You Can’t Have One Without the Other

Back in my high school days I had to read Arthur Koestler’s book, Darkness At Noon, for my English class. Many years have passed since then but the message of the book has stayed with me. The author’s contention, or so it seemed to me, was that the political spectrum is a circle, not a line, with the far-left and the extreme-right eventually meeting.

Darkness At Noon was a rather tedious read for my sixteen-year-old self and I have no intention of rereading it now. As I remember, though, it begins with the protagonist incarcerated in solitary confinement. What wasn’t clear for most of the book was whether he was a communist imprisoned by the fascists or a fascist jailed by the communists. What I understood without a doubt was that both extremes are evil. And with both extremes anti-Semitism flourishes.

Recently a relative sent me a political clip and the question was asked when the hatred of Jews began. The eternal question! Several hypotheses were tossed around but there was no mention of this week’s Torah portion, Toldot, to be read in synagogues all over the world on Shabbat.

The reality that Esav hates Yaakov began from the time Yaakov managed to take Esav’s blessing from their father. Volumes have been written as to why Yaakov was justified in his actions and this is not the format to explain them. Rather it’s important to note that, according to the Sages, the antidote to that hatred is for Jews to serve HaShem properly.

And what are we supposed to be doing? Our job is really two-fold: to be a light unto the nations and to follow the laws of the Torah. In more traditional wording it means there are two types of commandments, those between man and man, as well as those between man and the Almighty. Just like it says in the old song, Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage, you can’t have one without the other, so it is with the two facets of serving G-d.

We have it within ourselves to refine and improve our service to G-d in both areas. When that happens, I believe, everything will fall into place. There will be no more innocent people jailed for political crimes, not by fascists, nor by communists, or any other extremists. I pray that day will come soon.

My novel, Growing With My Cousin, a good winter read, is available at Jewish bookstores and on line at  http://www.feldheim.com/growing-with-my-cousin.html or

https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Cousin-Ester-Katz-Silvers/dp/194635113X/