Talmud Class: What Can We Do About the Ugliness and Hate Revealed by the Cheering of a Man's Murder?

From the Bimah: Jewish Lessons for Life

The murder last week of CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of New York in broad daylight inspired large-scale celebration. The article from the Times and social media posts show delight in his murder; the celebration of his murderer as a hero. What is wrong with us? How could thousands of Americans celebrate murder? There is an ugliness and hate in our nation now. Is there any way to heal it? Our reading this week deals with violence in a violent place, Shechem: the rape of Dinah, the revenge of Simon and Levi. Violence often leads to more violence. Hate to more hate. Ugliness to more ugliness. But are those cycles inevitable? What do we learn from this violent story about how to heal the hate in our world now, if healing is even possible? In the wake of Brian Thompson’s murder, much has been written and spoken about anger, outrage, fury at the health insurance industry’s denials and delays which have led to death and dying during people’s most vulnerable times. Does our Torah offer us a better way to respond to this pain than what happened on the streets of New York?