homes and businesses, about their health and safety and savings accounts, as much as anyone else. But by Yanki Tauber they knew that that's not all there is. Their physical lives served a higher purpose; their physical world was an offshoot of a higher, eternal, indestructible Fear has infiltrated our lives like a deadly white reality. Whatever was going to happen was not "the powder wafting through the soul of America. end of the world" since even the end of the world is Perhaps this is the great change that everyone not the end of the world. senses to have occurred on September 11. Thousands The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef have died, and thousands more have been directly Yitzchak Schneersohn, who spent many years bat- affected by their deaths. A wider circle is bearing the tling the Communist regime's attempt to eradicate brunt of the economic repercussions. But the most Judaism in the Soviet Union in the 1920's, recounts wide-ranging effect is this new, awful fear, this seep- an incident which took place during one of his many ing dread that is slowly filling the space where our interrogations by the NKVD and GPU (forerunners hearts used to be. of the KGB). At one point, the interrogator bran- Is there an answer to this fear? Is there some way dished a revolver in the Rebbe's face and said: "This to still this terror, to reclaim our supplanted hearts? toy does away with 'principles'. Fear of it has opened many a mouth, and even the dumb have become talk- ative before it." When I was growing up, most of the grown-ups I "This toy," Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak calmly replied, knew were Holocaust survivors. Some had survived "strikes fear in the heart of a person who has but a the war years as young children hidden with non- single world and many gods. But as for us, who have Jewish families, warned not to ask for Mommy and two worlds and one G-d, it makes no impression Daddy or to utter their real name. Some were in the whatsoever." camps. Virtually all had lost loved ones: parents, bothers, sisters, children. I don't know how "religious" or how "spiritual" Yanki Tauber, [email protected] is content editor of Chabad.org they were -- I don't know what exactly they felt when they prayed, put on tefillin, or performed any of the other mitzvot that defined their daily lives. But I know that they went about their lives with the quite conviction that they were doing what G-d wanted them to do, that their lives were part of something greater than themselves.

Perhaps this explains the surprising normalcy of their lives. It was many years before I learned -- from magazine articles, films and books -- about the trau- mas that darken many survivors' lives and even afflict their second and third generations. It was even longer before I realized that I should be wondering why all these people I know -- my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and all the older people in our neighborhood shul -- were so "normal". Certainly, the Holocaust was a most tragic and painful disruption of their lives; but once it was over,

