ב"ה

Channels Women’s Learning In Touch In Touch with My People

Senseless Love

How to Combat Absolute Evil

Autoplay Next

Senseless Love: How to Combat Absolute Evil

Is there someone whom you have something against? A grudge, or a hurt that you harbor in your heart? Isn't it time we all got past our petty limitations to find the connecting threads of unity that connect us all?

Topics:

Unity; Oneness, Ahavat Yisrael, Clarity & Ambiguity, Good and Evil, Mumbai Terror Attack (2008)

By Chana Weisberg

Chana Weisberg is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org and host of the Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories podcast. She lectures internationally on issues relating to women, relationships, meaning, self-esteem and the Jewish soul. She is the author of six books. Her latest book, Shabbat Delights, is a two-volume series on the weekly Torah portion.

Join the Discussion

Sort By:

NewestOldest

21 Comments

Amichai Schneller st.cloud MN March 19, 2014

awful This never sits right with me. I hope justice comes to those responsible.
I cannot help but to feel anger and sadness. Jews need to arm themselves if they are to live abroad. I remember hearing the news about this when it happened. And I'm still very concerned for their families, and can't imagine their pain. Reply

Anonymous March 22, 2011

Senseless Love Those who kill so unconscionably,as they did in Mumbai, to Hashem's emissaries, did so because they lacked humanity. To turn this around to say the victims did not accomplish anything, or that their beauty and love for their fellow Jews and their humanity to others was a waste of time or useless, is indeed born of a callous heart.

The people who created such destruction and slaughter were indeed G-dless. Lack of reason, inability to love, inability to rationalize and an intense disconnection to the suffering of others. Also racist because they targeted a Jewish religious couple, and those they were helping.

Welcome to the sick mind of a psychopath.

Little Moshe was blessed to have come from such a warm and caring family. Their deeds and all they did was from the light, and that is a powerful testimony for their little Moshe to live by. Hashem has His great and Holy hand on that child and He will not let go of him. Mercy and light from the Great and Holy One. Reply

Sam New York February 11, 2009

Love must be balanced, like anything else in life One must have a balance. Love is related to chesed, kindness, yet the same term ie 'chesed' applies to the misuse of love to commit sexual abuse. To be overly kind to the cruel, the Talmud warns us, is to ultimately be cruel to the kind.

We have to strike the correct balance, but amongst our people we are, perhaps, lacking in seemingly 'senseless' love. There is too much in-fighting and too much judgementalism. We do need more love for one another--and hatred for those who wish to destroy us and our society. Reply

Esther Hallandale, Fl. February 11, 2009

Our World I know they say "where their life ther's hope" , and I'm not in judgement of peoples choices---but how can anyone say that when someone devotes their llives to making a better world for us all that that's not an accomplishment. And our loved ones are always with us. In one minute everything can change----and we will see our righteous people once again. Of course while we live we do our best to live life to the fullest and bring G'dliness to our world. May we see no more sorrow---With Moshiach now> Reply

[email protected] rego park, ny February 11, 2009

Senseless love is just that It got them killed. Where is the accomplishment in that? Reply

bonnye balto, md January 6, 2009

Do you harbor a grudge in your heart? Time to go past this petty limitation to find the threads of unity that connect us all I want to share this message with you. Reply

Leah December 12, 2008

Comfort To avenge the blood of those murdered is a given. We know we must do all in our power to seek justice. But it is not a comfort. When the perpetrators of the crime are dead, Rabbi Gabi and Rivki and all the others are also still dead. Moishy is still an orphan. There is some comfort in knowing that people are doing more good- that the world is becoming a better place. Reply

Elizabeth December 12, 2008

awesome video Thanks for sharing!! Such a wonderful message!! Reply

Stefan R. Bornstein Dresden, Germany via chabadkeyb.com December 12, 2008

We had the opportunity to attend a kabbalat Shabbat with Rav Holtzberg in the Kenneth Eliyahoo Synagogue not far from the Taj Hotel during our visit in Bombay this summer. He was a wonderful person and this was a very special and peaceful evening with guests from all over the world. Wihen the whole kehile from all corners of the world on this summer shabbat evening began chanting the lecha dodi there was a very special unity among all of us. We will always have him in our hearts. Reply

Anonymous December 11, 2008

Isn’t all linked before/after form? Well put. It is sensesless. Yet creates. Reply

Brian Kantor December 8, 2008

Brian Thanks for a most inspiring video...

If I may add a comment about a technical aspect of your videos in general, it seems like your a little behind the times with the two format options... with today's technology you should be much better off with a flash video that works on most computers and is fast to load or atleast replace the REAL format with quicktime which is much better. Thanks Reply

Betty Seidner (Esther) December 8, 2008

G'ds World The whole world is mourning the loss of Gabi and Rivki Holtzberg and the others in the Mombai tragedy. It indeed is a tragedy when evil is so unrestrained and hatred is being taught. Yes Chana life goes on and I agree to combat evil we have to have unconditional love. On most levels this is possible, although I admit it's difficult at times,especially toward people that show no concern for others, Ahavas Yisroel is necessary,the eviction of people from their homes iin our land of Israel should not be accepted, and peace with terrorists is a crime against humanity. Maybe we need to speak up more. G'd bless us all and give us the strength to continue to make the world a better place. Reply

Sam NY December 8, 2008

Distracting While I agree that there is more than one dimension to the struggle between good and evil, the very real necessity to have real-life commandos etc confront terrorists, not to turn the other cheek, seems lost in some of the essays being written in the aftermath of the Bombay massacre.

