[Jewish] [Mindful Torah] Psalm for Wedneday - Psalm 94, Vs. 1

[Rabbi Steven Nathan]

"The Eternal is a God of vengeance; avenging God shine forth!"
We don't want to think of vengeance as part of God. Yet if the Divine
is the source of all, we must grapple with what we label as
being "negative," "bad," or "evil." And so this psalm reminds us that
vengeance, one of our most primal and primitive drives, also has its
roots in the Divine energy that flows through us. And so we are not
asking God to shine vengeance on the world. Rather, we are asking God
that is the source of all (however you want to define that), including
vengeance, to enable us to see the vengeance in the world. Only by
shining light on it and acknowledge it can we then do what is necessary
to avoid it. As human beings created in God's image and working in
partnership with the Divine, this reminds us that it is our
responsibility to do the godly work of helping to rid our world of
vengeance and hatred as well.

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Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to Mindful Torah at 4/21/2010 01:18:00 AM
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