24 www.Chabad.org

year-old “vegetable” cannot be sacrificed to save the life of a 20-year-old genius. The Talmud tells the story of a man who was threatened by the hoodlum that ran voices his city that he’ll be killed unless kills a certain person. The great sage Rava told this man: “What makes you The Jew’s Double think that your blood is redder than that person’s blood?” Standard The Talmud goes so far as to rule that an entire city cannot be saved by giving up a single individual. by Yanki Tauber Because each and every life is of Divine — and therefore infinite — significance. Ten thousand infinities aren’t any “more” than one infinity. A time to kill, a time to heal In light of the above, it is surprising to find the fol- A time for war, a time for peace lowing law in the Torah (derived from Deuteronomy Ecclesiastes 3:3,8 22:26): Habah l’hargecha hashken l’hargo — “If someone is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill Double standards are supposedly unethical. Yet Judaism him first.” (This law applies equally to someone com- — the ethos contained in the Bible and expounded by ing to kill someone else — you’re obligated to kill the the sages of Israel — abounds with double standards. In murderer in order to save his intended victim). fact, these double standards are at the heart of how we This law seems to contradict the principle of life’s live and what we have taught the world — and at the infinite value. If no life can be deemed less valuable heart of what makes an ethical person. that any other, what makes the victim’s life more valu- One example of an ethical double standard is the dif- able than the murderer’s life? Furthermore, this rule ferent ways in which we regard tragedy, depending on applies to anyone who is “coming to kill you” — he who is the victim. When something bad happens to hasn’t even done anything yet! Maybe he won’t suc- myself, the Torah tells me to trust in G-d’s help, justify ceed? Maybe he’ll change his mind? Nor does the law His ways, and examine my ways for what I might have say anything about trying to run away. It says: If some- done wrong so that I may learn a lesson from what one is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill him occurred. Which are precisely the things I’m not sup- first. posed to do regarding someone else’s troubles. Another The same Torah that tells us that G-d placed a spark Jewish double standard — also relating to a difference of Himself in every human being, thereby bestowing in how we treat ourselves and how we treat others — is upon his or her physical existence a G-dly, infinite the potential/actuality question. Briefly stated, we’re worth — that same Torah also tells us that G-d has supposed to judge ourselves by what we’ve actually granted free choice to every man. Including the choice achieved, and judge others by what they’re capable of — and the power — to corrupt his G-d-given vitality achieving. But perhaps the most fascinating — and and turn it against itself, using it to destroy life. A per- important — double standard in Judaism is in the way son can choose to turn himself into a murderer — some- we apply the Divine commandment “Do not kill.” one who is prepared to destroy life in order to achieve Much has been written on the infinite value that the his aims. In which case he is no longer a life, but an Torah places on every individual life. After the concept anti-life. of Monotheism (from which it derives), this is the most To kill an anti-life is not a life-destroying act, it is a revolutionary idea which the Jew has introduced to life-preserving act. It is not a violation of the com- mankind — “revolutionary” in the sense that it flies in mandment “Do not kill”, but its affirmation. Without the face of everything everyone previously believed (as the law, “If someone is coming to kill you, rise against indeed in the face of common sense), and “revolution- him and kill him first,” the principle of life’s infinite ary” in the way it has transformed the face of civilized value is nothing more than an empty slogan, a mere society.. idea. Placing an infinite value on every human life means Judaism is not an idea. It is a way of life — G-d’s an utter rejection of any “scale” by which to quantify ideas made real. and qualify its worth. A retarded baby’s life has the same value as that of the wisest person on earth. An 80- By Yanki Tauber, [email protected] 25 www.Chabad.org

voices tragedy befalls the community... they should acknowledge that it is the result of their negative deeds... and Guilt this will bring the removal of the suffering from upon them. However, if... they say this is an occurrence in by Yanki Tauber the course of the world, and this tragedy just happened to happen, this attitude is from the path of cruelty, for causes them to cling to their negative ways" (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Fasts, 1:2-3). May the new year bring only goodness and light to all the peoples of the world. September 11, 2001

The horror. The outrage. The feelings of helpless- By Yanki Tauber, [email protected] ness and vulnerability that every American, and millions beyond America's borders, have woken to this morning. What can we, as individual members of the family of man, say? We can, to the extent that such a thing is possible, share in the sorrow of the bereaved. We can pray for the survivors and for their loved ones. We can acknowledge our guilt. Because we are guilty. A handful of cold-blooded murderers committed the slaughter at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but their deeds are but the most vile manifestation of an evil of which we are guilty. We are guilty in that we have profaned the sacredness of life. In our arrogance, we have come to regard the divine gift of life as malleable, bendable to our aims. We recognize no limits -- everything is doable, we just need to find the way. And that is the ultimate evil. Once we enthrone the end over the means, nothing is sacred. The end may be holy or evil -- it is almost irrelevant. We may construct edifices of laws and norms to regulate what may and may not be done -- they will be stretched, bended and revised to suit any set of "values". If it is acceptable to step on another human being to propel oneself upwards on one's chosen economic, social or religious ladder, then ultimately someone, somewhere, will believe himself justified to annihilate 5,000 "infidels" to achieve whatever it is that he desires to achieve. Until we restore the unequivocal, inviolable sacredness of life, there will be "extremists" who will carry our sin to its horrific, but perfectly logical, extreme. Eight hundred years ago, the great Jewish sage Maimonides wrote: "This is the path of teshuvah (repentance): when a 26 www.Chabad.org

voices acts of kindness infinitely more potent than kindness itself could ever produce. Evil exists to be exploited by Why Does Esau goodness. The soul of Esau knows this--that he exists solely to Hate Jacob? serve his younger brother. That no matter how fero- ciously he resists this truth, that ferociousness itself by Yanki Tauber will ultimately be Jacob's. That's why Esau hates Jacob so much: because he knows that his hate is not his own.

