Is there something that we didn't see or hear via CNN in the last several days? We've witnessed a series of man-made and natural disasters that overwhelm the senses.
According to the Jewish calendar, this month, 5765 years ago, marks a time just prior to the creation of the world. And between tracking Hurricane Frances, witnessing the carnage and horror in Beslan, Russia, genocide in Darfur, bombings in Iraq, and earthquakes and typhoons in Asia, one could almost feel that we were reverting back to a time when, "The earth was chaos and void, with darkness on the face of the deep...." (Genesis 1:2)
I have a friend and her father, the rabbi, says that the world has always been full of tragedy and things are no worse now then they were in the past. He claims that the era of mass communication has brought everything upon us at once and has created an apocalyptic illusion.
Whether or not he's correct is really not the issue. The modern technological age has been both a blessing and a curse. And for a Jew, the fact that we can see more probably obligates us to do more.
That any human being can click a remote control and sit and watch blood-letting real-time, while munching on a bag of chips, reveals the decadence and insanity of our generation. And most of us are guilty of having passively watched the most outrageous abominations and then, with a mere cluck of the tongue, proceeding to go about our regular business.
Is this a normal defense mechanism necessary for our survival in a cruel world, or is it a form of denial that ultimately leads to destruction?
Parshat Ki Tavo describes a number of startling curses that will fall upon us if we fail to follow G-d's commandments as outlined in the Torah. A portion of those curses include the following: "G-d will strike you with insanity, blindness and trauma." (Deuteronomy 28:28)
Commentators like Rashi and Abarbanel interpret "blindness" as meaning a numbness or a dulling of the heart, or an hysterical blindness due to terror. Ibn Ezra describes a psychological trauma so severe that one's vision becomes impaired.
Is today's media-saturated public suffering from the type of shell-shock described by our sages?
We could opt not to watch, read or listen. We could deny the grim events of the world around us and try to escape to a different reality, but destruction in the form of terror or mega-storms can even reach island paradises like Bali and the Bahamas.
Alternatively, we could opt to face up to the challenges and initiate change. But even that can be problematic, as the following CNN report on hurricanes illustrates:
"[With] enough money, you can build buildings resistant against the wind," said Andy Coburn, associate director of the Duke University program for the study of developed shorelines. "The force of water is completely different. We don't have the technology or the economic feasibility that can withstand the forces of moving water."
I got news for you, Andy, if the Almighty decides to kick-up mega-winds that surpass the Saffir-Simpson scale, or earthquakes that exceed the Richter scale, no amount of money or technology is going to preserve the most well-built building.
Scientists are obligated to keep trying to find better ways to protect the public, but those awesome satellite images of an immense storm engulfing the entire state of Florida as well as portions of the Caribbean should have been an enlightening moment for even the greatest believer in technology. From G-d's perpective, "The nations are as a drop from a bucket; considered no more than dust upon the scales! Behold, the isles are like the flying dust." (Isaiah 40:15)
Distressing world events are supposed to shake us up and inspire us to stop watching and start doing. Perhaps the only real option we have is to be acutely aware of our surroundings and global happenings, and to be motivated to use our skills and talents to initiate change, but at the same time to be cognizant that there is a G-d in this world and that we are beholden to Him.
Electronic media is a blessing if it motivates a person to do good, and it's a curse if it numbs the senses or distorts the truth. If we "choose life", then we may merit seeing redemption live on CNN, rather than destruction.
"Let the old year and its curses come to an end. Let the new year and its blessings begin."
According to the Jewish calendar, this month, 5765 years ago, marks a time just prior to the creation of the world. And between tracking Hurricane Frances, witnessing the carnage and horror in Beslan, Russia, genocide in Darfur, bombings in Iraq, and earthquakes and typhoons in Asia, one could almost feel that we were reverting back to a time when, "The earth was chaos and void, with darkness on the face of the deep...." (Genesis 1:2)
I have a friend and her father, the rabbi, says that the world has always been full of tragedy and things are no worse now then they were in the past. He claims that the era of mass communication has brought everything upon us at once and has created an apocalyptic illusion.
Whether or not he's correct is really not the issue. The modern technological age has been both a blessing and a curse. And for a Jew, the fact that we can see more probably obligates us to do more.
That any human being can click a remote control and sit and watch blood-letting real-time, while munching on a bag of chips, reveals the decadence and insanity of our generation. And most of us are guilty of having passively watched the most outrageous abominations and then, with a mere cluck of the tongue, proceeding to go about our regular business.
Is this a normal defense mechanism necessary for our survival in a cruel world, or is it a form of denial that ultimately leads to destruction?
Parshat Ki Tavo describes a number of startling curses that will fall upon us if we fail to follow G-d's commandments as outlined in the Torah. A portion of those curses include the following: "G-d will strike you with insanity, blindness and trauma." (Deuteronomy 28:28)
Commentators like Rashi and Abarbanel interpret "blindness" as meaning a numbness or a dulling of the heart, or an hysterical blindness due to terror. Ibn Ezra describes a psychological trauma so severe that one's vision becomes impaired.
Is today's media-saturated public suffering from the type of shell-shock described by our sages?
We could opt not to watch, read or listen. We could deny the grim events of the world around us and try to escape to a different reality, but destruction in the form of terror or mega-storms can even reach island paradises like Bali and the Bahamas.
Alternatively, we could opt to face up to the challenges and initiate change. But even that can be problematic, as the following CNN report on hurricanes illustrates:
"[With] enough money, you can build buildings resistant against the wind," said Andy Coburn, associate director of the Duke University program for the study of developed shorelines. "The force of water is completely different. We don't have the technology or the economic feasibility that can withstand the forces of moving water."
I got news for you, Andy, if the Almighty decides to kick-up mega-winds that surpass the Saffir-Simpson scale, or earthquakes that exceed the Richter scale, no amount of money or technology is going to preserve the most well-built building.
Scientists are obligated to keep trying to find better ways to protect the public, but those awesome satellite images of an immense storm engulfing the entire state of Florida as well as portions of the Caribbean should have been an enlightening moment for even the greatest believer in technology. From G-d's perpective, "The nations are as a drop from a bucket; considered no more than dust upon the scales! Behold, the isles are like the flying dust." (Isaiah 40:15)
Distressing world events are supposed to shake us up and inspire us to stop watching and start doing. Perhaps the only real option we have is to be acutely aware of our surroundings and global happenings, and to be motivated to use our skills and talents to initiate change, but at the same time to be cognizant that there is a G-d in this world and that we are beholden to Him.
Electronic media is a blessing if it motivates a person to do good, and it's a curse if it numbs the senses or distorts the truth. If we "choose life", then we may merit seeing redemption live on CNN, rather than destruction.
"Let the old year and its curses come to an end. Let the new year and its blessings begin."