by Ruchi Koval
Some of you know that I love to
engage in a good, lively, respectful debate. And that my tendency is
to take the bait when offered a good challenge.
This week gave me pause, though.
In my various online conversations, the following two themes emerged.
1.
Jewish identity that is tied to negative associations (mainly, the
Holocaust) as opposed to positive associations with Judaism
2. The horrific murder of the Jews in Toulouse and what that means for us Jews here in light of radical Islam
And
I chose to enter some of those conversations, and I chose to ignore
some of those conversations, and let misunderstandings go unchecked.
You
know, there are some things I will never blog about. Things that I
just don't feel I will ever be able to make a difference about. Issues
that are so loaded, so volatile, so potentially misunderstood, that I
won't try. Not out of despair - but out of conviction. Not my
brainstorm - the Talmud says this:
"Just
as it is a Mitzvah to say something (rebuke) which will be heard and
accepted, so too it is a Mitzvah to not say something which will not be
heard and accepted" [Yevamos 65b].
Brilliant, right? But how often is it followed in real life? In online discourse?
Where
I can help people understand a new way of looking at things, at
deepening their awareness, I'm in. Where I will simply fan the flames
of misunderstanding, derision, of hatred, I'm excusing myself from the
conversation. And where the other party is in no emotional state to
entertain another point of view, I'm so out.
Or, as Kenny Rogers said it:
"You gotta know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run..."