In Genesis 33:4, the Torah tells us about a kiss: after By Yanki Tauber, [email protected]; based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, www.therebbe.org thirty-four years in which Jacob had fled his brother's wrath, and in which Esau had never ceased plotting to kill him, Esau has a change of heart. Seeing Jacob approach, Esau runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him. But the word vayishakeihu, "and he kissed him", has a line of dots above it, which is the Torah's way of telling us that this was not a normal kiss. What was abnormal about this kiss? Well, the Midrash cites two interpretations. One is that the Torah is telling us that it was not a true kiss--Esau was really trying to kill Jacob by biting his throat. The other interpretation is that Esau kissed Jacob with all his heart--that's what was abnormal about the kiss, since "we know that it is a car- dinal law of reality that Esau hates Jacob." Either way you look at it, the bottom line is that Esau hates Jacob. No matter what Jacob does, Esau hates him. If Jacob appeases him, gives him gifts, acts towards him like the brother he is, Esau hates him even more. But why? Why does Esau hate Jacob? But first we should ask: Why does Esau exist at all? Why is there evil in our world? Why is there hatred and darkness? What would be wrong with a world consisting only of goodness, love and light? Evil exists because it is so much more powerful than good. Is there a lover in the world who loves with the intensity that a hater hates? Is there a light as bright as darkness is black? Has there ever been an act of kindness unleashed with the force and vigor contained in an act of cruelty? That is why, say the Kabbalists, G-d created evil. Darkness exists so that it should be transformed into light, resulting in a luminance infinitely greater than light itself could ever yield. Cruelty is implanted in the heart of man so that we should tap its intensity to fuel 27 www.Chabad.org

voices One Year Later by Yanki Tauber

A year should give us perspective. Three-hundred- sixty-five days in which to cart off the debris, get our bearings, and take the first small step on the path toward understanding. Of course, none of that has occurred. We are just as baffled, just as horrified, just as incredulous, as we were that September morning twelve months ago. And that, ultimately, is our beacon of hope, our island of sanity, our assurance that civilization will survive and goodness will triumph. If ours was a world in which such evil was credu- lous, in which such wickedness was comprehensible, it would be an evil world. The fact that we have not -- and never will -- come an iota closer to understanding what happened on September 11, 2001 is the ultimate vali- dation of everything we believe and stand for, the ultimate proof of the intrinsic goodness of our world, and our ultimate weapon against the forces of darkness. We will never understand -- and it is good that it is so. But neither should we desist from the effort and the duty to reflect on what we have seen and take its significance to heart. We have seen unadulterated evil. And we have seen utter human goodness in the form of firefighters rushing up the stairwells of the burning buildings and men and women refusing to leave injured co-workers behind. Man has shown us how evil he can be, and how noble. We shall never understand, but we have much to learn. May G-d help us in the infinitely difficult task He has given our generation: to learn and grow also -- and especially -- from the horrible and the incomprehensi- ble. September 11, 2002

