• Home
  • About Us
    • About CTN
    • Testimonials
    • Photo Albums
    • Videos
  • Calendar
  • Programs
    • Classes and Events
    • Women’s Israel Mission
    • Jewish Marriage
    • Jewish Family Experience
  • Weekly Wisdom
    • Shabbat Fax
    • Audio Classes
    • CTN Torah Minute
  • Ask the Rabbi
  • CTN Young Professionals
  • Support Us
  • Contact

CTN TORAH MINUTE


Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 11 Sep 2012 / 0 Comment



Hi,
Sometimes we just need to be reminded of things we know.
And I can’t improve on my Torah Minute of last September 11th.
It’s worth thinking about as Rosh Hashanah approaches.
… Where were you when…?
I think every generation has one major event.
Something that changes our lives for ever.
When I was growing up?
It was “Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated”?
In my parent’s generation?
It was probably the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
For us, of course, it’s September 11, 2001.
“Where were you when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers”?
Because in different ways, these were “defining moments”.
… I’ve been thinking that we should also ask ourselves another question.
“What were we like…
On September 11th…12th… 13th… October…November 2001”?
Because we were very different.
Individually. And as a society.
Sure, we were scared. We were angry.
And we mourned the loss of life, and the lives that were shattered.
But we were different in another way.
Our priorities changed. .
Because we were reminded how fragile life can be.
And about what’s really important in life.
We knew that no one called their stock broker from the Twin Towers.
And no one on the high jacked planes was thinking about the Bears game.
We knew some of the things that every single person was thinking about.
No matter what language they spoke!
The people they loved. The meaningful things they still wanted to accomplish.
And their relationship with G-d.
… We remember that the word “hero” suddenly meant something different.
Not great athletes.
But ordinary people who did great things.
Like risking their lives to save total strangers.
Or losing their lives because they stayed to comfort a co worker in a wheel chair.
The people who dug through the rubble around the clock looking for survivors.
Even after “there wasn’t really much hope”.
Because, unlike the terrorists, they knew that every human life is sacred.
… It’s human nature.
These things wear off.
And America also felt the need to “get back to normal”.
To show the terrorists that they didn’t win.
…But we shouldn’t forget “what we were like” after September 11th.
And next time we’re about to call and say…
“Hi dear. We’ll have to make it a different night. Something came up at the office”.
Or… Daddy would love to come to watch you… but… I would love to help you but…”
We should ask ourselves…
“What would I have done after September 11th 2001”?
All the best and Shanah Tova,

Leave a Reply

  Cancel Reply


  • CTN Torah Minute Home

    Home
  • Post Categories

  • Archives

    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • November 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • November 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012



© 2013 Chicago Torah Network | All Rights Reserved
The CTN Center • 2832 West Touhy Avenue • Chicago, IL 60645 | 773.761.0400