On Thursday night, the Memphis Jewish community gathered at the JCC to memorialize Ezra Schwartz, z”l, and the many other recent victims of terror. The “Torah Trumps Terror” program was the culmination of the community’s project to learn all of Tanach and featured words of Torah and inspiration from community rabbis and leaders and the lighting of candles in memory of these victims. Thank you to Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein and the Jewish Community Partners for organizing this event. Below are the thoughts that I shared. Peace is one of the greatest values for the Jew. Daily we say, oseh shalom bimromav hu ya’ase shalom alenu – The One Who makes peace in the heavens may He make peace on us. In Pirke Avot , Ethics of the Fathers, Hillel teaches that one of our greatest leaders and role models, Aaron the High Priest, brother of Moshe, was ohev shalom ve’rodef shalom – he loved peace and he chased after peace. We are taught that in certain cases one can even tell a lie to foster shelom ...
Rabbi Benjy Owen, Dean, Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South, Memphis, TN