I was looking at aerial images of Gaza before and after October 7th. The sheer destruction, the tragedy, the shattered lives and losses that are all so senseless and such a waste. And I thought to myself, what is the root of it all? Why? Who needed this devastation?How could Hamas subject their own people to such utter ruin and destruction?
The answer is one simple word: hatred. It all began with the tremendous potent power of hatred. Atrocities perpetrated against innocent men, women and children with such animosity. A hatred so deep that it actually celebrates the mutilation and the humiliation of other people. You suddenly see before your very eyes how utterly lethal hatred is when it takes over and consumes a person, or a group of people. It can do the worst possible things with the worst possible outcomes. Far worse than any fire and worse than any weapon can cause.
This teaches us not only how to avoid hatred at all costs but also - and above all - how to embrace the antidote to hatred, which is love.
Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this relevant and critical discussion about the corrosive effects of hatred, as it consumes and destroys everything in its path. By delving into the heart of darkness, into the abyss, we can learn how to counter those toxic forces with enormous forces of positivity, light and love.