Article in Times of Israel By Andy Blumenthal

1. 7/30/2018 Shabbat Nachamu: That's The Power of Love | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/shabbat-nachamu-thats-the-power-of-love/ 1/2
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Before Tisha B’Av, I had an argument with a good friend from the synagogue. It
was a silly argument over the recent departure of the rabbi at the conclusion of
his contract, and unfortunately, the shul became divided over this issue. The
breakup was compounded by lots of “fake news” about what had happened, and
in the end, the people from the community were left ghting in two camps: for
and against.
However, yesterday was Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbat after Tisha B’Av, where
the prophet speaks about G-d comforting us after the destruction of the Holy
Temple — that the suffering will be over, and we will return to Mount Zion. The
D’var Torah at the end of services reinforced this theme that the Temple was
destroyed because of in ghting in the Jewish community and we need to do
better, as the familiar saying: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The speech was
about having unconditional love for our fellow man. Anyway, I took this
message to heart, and after the speech, I went over to my friend who I had
fought with, and I held out my hand to his.
Shabbat Nachamu:
That’s The Power of
Love

2. 7/30/2018 Shabbat Nachamu: That's The Power of Love | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/shabbat-nachamu-thats-the-power-of-love/ 2/2
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is business and technology leader who writes frequently about Jewish life, culture, and
security. All opinions are his own.
At rst, I could see that he was literally too upset to shake hands and make up.
But I told him, I wanted to be his friend. After a minute, I reached for his
withdrawn hand and shook it. I bent over to him and put my arm around him
and told him I didn’t want to ght with him and wanted to have peace. He told
me how upset he was over the ght about the rabbi. I said, “It’s over. We need to
help the shul and community move forward, to rebuild, to work together.” I told
him I was sorry for what happened between us, and ultimately, the issues
weren’t really between us. He said, “You were one of my best friends in the
synagogue.” I said, “I still am! This week is Shabbos Nachamu, a time of healing
and comfort. And soon it will be Rosh Hashanah, and I want to wish you and
your family all the best for the new year.” He smiled, and I smiled. I went back
to my seat to put away my tallit, and then we went downstairs for Kiddish. I
looked over his way and wondered if he would accept my friendship again, and
we could heal, the way the community needed to heal. Towards the end of the
Kiddish, my friend came over to me and gave me a big hug — I was so happy!
The message of Shabbat Nachamu is that the power of love and friendship can
win out over the ef cacy of anger and ghting. We don’t need to ght
each other, and even if we do at times argue over the issues, there are many
opportunities that we can overcome through compassion, love, and constructive
reconciliation. The ultimate redemption and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple
in Jerusalem are close at hand, and all of us can help to usher it
in sooner because that’s the power of love.