by Rabbi Peter H. Grumbacher
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“Third Holy Temple?’ There were only two!” Indeed, there were only two, but let’s say that another one is standing today, not in Jerusalem but in our imagination. And what could destroy that one is the same that destroyed the second one. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple but as the sages wrote, they were only able to do so when civil war tore the Jewish People apart; or another way of putting it, sin’at chinam, senseless hatred that permeated the Jewish community of the day.
We must consider the consequences of the rising tide of antisemitism, and we must consider what is going on in the Jewish world during this difficult period. Jew hatred has been around forever. Yes, we are seeing terrible instances of it in this country and around the world. What to do about it is surely a question so many are pondering; whether they come up with a cogent answer, one that truly works, is our hope and prayer because, among other concerns, antisemitism can be, heaven forbid, today’s equivalent of ancient Rome. There is no guarantee that the Third Temple in our minds can withstand the power of the antisemites.
For sure, however, the sin’at chinam we are finding among our own People against our own People, is a power with which we must contend. In the long run, it might be stronger than Jew hatred. And it is up to us alone to do everything we can to tame down this potential tsunami which is slowly tearing the very fabric of the American Jewish community.
On the religious front, the divisions that are no strangers to our history are deepening. There has been intra-faith work across the last three or so decades that has seen improvements in how we speak about each other and how we act with each other. Our gatherings as Jews regardless of how we identify, have been at the very least civil. Today, however, that civility is in question; indeed, even such gatherings are fewer and fewer.
While we have read about serious differences in the State of Israel for many years, it is in the United States where our efforts must be focused, as it is here where the most volatile situation is found.
It is said that Hamas has for a long time now infiltrated college campuses to wreak havoc among the Jewish students. It was the October 7th attack that caused the volcano to erupt; but, before that, the lava was bubbling with Zionist and non-Zionist, even anti-Zionist movements, distancing themselves from each other. Do I have to even mention the campus situation these past two years? Surely those antisemites that emerged are often wrapping their hatred around the banner of anti-Zionism, but I am not referring to them, rather to our own Jewish students who stand with them, perhaps not even understanding what is truly occurring.
In the United States Congress, there are those we have elected to serve us, with both Jewish and non-Jewish politicians standing on either side of the chasm. I would be the last to insist that Jewish senators and representatives suppress their feelings to be in lockstep with pro-Israel advocates. I am merely pointing out one more example of divisiveness within our community. And sadly, often the way these differences are expressed are well beyond the realm of civility.
No doubt the political atmosphere in this country is perhaps the most obvious example of sin’at chinam. If some—maybe even many—of our family members are walking on eggshells, even unable to speak to each other altogether, because of where they stand politically, what can we expect from the Jewish population in general?! We have never been in agreement over the way our government should be run . . . how much the more so today!
This is not an easy issue, to be sure. While I am writing this prior to the mayoral race in New York, where the divisiveness among Democrats is palpable, I am not naïve to believe that this race will stand by itself, that once the votes are counted there will be unity. Reading the posts of friends and colleagues of mine, let alone those who are not members of the Jewish clergy but identify as Jews, raises the specter of continued mistrust that, quite frankly, is not good for the Jews. Sin’at chinam has never been good for our People. What must we do to defuse the danger before it is too late?
