Thought for the Week

Dear Members and Friends,

It is no secret that when we read or watch the news, we are likely to see distressing stories of hunger and poverty, global conflicts and wars, or environmental devastation. For many of us, it can be difficult to find the balance between staying informed and not letting the news cycle completely dominate our day. We may wonder how to balance keeping up with current events, feeling compassion and empathy for those in our community and abroad who face indescribable challenges each day, and not let ourselves slip into either depression or ennui at the constant stream of bad news. 

In this week’s Torah portion, Va-yera, we read a heartbreaking story of a woman who loses herself in the grief and horror around her.  

Two angels visit the city of Sodom to warn Abraham’s nephew Lot that God plans to destroy the city. The angels direct Lot to flee with his family, and to not look back upon the destruction of the city. Two of Lot’s daughters are married and choose to remain in Sodom, while Lot, his wife, and two unmarried daughters escape. As they flee, Lot’s wife turns and looks back, causing her to be transformed into a pillar of salt.  

Multiple commentaries delve into this story to explain why Lot’s wife is turned into a pillar of salt. In Dirshuni: A Contemporary Women’s Midrash, Ruti Timor writes, “Her heart was heavy upon her, she looked back and saw her city, her family, and her property going up in flames. ‘And his wife looked behind, and became a pillar of salt.’ Tear after tear dripped from her eyes, and the tears grew fuller and fuller, stronger and stronger, until they became a pillar of salt. She stumbled and fell, and stirred no more.”  

Lot’s wife bears witness to the destruction of her city, the deaths of her daughters and sons-in-law, and the end of life as she knows it. She is utterly consumed by despair and loses herself to grief. She is unable to move forward, engulfed by her sorrow, forever frozen, facing the destruction.  

We could say, she should not have looked, as many of the classical commentators do. Yet, we know that we must not turn away from the suffering of the world around us. Instead, we face the challenge of Lot’s wife: how to bear witness to the pain of others without becoming lost in it. We must learn to listen and hold the grief of our family, friends, and community without letting it consume us. We must strive to ensure suffering in the world activates us towards action, motivates us to take up causes we believe in. We must fortify ourselves to bear witness without becoming an immovable pillar of tears.  

This story reminds us how painful it can be to feel helpless, but it also challenges us to act, even in the most difficult moments. May we find the strength to keep moving forward and to let our grief for the world push us towards action and change.  

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Lily Solochek