blogs/rabbi-huberman

The murder of eleven congregants at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh last Shabbat morning has awoken many fears and questions that perhaps we've all secretly carried.

How safe are we as Jews in America? How is it possible that, in 2018, someone espousing Nazi philosophy can walk into a house of worship, and kill the most devoted, the most committed, the most innocent?

Those who perished were kind souls. They were treasured members of the Jewish community, and beyond.

Yet of those who died last Shabbat morning, none perhaps has inspired us more than two brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal.

They were among the first to arrive each Saturday morning, greeting worshippers with a "Shabbat Shalom," and the offer of a siddur (prayer book) and a tallit (prayer shawl).

Cecil stood near the front door of the sanctuary, welcoming everyone with a broad smile and a strong handshake. David ensured that the siddurim and tallitot were cared for.

Both were developmentally challenged, but both were giants within the Jewish community: the "greeters," the m'kablei panim, the welcoming faces of the Tree of Life community.

There is a teaching by our Sages that those who face mental challenges are in many ways advanced among all people. The Kabbalah teaches that those with cognitive challenges are not burdened by as many of the protective veils others tend to guard themselves with.

They are masters in purity.

As we review the lives of all those who were murdered, we are challenged by our faith to find some meaning - to identify some spark which inspires us to move forward.

Indeed, as the lives of those who perished in Squirrel Hill were eulogized this past week, one core Jewish value came up again