Since our congregation does not have a Rabbi and the services are conducted by lay leaders there is no weekly sermon. Members of the congregation take turns doing a brief commentary on the weekly Parsha (Torah reading) and they are free to toss in a few personal comments. Last night's Parsha covered the battle of Jericho, a bloody massacre that ended with the slaughter of every man, woman and child inside the fallen city. The man who did the commentary must have had a rough job reconciling this week's reading with his own feelings because it was obvious he supported Israel's negotiating for a diplomatic, not military, solution to the current conflict with Gaza. He ended his homily with the words of John Lennon: "give peace a chance".
I think the Parsha - and History - gives us a different lesson. Sometimes it is necessary to thoroughly vanquish one's enemy to assure they are gone for good. This of course does not mean the slaughter of innocents - oh no! - but the thorough trouncing of 1) any ideology that vows they will exterminate YOU and 2) pure evil. I am ready to accept that our current conflicts with hateful, extremist, murderous thugs across the world are such a battle.
I wish it wasn't so and peace really could have a chance...
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