Rosh Hashanah can be a time of renewal for nation in conflict

The shofar calls us to be our best selves, demanding generosity toward the insights of our opponents

- SHMULY YANKLOWITZ

WHEN JERUSALEM fell to Rome in 70 CE, the whole of Jewish civilization faced collapse.

As the Temple was leveled and ransacked of its holy treasures, zealots mounted a desperate, doomed defense, and hopelessness seemed the only path forward. Yet the great Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, the progenitor of Rabbinic Judaism, took another course. Smuggled out of the city, he did not plead for vengeance or even survival. He instead asked the Roman general for permission to build a school in the small town of Yavneh.

From the ashes of catastrophe, Yochanan planted seeds that would lead to a Jewish flourishing.

This humble but visionary choice remains one of the most consequential in our history. It was also profoundly counterintuitive: At a moment when violence seemed the only logical response, Yochanan staked the Jewish future on intellectual rigor, creativity and community. He understood that ruin cannot be met with ruin, but by the audacity to build something new.

Today, America faces a similar challenge. In an era of hyper-politicization, too many of us have become addicted to tearing down rather than building up.

Conservatives identify themselves by what they oppose, progressives by what they resist, and even moderates feel disillusioned by the never-ending cycle of outrage. Rather than viewing ourselves as purely good and the other side as purely evil, we must embrace humanization and see that the goal is not dominating the other side, but creating a new, shared society together that can celebrate difference rather than be defeated by it.