In Memory of the Precious Lives lost in Squirrel Hill

My Dear Students, Parents, Colleagues, Faculty, and Staff,
Last מוצאי שבת, Saturday night, we all learned of the horrific tragedy that befell our fellow Jews in Squirrel Hill, a suburb of Pittsburgh. We are still in shock and grieved at the mere thought and mention of what took place. Shortly, we will join together turning our hearts and minds in prayer to God. We cannot undue this horrific event but we can all resolve and commit to embrace one fundamental principle of Judaism.
The tragedy this time was directed specifically at Jews, motivated by the oldest form of human hatred, anti-Semitism. What took place this past Shabbat in Squirrel Hill is reprehensible and abhorrent to every fiber of my being. I know it is the same for all of you as well. But next time, God forbid, the hatred may be expressed toward followers of another religion, or a particular racial or ethnic group, gender or nationality different from yours and mine.
Yes, we will commit ourselves to the giving of צדקה, charity, and the performing acts of גמילת חסד, acts of loving-kindness, in their memory. That is our Jewish response. But hatred has a source. It stems out of fear that comes from ignorance. Once a person understands and replaces the ignorance with knowledge, fear and hatred dissipate. Concerning knowledge our religion says, תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם, “Knowledge outweighs all of them (all other mitzvot).”
Hatred of the level seen by the murderous rampage that took place in the Jewish community of Squirrel Hill stems from ignorance about a most basic idea. So more important than the performance of any one mitzvah, to combat hatred of this type you must truly understand, internalize, and then act, in every interaction you have with another person, based on the most sacred and fundamental fact and concept of our religious principles. It is expressed very clearly and directly in the first chapter of our Torah. You don’t need any interpretation, deep analysis or the designation of “scholar” to understand it. נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו ויברא ה את האדם בצלמו, “Let us make man in our likeness…and God created man in His image.”
All humanity is created ‘בצלם ה, in the “image of God.” The Torah does not say only Jews were created this way, it says all mankind, regardless of nationality, race, skin color, gender, religion. All mankind are “created in the image of God.”
This passage informs us that when you think about or interact with any person, particularly someone not like you in appearance, speech, culture or way of life, and with whom you may disagree, remember that interaction always involves the “image of God” that exists in the other person. “He” or “she,”” they,”…well, “they” have the same make up you and I have…”created in the image of God.”
That being the case, how could you not but treat that other person with the utmost respect, dignity, and humility just as you would if you were standing directly in the presence of the Almighty, Himself.
Would that we keep that one fact always in the foremost of our minds, there would be no personal animosity, anger or hatred. There would be a mutual effort to work out any disagreement in a reasoned and peaceful way. One is not better or worse than the other. You and that other person are equal, both possessing “the image of God”. That is our Torah’s value and that more than anything else is the idea I want you to think over, embrace and commit yourselves to today. That is the one thing each and every one of us has the power to control and do. As horrific as this senseless loss of life is, these innocent souls will not have died in vain if we strive to uphold the truth of our Torah by teaching and living in a way that reflects that all mankind are “created in the image of God.”
May Hashem grant those who were murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue, everlasting peace and repose in עולם הבא, comfort to their mourners and a speedy and full recovery to the other wounded victims. Especially, we pray for the welfare of the injured first responders who hesitated not a moment to save the lives of our fellow Jews in Squirrel Hill.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Robert Kaplan