Tag Archives: evil

3 Tips for a Miserable Country from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

I had the privilege and pleasure of hearing Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks speak in Modi’in last week. He is promoting his latest book, Not in G-d’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence.

Rabbi Sacks spoke about three main thought processes that occur in the minds of religious zealots who commit acts of evil. He said that although religious violence is most commonly being committed by Islamic extremists today, it can manifest in all religions.

Everyone would do well to examine these thought processes, so we can defend against the extremists in our midst. This examination would produce the side benefit of reducing fear, anguish and suffering on a personal and national level.

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How Can We Be Happy After a Terror Attack?

It’s a little strange to manage a blog about simcha (Jewish joy) in the aftermath of a devastating terror attack. What is the appropriate response the day after the massacre that took the lives of five Israelis at a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood yesterday?

My immediate response was to wake up and pray this morning. To wrap myself in my tallit and bind myself with tefillin, just as the victims had done shortly before they were massacred (it’s important to note that one police officer was also killed and others were wounded).

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