I’ve gotten a flurry of e-mails seeking a Torah response to the Newtown massacre, searching for a way to "make sense of this terrible tragedy." I can’t “make sense” of this disaster; that would be a hairsbreadth away from justifying it.
But we do need to empathize. And we do need to respond.
I think the nation is going through a collective, empathetic shiva, the traditional period of mourning, for these innocent young lives. This week, we’re all Newtownians.
Jewish Law instructs Shiva visitors not to say anything to the mourners until the mourners speak with them. The Law’s message seems to be: Nothing you say can undo their loss, no words of wisdom can 'make sense' of a personal tragedy. Just be there. Care. Let them know they’re not alone.
After Shiva, the mourners take a walk around the block. This symbolizes the mourners’ first steps out of grief’s intense cloud, as they begin channeling their pain into constructive energy.
As a nation, our collective response needs to eventually convert horror into action, with pro-active steps to spread light in the face of acute darkness.
Two suggestions:
1. We all know people who 'don't fit in'. When you encounter the geek in High School or the socially awkward adult, how do you respond? Do you simply turn your attention to people who are more interesting? Next time, do the moral thing: Remember that this is someone's child, no less than you are. Flash a genuine smile, say a nice word. Make the person feel accepted. Bring light to his/her life.
2. We love this country and its freedoms. Yet freedom without responsibility sometimes leads people to take irresponsible freedoms. We can do better. I dream of a country where children are raised to live by a Higher moral standard (their parents can define that for them), where they feel responsible to a Divine Eye that sees and a Divine Ear that hears. We need this in our common culture.
I don’t know that either of these would have prevented the massacre. I do believe they will bring more light to our world.
While we can't - we shouldn't - try to make sense of Newtown, we can take sensible steps in response.
They won't undo the past, but they will certainly make for a brighter future.
ב"ה