Yanki Tauber, [email protected] is content editor of Chabad.org

28 www.Chabad.org

voices exploration or contemplation. Our Sages explain it as a truth that emanates to our consciousness from the spark of Divinity that lies within each of us. It is a truth that The Sacred and the makes up part of our very being, transcending belief or rationality. Good Our belief in the sacredness of life -- and the manner in which we honor this belief in action -- places us on by Jay Litvin the side of good. Because of it, we don't murder and we abhor the destruction of life when it is done by others. We don't require murder and terror to take the lives of A line was drawn in the sand. Good and Evil. Which thousands of people before we experience outrage and side are you on? disgust. Even the violent, premeditated end of one life is enough to put us into mourning and shock. It goes Of course we are all on the side of good. On against what we innately know is the Divine intent. September 11, 2001, in New York and Washington, the dividing line became crude, the divisions crystal clear. In His intent, we are taught, the Creator gave to each If evil is the willingness to kill thousands of people who creation the inalienable right and privilege to discover are innocently going about their daily lives, then cer- and fulfill its G-d given, individual purpose. And, from tainly they are on the side of evil, we are on the side of the depths of our heart we know that no one has the good. right to judge the value and purpose of another's life or to indiscriminately end it prematurely, G-d forbid. But, as we know, between these two poles lies many gradations -- both poles are parts of a continuum, both If this were not true then we would be like parts of a lie within a larger field that unites them. Indeed, if this machine that if destroyed could simply be replaced. We were not the case, then we on the side of good could would have to think of ourselves as living in a mecha- have no effect on evil. Our ability to affect evil is only nistic, soulless universe in which all things are judged because somehow we are all connected. by their usefulness in a utilitarian world operating by machine-like rules. We could then consult the operating From this perspective, the absence of good creates an manual to learn which of us are replaceable in order to opportunity for the advance of evil, while an abundance determine who could be destroyed and who needs to of good holds evil at bay. We all play a part in the bal- remain alive. ance. Instead, we believe that life is sacred, that we are all Our awareness of this connection and interplay created by G-d who has imbued us with a spark of between good and evil allows us to take a bit of the Himself and placed us in a world that has order, value, world back into our own hands. We can join the battle and purpose. Nothing He creates is superfluous and all against evil without ever picking up a gun. Through our things in His world are necessary and of value. In other actions we can have an effect on the total context that words, we are all part of a G-d-created Whole that has allowed evil to surge to such horrendous strength. requires each individual existence. From the perspec- But to achieve this effectively, we must go beyond tive of this Whole, each of us is absolutely necessary. the crude dividing line of murder and terror. Otherwise, Simply put, we matter. we may feel some degree of satisfaction at observing Thus, when life is snuffed out, we are all affected. We the commandment "Thou shalt not kill", we may take are shocked and dismayed. We know, sense and feel that pride in not being barbarians, but we will have nonethe- the Whole in which we live has been shaken. The act less left the world as it is. not only claims a life or thousands of them -- it is an Let us delve deeper and try to understand the under- affront to the very foundations of the world we live in. lying difference between us and them. And we sense this. Don't we? We know this from a knowing deeper than our ordinary knowing. Don't we? For us, life is sacred. To murderers and terrorists it is The tragedy of the Twin Towers felt as if our entire not. world, our trust, our foundation had been shaken. Didn't it? The knowledge that life is sacred comes from somewhere deep inside our guts. It is part of what makes us And it had. Because one of the foundations of our human. It is an absolute truth that requires no further world -- one of the laws that G-d put into our world to 29 www.Chabad.org