As for completely unconditional love, there are in fact Jews who themselves have sunk to evil depths... For example, there were some truly evil Kapos in the Nazi era. [I admit that these are rare.]

Should we unconditionally love them? Jewish tradition permits, nay insists, at hating truly evil people's actions--and perhaps even the people themselves.

While on one level we should show love to all, on another level we should expect a certain modicum of behavior of most who can do better and choose not to do so. Let's face reality: not all Jews warrant unconditional love. Reply

Peter Knopfler Cancun , Mexico via jewishcancun.com December 8, 2008

Why bad things happen to good people and why the g I have listened for many years to explanations, theories, concepts, reasons, and yet none seem satisfactory. I have searched deeply and found my own answer. Everything in this world is in a constant state of change. Most often change creates resistence, many time leads to pain.
When the pain to stay the same,
is greater than the pain to change.
Only then does the Human change.
As long as we learn from the path of pain, when will there be peace?
Since this is the way we learn, fear and pain,
the good will die young
and bad things will happen to good people.
Thankyou Reply

Nacha Leaf December 7, 2008

Figting on Two Fronts Chana's comments to Sam and Norman are absolutely right on the mark. Of course we must fight evil with all the necessary military means available to us. At the same time the metaphysical, i.e., spiritual dimension is of the utmost importance. They are two sides of the same coin, material and spiritual.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe was very much cognizant of building up a spiritual front prior to both the 1967 and the Yom Kippur wars in Israel. The campaign called "mivtza tefillin" was initiated prior to the former, while prior to the latter, the Rebbe advised his emissaries in Tzfat to refurbish the historic Tzemach Tzedek shul. With the foresight of the Rebbe and the help of G-d we were successful then, and with G-d's help, we will succeed once again. Reply

chana weisberg December 7, 2008

To Sam and Norman I want to make something clear. There are two aspects to fighting evil.

For the evil people of the world, the terrorists who perpetrate these despicable acts--we must fight in the strongest terms possible, with the strongest weapons. We must go out on all out war against them, sparing nothing to rid our world of their cruelty and despicable horror. These people do not understand kindness, nor negotiations, only the havoc that they can wreak with their guns, bombs and shedding of innocent blood. We must demand that our governments and all the governments of the world band together to fight this disease and send out a unified message that we will not tolerate them nor those who support them. Until we have rid our world of their scourge none of us will be able to live truly free lives.

Then there is the other fight, on a personal level--to rid our world metaphysically of negativity and wrong.

On this level, we must reach out, with absolute and unconditional love. To our fellow Jews, who may lead lives different than our own, whose world view may be different, whose personality and character may be different--to them we must reach out, see beyond our petty differences and uncover the connecting threads that unite us all. To them—those that are good and the neutral—we must reach out with absolute and unconditional senseless love. And in this way, on a personal level, we fight the evil in our world by bringing more light and goodness into our world. Reply

Sam NY, NY December 7, 2008

Combat Evil with Actual Combat, not just words! While there is a metaphysical dimension to combatting evil, there is also a here-and-now dimension.

In World War II, milllions of American and other Allied soldiers gave their lives literally fighting evil.

Reply

Peter Knopfler Cancun, Mexico via jewishcancun.com December 5, 2008

gabby and rivki I'm on my knees everyday in tears and rage. My anger is so great I had to lock myself in the house for days. Executing anyone is shamfull, and yet a Rabbi and his wife that dedicated their entire life existence to goodness and harmlessness. I am speechless, breaks my heart to hear my soul screaming NO, Oh G-D NO. Peter Reply

Yiddeshe Mama Brooklyn, NY via chabadindia.org December 3, 2008

So hard, but we must do it Jewish Princess,
I know exactly how you feel. I have been in such pain for days, my heart breaks every time I see pictures of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Holtzberg and little Moishe, and I can't stop thinking about what happened on that dark day in Mumbai. But Chana is right ---the ONLY way to combat darkness, evil, and hate is with light, goodness, and love. I feel that we must mourn this beautiful couple, absolutely --because we ALL lost so much with their passing. But we must also pick up the pieces where they lef them for us, and move on with their work of bringing Hashem's light into the world. We must make them proud. Thank you Chana. Reply

Norman F Birnberg Salida, CO/USA December 3, 2008

Hatred Of Evil And Love Of Good Hatred of evil is beautiful and ennobling. I hate G-d's enemies. I hate those who do evil and set my face against them and I close my heart to them. I show them no pity; I strike down, as G-d commands, all those who do evil. I love those who fear G-d. I adore His friends. I love those who do good and rejoice in them and the kindness of my heart overflows in their presence. I help, as G-d commands, all the righteous. Goodness in others awakens us just as G-d is our source of strength. Reply

Senseless Love

How to Combat Absolute Evil

Senseless Love: How to Combat Absolute Evil

More in this section

Join the Discussion

Synagogue Services

Adult Education

Youth Programs

Holiday Celebrations

Women's Events

Community Services

Senseless Love: How to Combat Absolute Evil

More in this section

You may also be interested in...

Join the Discussion

Synagogue Services

Adult Education

Youth Programs

Holiday Celebrations

Women's Events

Community Services