No, no, you don't understand.

He went to this event as a private citizen.

As a president he cares about Jews.
It's only as a private citizen that he's a Jew-hater and a racist.

You see?
You see how that works?

All of those things can be true.

Why are so many people afraid to say those things?

Why are so many people afraid of that world?

So think about the things you say, because your words create a world.

In the world I want to live in, the hostages are brought home, the war ends, and two people who have a lot more in common than a desire to live on the same strip of land live next to each other in peace.

As an aside, I find it no coincidence that the same people who say they are concerned about hate-speech being spoken about other minorities have no issue speaking hate-speech directed at Jews.

These words lead not only to hurt feelings, they lead to a sense of fear and sometimes, they lead to violence and even death.

Why when major media outlets publish stories with no factual basis, it doesn't matter if they retract it the next day. The damage has been done. Their words, even if they are false, have now created a world.

Which is why when someone says that something that was said about them is hurtful, it is wise to listen to them.

Why when Jews say hearing "From the river to the sea" sounds like a call to murder 7 million Jewish Israelis and not simply a protest chant, it would be nice if we we were heard.

Negative words are also powerful.

Negative words have the ability to send someone into a depressive state. A hurtful word during a fight with a loved one; a flippant remark to a customer service agent.

Sticks and stones can break your bones and words sometimes can hurt you.

People experience this every day: the power of affirmations and positive thinking; how saying "hello" to a neighbor or "thank you" to the person checking you out can change a person's day. Their whole outlook on the world, even.

Words are powerful.

This is more than a daily reminder that God played a part in creating the world as we know it, it is a daily reminder that words are powerful. They have the power to literally create a world.

People routinely forget that the holy exists in the mundane. Even in the dirt we think we own.

The text reminds us that the holy exists everywhere. That we shouldn't rely on our memories but build it into our social structures and calendars.

A powerful lesson.

Gut Voch!

Talked about how we are meant to care for the land because we understand that the land's cycles are holy, and that people who want to inhibit our abilities to take care of and study the land are not acting in kedushah.

Gut voch, indeed!

Spoke about this very thing in shul this past week for Emor (how all of our main pilgrimage holidays are harvest holidays), and connected it to a @dkthomp.bsky.social episode he just did on his show about Neil Borlaug, who created a strand of wheat impervious to disease.

5) Here's the full scene:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjMG...

4) More often than not, the loudest most aggressive bullies are the ones who flinch the fastest when their victims punch back.

The real strength wasn't Vance acting as Trump's "Sean Parker," it was Zelensky walking away and then going on Fox News to speak directly to Trump and Vance's voters.

3) The check, though, is a slap in the face, and "Eduardo" responds by winding up to punch "Parker" in the face.

"Parker" flinches and backs away and "Eduardo" says one my favorite lines in the movie:

"I like standing next to you, Sean. It makes me look so tough,"

"Eduardo" then walks away.