đ What Zombie shows reveals about compassion fatigue, psychic numbing, and how Torah teaches us to remember. #Shoftim #parashahoftheweek
What does #thewalkingdead teach us about compassion in a world that grows numb? Think of Sheriff Rick Grimes. In the first episode, he honors the fallen stranger ("we will always remember him") before his empathy fades. Likewise, our hearts risk hardening in the face of relentless tragedy. This sermon explores how constant exposure to mass shootings and global horrors leads to compassion fatigueâas described in NPRâs âAnother Mass Shooting? âCompassion Fatigueâ Is a Natural Reactionâ and psychic numbing, which was unpacked by the APA in their article âCOVID-19 & Psychic Numbing.â
Together, they demonstrate how numbers can often overshadow human stories. Torah offers a different way forward. Through Rambanâs vision of âcircumcising the heart,â the haunting ritual of the Eglah Arufah, Sefornoâs call to spare the trees, and Ibn Ezraâs demand for a culture that cherishes life, Judaism insists that every individual soul mattersâeven amid war. This week, we speak the names of Harper Lillian Moyski (10) and Fletcher Merkel (8)âtwo children whose lives cannot be reduced to statistics. In Elul, may we resist numbness, remember the names, and soften our heartsâso compassion remains our sacred response.
đ Texts: Deuteronomy 21 (Eglah Arufah), Ramban, Seforno, Ibn Ezra, Mishnah Sanhedrin Articles
đ°: Another Mass Shooting? âCompassion Fatigueâ Is a Natural Reactionâ - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-s...
Paul Slovic observes the âpsychic numbingâ of COVID-19 - https://www.apa.org/members/content/c...
đŻď¸ Remembering: Harper Lillian Moyski (10) & Fletcher Merkel (8)
âĄď¸ Watch to discover how Torah challenges us to resist numbness, remember names, and soften our hearts in a world that too often forgets.
https://youtu.be/ES6VfgI4FGk?si=xwBOmw6JgxtkjLJ3
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