What happens when supposedly holy things - Torah, Hasidism, fear of God - are used to justify hatred, separation, and quarrels within the family? When a brother doesn't talk to a sister, when parents become separated from their children, when communities are torn apart - and all "for the sake of God"?
In a moving and poignant lesson on parashat mishpatim, Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Jacobson dives into the painful root of the divisions in our community and reveals the unpleasant truth: often, it's not religion - it's trauma.
In our parsha, the Torah stops the story of the giving of the Torah - the greatest moment in history - in the middle, and begins to deal with the laws between man and man. What is the message here? And what is the Torah's approach to a truly healthy life?
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Through a fascinating story about a controversy that erupted in a synagogue in Hamburg and a surprising ruling by the Maharsham of Bregenz, Rabbi Jacobson reveals how the evil inclination takes a holy thing - a prayer, a text, a custom - and turns it into a fire of hatred.
A lesson for anyone who feels that their Judaism should bring light and peace, not strife and anger. Discover how to heal inner wounds and make the worship of God a source of true pleasure.
