During the days ahead, as we observe the anniversary of the terrorist horror of September 11, 2001, the media will tell and re-tell the story of that awful watershed in our lives. The country will seek some sense of healing or renewal as we talk about the heroes, living and dead, about victims and survivors. We will continue to hear discussion about the nature of a physical monument or memorial which is to be constructed at the site of the World Trade Center.
Merely repeating the events of last year or talking of memorials will not bring us complete healing. The story of our terror or victimization was thrust upon us. Now, it remains for us to write the conclusion of the story of September 11th. We will do so by the manner in which we go forward as a nation and as a society. We will fashion greater personal and national strength in our struggle against terror by the values we embrace and the lessons we learn.
There are four principal lessons for us all in the events of September 11th. The prism of Jewish experience and wisdom can help us understand those ideas so necessary to our national life.
The attacks on September 11th taught us that we are vulnerable even in our own country. It reminds us that we are not exempt from the global pandemic of fanaticism, brutality and mayhem. We cannot live separately and apart from the world's ills. Indeed, we share in them.
Jewish teaching, while holding out a vision of a special Jewish role in the world, always recognized the essential unity of the entire human family. We learn from Jewish tradition that our intense and intimate new experience of national vulnerability calls us to be more acknowledging of our global interdependence.
This new awareness summons us to be more sacrificing as a nation for the well being of all nations. Our country, therefore, must support world-wide efforts to save eco-systems, to retard global warming, to aid in family planning. Global cooperation is necessary to preserve humanity even beyond terrorism's threat. That is the first lesson of September 11th.
It is the nature of terrorism to obliterate the individuality of its victims. To the terrorists, their victims are ciphers, blindly hated as nameless, faceless Americans. There is a logic to the perpetrators' actions, as they extinguish their own lives, their own individuality, to commit those odious deeds.
The affirmation of the individual and the sanctification of the personality are bedrock teachings of Judaism. The second lesson of September 11th is to celebrate and encourage the individual being of every person. Each and every life is unique. We should not dismiss anyone as insignificant. Only when we cherish individuality do we deny the impersonal, blind rage of terrorism.
"United we stand" has been the rallying cry for our stunned nation. Certainly it is true that, unless we are united as a society, we cannot defeat terror. Our unity must be more, however, than a cheerleading slogan. It must reflect mutual commitment that the least among us will find justice and security in American society. The Prophets of Israel, especially Isaiah and Jeremiah, taught this message repeatedly. They said that a society which is cruel and unjust to its disenfranchised members will not be able to stand united against a foe, even an evil enemy.
Can we be united when we allow our public schools to decay? Can we be united when some must choose between expensive medications or groceries? Can we be united in the face of corporate fraud that hurts millions of people? The wrongs and injustices in American life fray the fabric of our society. The third lesson, then, is that healing will come only when we look at the shortcomings of our society and feel sufficient empathy and duty to correct those wrongs. Ultimately, we can stand united only when we become active agents for social justice.
The fourth lesson of September 11th is that we cannot buy security at the high price of giving up our civil liberties. It is tempting as we live under the threat of terror to suspend laws of due process and privacy. Such temptation is a delusion. Jews certainly know this from first-hand experience. If we barter our deepest values for the hope of security, we will have handed the terrorists a complete victory. Now we especially need to embrace civil liberties and democratic principles because they are our strength and our most powerful weapon.
One important lesson Jews have learned from history, Rabbi David Hartman tells us in one of his essays, is to build meaning in the face of death. Even without guarantees of a tomorrow, we have taught ourselves to act with certainty. Hartman's message is of universal import and application. As we remember the events of September 11th, let us resolve to be true to our history, our values, and our vision.
 | Rabbi Paul J. Citrin is the spriritual leader of Temple Sinai in Palm Desert, California. |
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