who choose the side of evil. To be on the side of good means much more than simply refusing to wantonly voices kill. To be on the side of good means to "choose life", to dedicate our lives to reveal and honor the sacredness of The Sacred and the Good creation. Of time and space. Of plants, trees and flow- ers. Of water and sky and air. Of animals. Of our children. Our families. Our friends. Our communities. keep it whole and healthy and functioning -- is that life The entire body of Jewish law and knowledge is is sacred. And this belief, this innate knowledge that G- devoted to teaching us how we can reveal the sacred- d placed within us, is what separates those of us on the ness imbedded in G-d's creation; how to uncover and side of good from those on the side of evil. It is the express the ultimate purpose and value, the meaning essence of being human that, when missing, makes a and importance of each thing, place, moment or person person less than human, or, as we have seen, inhuman. that crosses our path. It teaches us how to respect each And in the same way that human life is sacred other and the ground we walk on and the places we go because G-d created it, so is all of creation sacred to and the miracle that is our body. It teaches us to value because G-d created it. G-d created time and space, and our time and continuously remember how G-d has both they too are sacred. G-d created animals, trees and carefully portioned out our days and given each of us stones, and these, too, possess a spark of G-dliness and myriad ways to make our limited, prescribed lives sacredness. Each and every one of G-d's creations is meaningful, crucial, irreplaceable. imbued by its Creator with value, intent and purpose. And here -- in this environment of sacredness -- is Each of His creations fits into His scheme of things, has where we have the opportunity to evaluate ourselves its irreplaceable place in the order of the world, and is and our place in current events in a more refined way, a constantly watched over and cared for by Him. All of more personal way, a way that allows us to change and creation shares the merit of being sacred, though its to choose and to affect the world so that we can add to sacredness may be hidden or dormant waiting for us to the good, add to the beauty, add to the sacredness of life. reveal it. Yes, there were lines drawn in the sand on September In giving us the Sabbath G-d demonstrated that time 11. But they are lines that can lead to G-d and to the itself can be sacred. And He empowered us with the refinement of the world. We can use these terrible times ability to sanctify every second of every day of our lives to look at time itself and how we use it, at life and how and to bring its Divine potential and purpose to fruition. we live it, at place and space and environment and how When G-d told us that the Land of Israel is sacred, as we respect and maintain it, and at ourselves and the was the place where Moses saw the burning bush and choices we make as we live out this gift of sacred life. Abraham bound Isaac to the alter, He showed us that If we transform time into sacred time, place into place too can be sacred, and space. Jerusalem , we are sacred place, and life into sacred life, then there will be told, is holy, the Beit HaMikdash ("Holy Temple") even no place or time left for terrorism and terrorists to roost. holier, and the Holy of Holies the holiest of all. Our Instead, they will be like lifeless ghouls, wandering Chassidic sages teach that each of us is empowered with aimlessly through a sacred universe unable to find a the ability to make place and space sacred -- to make doorway through which to pass, lest it be the doorway holy our houses of study and prayer, our homes, and to hell itself. every private and public space. By behaving in a man- Jay Litvin lives in Rehovot, Israel, and is director of Chabad's ner dedicated to and respectful of His purpose, we do Terror Victims Project, our part in creating a fitting place here on earth in which http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=87032; he also serves as G-d can reveal and manifest His presence. Medical Liaison for Children of Chernobyl, http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=87033; which airlifts chil- In the Torah, G-d gives us the choice between life and dren out of the areas contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear dis- its opposite. He encourages us to "choose life". He aster. As a regular contributor to Chabad.org Magazine, Jay has empowers us to choose a path that will reveal the gained a global following for his moving portrayals of his inner life drawing on his experiences in battling illness and raising his seven Divinity, the sacredness imbued in each aspect of the children. Jay welcomes your questions and responses, world. This essential choice -- to choose life or its oppo- [email protected] site -- is the essential difference between those who Illustration by Chassidic artist Michoel Muchnik, www.much- choose to be on the side of good or, G-d forbid, those nikarts.com

30 www.Chabad.org

voices the feeling that if this person can die, and that person Life After Terror can die, and this can happen and that can happen... well, then, what exactly is preventing everything from By Jay Litvin happening to this person, he around whom everything else happened? If people are dying, why won’t he?...a black sort of outlook one is handed when all the rules of impossibility and propriety are thrown out. Thus, one starts to feel that death is literally around each and every corner... that whatever is out there that snuffs out life is probably sniffing around for him...” For many terror victims, faith and trust in the very Terror and trauma can, we know from experts like safety of the world, in the very goodness of the world, Dr. Peter Levine and his work on Somatic has been shattered. And while “diplomatic solutions” Experiencing, become imbedded in the bone and tis- are sought to end this possibility for the future, for the sue. It can go right down to the cellular level and be terror victim the past remains the present and is held there, embraced there, entrapped there for a life- moment by moment being projected into tomorrow. time. It can continue to affect our emotional and psy- What can be done? chological responses, shape or reshape our very characters. It can affect how we respond to sounds First, to know and remember. To not be deluded into and sights, fleeting images, and future expectations. the thinking that the past and its effects so quickly heal. The roar of a passing bus, the face of a passerby, the To know that there are thousands of people for whom, smell of burning garbage may, for the terror victim, regardless of new facts on the ground, terror will con- set off a series of uncontrollable responses, some tinue as part of their daily lives. conscious and obvious, some subtle and subter- This realization will bring about a desire to help. ranean, all affecting negatively, often viciously, the And for those who live far from Israel their way will be life and behavior of the “victim”. mostly through money. As they have in the past, so, G- While we tend to think of terror as that moment d willing, will they do in the future: they will donate to when the bus explodes, G-d forbid, or the bullet is help ease the pain — the victims’ and theirs. For the fired, in fact terror can continue its ripple effect, like pain and sorrow of the terror survivor or bereaved is, a shockwave without end, well into the future. There through the unity and bond of one Jewish soul to the is no “road map” to the end of terror for those who other, their pain. And from their pain, they will seek to are already its victims. There is no hudna, no truce, soothe the pain of the other, their fellow Jew in Israel. no peace for the mothers and fathers, the children, Donating money, while only one part in the healing the bereaved who continue to suffer as if the attack of survivors and the bereaved, is good. It helps ease the was yesterday or will, in their psyche, be again financial stress for families and allows grieving to tomorrow. occur without infringement from the electric bill and For many of them, the world was turned upside bank overdraft. For some, it allows healing to occur in down and inside out in an instant. In a literal flash. a room now cooled by a new air conditioner. It enables The goodness of the world became like a childhood a wedding, a bar mitzvah or summer camp for children. fantasy of better days gone by, replaced by the ever- Later, it may allow for a career to be pursued, a possi- present fear of unexpected evil, a questioning of the bility for a future dream that can temper the horror of a very foundation upon which the world stands, upon sorrow-laden past. For many, it puts food on the table which trust and faith once claimed their place. Yes, and clothes on the children. the sun will still rise in the morning, but there is no More than that, the money serves as a physical longer any assurance of what the dawn will bring. demonstration of the caring of others, even those thou- Writer and orphan David Eggers, writing about sands of miles away, who recognize and join in the suf- the sudden loss of both his parents describes it this fering and seek to alleviate it any way they can. It is a way: “...the unshakeable feeling one gets, one thinks, fledgling demonstration that the world continues to be after the unthinkable and unexplainable happens — populated by good people, a gesture that helps rebuild

