Writings from Rabbi Glickman

A Jewish story:  Once a husband and wife each paid separate visits to their rabbi.  The husband visited first.  “Rabbi,” he said, “my wife is horrible,” and he proceeded to list the many reasons why.

The rabbi said, “You’re right.  She really is horrible.”

Then came his wife.  “Rabbi, I’ve got a lousy husband.” She, too, enumerated the many reasons why. 

“You’re right,” the rabbi said again, “He really is lousy.”

The rabbi’s wife, working in the next room, overheard both discussions.   Afterwards, she said, “Yankel, their stories were contradictory, but you told them both they were right.  You know as well as I do that they can’t both be right!”

 “Hmm,” the rabbi said.  “You know what?  You’re right, too!”

Complex questions are sometimes difficult to answer because it’s hard to tell which of the conflicting answers we hear is correct.  Sometimes, however, we face the opposite problem – sometimes there are too many correct answers.

 Such is the case with today’s conflict in the Middle East.

 Like the rabbi in the story, I have visitors to my study, too. Only on this issue, my visitors aren’t people; they are ideas – ideas that have emerged from the pain plaguing so many of us who care about that part of the world.

 My first visitor is the voice of Safety – a supporter Israeli policy.  Safety says, “Rabbi, the Israelis aren’t the aggressors here.  They are just defending themselves against terrorism.  The Israelis want peace.  They’ve repeatedly offered it to the Palestinians before, only to have those offers rejected.  Israel’s response to the Palestinian suicide-murderers is precisely what the United States would do in a similar situation – only less extreme.  What hypocrisy it is for the American government to call upon Israel to stop!  The PLO leadership is clearly uninterested in peace, so in the current situation, Israel is simply defending herself.  This mess isn’t Israel’s fault.”

And I say, “You’re right.  You are absolutely right.”

But then my next visitor arrives – Hope, a peacenik who is stubbornly optimistic even when optimism seems foolish and naive.  Hope says, “It is time to move ahead.  The Israelis say the Palestinians are the aggressors, the Palestinians say the Israelis are the aggressors.  Each feels it has history on its side, and that its present-day responses are just.  Who is right?  It doesn’t matter!   In fact, asking ‘Who is right?’ is actually destructive – the question doesn’t move us forward at all, and mires us in conflict and violence, instead.

 “What we need here is vision – vision of a good end to this violence, vision of a Middle East in which, if all these warring groups can’t be friends, they at least would be polite neighbors.”

 And I respond, “Y’know what?  You’re right.”

Hope leaves, and I think I see Hope and Safety slug in out in the yard – not a pretty sight.

 Then my wife comes over (yes, I’m unmarried now, but this is an allegory, OK?).  “Look here,” says my wife, “they both can’t be right!  If, Safety is right, then it’s not Israel’s fault.  If it truly is terrorism that Israel is facing, then Israel should fight back, and fight back hard.  And if Israel is in the right, then the United States should be giving Israel its full, unwavering support.  Often, we need to be evenhanded, but not with terrorists!

 “However,” my lovely wife continues, “if Hope has it right, then it’s different.  If Hope is right, then all we should be doing is looking forward.  In that case, military responses to even the most despicable terrorist acts must be wrong.  Hope says that violence of any kind locks us in the past, and that we must instead look to the golden sunrise on the future horizon.

 “Hey, bub,” my wife continues, “Hope and Safety disagree – they can’t both be right.”

 I almost tell her that she’s right, too, for I’ve learned that that’s always the safest answer.  Instead, I stop myself.  “No, dear, here [ital]you[ital] are the one who is wrong.  Israel needs to defend the lives of its citizens – to do otherwise would be irresponsible.  Sadly, the murderous terrorists have forced Israel to take up arms.  Hope needs to grow up a little, for when all else fails, sometimes even the good guys need to get violent.  So, Safety is right.

But let’s listen to Hope, too.  Vision, not hatred or fear, should be the force that guides Israel and the Palestinians these days.   Israelis had that vision a couple of years ago when an agreement with the Palestinians seemed imminent.  Now that things are worse, they dare not abandon it.  Otherwise, they are doomed to eternal war. 

 “My dear, Israel must protect herself, and we all must look to the future’s great promise of Hope.  Only when we do both will we be able to put the current conflict in Israel behind us with dignity.

“Safety is right, and Hope is right, too.”

My wife sat pensive for a moment.  Finally, she said, “You know what, honey?  It think I agree.  For once…I think you’re right.”

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