A Gentle Call in a Time of Division – Vayikra 5786 |
Last week, an article called Covid-19 Six Years Later by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist, was shared with me.
She writes: “When researchers compared countries that fared well during COVID-19 to those that didn’t, they looked at health care infrastructure, population density, universal health care, age distribution, how many vaccines they got, and a ton of other factors. But the strongest predictors of COVID-19 infections weren’t any of these. It was trust: trust in government, trust in institutions, trust in each other. Countries where people broadly believed their neighbors and leaders were acting in good faith did measurably better. The United States ranked among the lowest among high-income countries.”
That speaks volumes about our country and, to varying extents, about more and more parts of the world.
We have retreated into our bubbles and rarely find ways to interact across lines of difference. Our world, which once got its news from three major networks that at least aspired to present facts through trusted reporters and anchors like Walter Cronkite, has faded into the background — replaced by more and more media outlets with strong agendas.
This has created a reality where parts of the population are receiving entirely different versions of what is real.
And social media has accelerated this process, as we sit in echo chambers that only deepen the divide.
All of that breeds mistrust.
Even in our shul, I have heard and seen people struggling to connect with others who hold different perspectives on Israel, the current war, social and racial justice, immigration, and much more.
While I try to present the Torah’s wisdom and the tradition’s perspective on these, it has become harder and harder.
The book of Vayikra/Leviticus has no action, no stories, no narrative, just laws, both ritual, as in the sacrifices, as well as ethics.
The opening words are noteworthy for a number of........