31 www.Chabad.org

bones and psyche, we can over time, through our words voices and behavior, generosity and kindness, be part of rebuilding the fractured world of those afflicted by ter- Life After Terror ror and thereby become a healing community of Jews. We may not be able to take away the fear (and reality) that, as Eggers says, “death is around every corner,” but we are fully able to demonstrate that so, too, is life. faith in the continued goodness and generosity of the world. It is a building block, a ray of light fight- Jay Litvin lives in Rehovot, Israel, and is director of Chabad's ing its way through the thick darkness of inexplica- Terror Victims Project; he also serves as Medical Liaison for ble, indescribable tragedy and fracture. It helps heal. Children of Chernobyl, which airlifts children out of the areas contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. As a regular And for those of us in Israel, close at hand — the contributor to Chabad.org Magazine, Jay has gained a global neighbors, friends, and colleagues, the fellow shop- following for his moving portrayals of his inner life drawing on pers and bus travelers, the social workers and bank his experiences in battling illness and raising his seven children. clerks — there is another challenge. While the goal Jay welcomes your questions and responses to is articles, [email protected] remains the same — to help rebuild trust and faith in the world, to recreate a sense of safety and kindness About the artist: Sarah Kranz has been illustrating maga- — the method is different. zines, webzines and books (including five children’s books) since graduating from the Istituto Europeo di Design, Milan, in 1996. For we must, in our very presence and behavior, Her clients have included The New York Times and Money exude the kindness and concern, so necessary and Marketing Magazine of London precious, that will demonstrate in our smallest acts the goodness and love inherent in our world. We can, The content on this page is produced by Chabad.org, and is copy- through our everyday gestures of concern and gen- righted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this tleness, of politeness in action and generosity of spir- article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you com- ply with our copyright policy it, become a window of a different reality — one that stands in stark opposition and contrast to the hate and violence that has overpowered and over-shad- owed a terror victim’s reality. And in a deeper, more subtle way, this challenge rests not only with the immediate neighbors of the victims of terror, but with all of us, their fellow inhabitants of earth. For our every act of kindness, our every gesture of faith and trust, reverberates through the global community of which we ultimately are all part. We must, in these days of fear, uncertainty and anxiety, find within ourselves and radiate every ves- tige of faith and optimism and goodness of which we are able. And we must do it consistently, and over the long haul. The trauma of terror can not only be overcome, but transcended. Once broken, the heart and the spirit have the potential to mend and be even stronger than before, more loving and compassionate than before, more filled with faith and connection. But healing and recovery does not happen quickly. And while we may not be therapists and psychol- ogists able to coax the impact of trauma from the