The prophet Micah (4:4) succinctly and eloquently articulates God’s ideal for humanity with the words ואין מחריד – “nothing or no one shall cause fear. The verse envisions or dreams of a wonderful time, “when everyone shall sit under their vine and under their fig tree and no one shall make them afraid.
In Psalm 54 (verse 6) we read a garbled Hebrew verse that might read: “There they are in great fear, where no fear was.”
In his masterful commentary on Psalms, Robert Alter interprets the verse as referring to a time when the Israelites “were afraid, but it turned out there was no reason to fear.”
Mass shootings over the past several years and particularly the most recent ones (at least the most recent ones as of this writing) in El Paso and Denver bring to my mind a different interpretation of the confusing verse:
There is NOW pervasive fear when previously there was once no reason to be afraid.
- Just days ago residents of El Paso felt they could shop at Wal-Mart without fear. Now they have learned differently.
- Just days ago people in Dayton, Ohio blithely went out for a night on town. Now things are different.
So it is all over this country. Places considered safe are no longer safe. No one considers herself or himself safe anymore. We all are acutely aware that the next attack can happen at our synagogue, church, mosque, shopping center or entertainment venue.
It is a horrible way to live.
When I went to school, shooting drills were not part of the curriculum. Now they are.
How has this great country, become a place where the fear of random violence lingers over all that we do?
How did the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” become the “Land of Pervasive Fear?”
The thought of living in constant fear sickens me, and when I look at my six beautiful grandchildren, it sickens me even more.
- Gun control
- Reduced violence spewing out of media outlets
- Better mental provisions for those with emotional disorders
- Improved public schools
- Health care that is the right for all; not the privilege of the wealthy
- Swift punishment for cops who cross the line
All of these are agenda items for our society to address yesterday if not sooner if ever we hope to roll back the cloud of once unnecessary fear that hovers over all of us.
Finding Ourselves In The Bible 