The world is still reeling from the terrible massacre that took place in Paris this past Friday. So many victims of terror. So many injured. So many families lives destroyed through acts of terror. Every person with a beating heart and a soul mourns the loss of life and stands in solidarity with France in their time of mourning. Beth Zion Congregation in Montreal, Canada, extends its condolences and offers prayers on behalf of those injured in the terror attacks and for the families who lost loved ones. May God give them the strength needed at this difficult time.
As a Rabbi and a humanitarian, I was pained to read a quote in the Jerusalem Post from Rabbi Dov Lior, the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba in Israel. Lior commented in relation to the recent terror attacks in France, “The wicked ones in blood-soaked Europe deserve it for what they did to our people 70 years ago.” According to the Talmud, prophecy ended with the Prophet Malachi who died about 2500 years ago. Rabbi Lior’s opinions are his and do not represent authentic Judaism. Allow me go one-step further. Rabbi Lior’s hate filled message is the antithesis of authentic Jewish values and ideas.
The Jewish Nation that has been the target and the victim of pogroms, holocausts, terrorism and massacres. We need to be the first to speak out against acts of atrocities. We need to the first to wave the banner of humanitarianism and compassion. To pour salt in the wounds of the Parisians is not just wrong, its evil. Lior is not a prophet and cannot speak on behalf of God as to why events such as the Paris massacre took place. If we want to know what God has to say about this event, we simply need to open King David’s Psalms. In Psalm 145 the great king and poet wrote, “God shows mercy on all of his creations.” We need to emulate King David, an authentic Jewish leader and not take direction from false prophets.
