“Eleazar the Priest said to the soldiers that went to war, ‘This is the law that God has commanded Moses: All the spoils of war that may withstand fire must pass through fire and the waters of niddah to purify them. Anything that cannot withstand fire must pass through water. And on the seventh day, you shall wash your clothes and become pure. Only afterwards may you enter the camp.”
—Numbers 31:21-24
Today is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, an observance first proclaimed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and later signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2017. The day corresponds to the date that the last United States service members departed Vietnam: March 29, 1973. It was selected as a day of recognition for veterans of the Vietnam War, whose service often went overlooked in the years immediately following the war.
The Book of Numbers records the aftermath of a war between Israel and the Midianites. At the end of this expeditionary war, Israelite soldiers are expected to ritually cleanse themselves and their plunder before reentering the camp. This often-overlooked ritual contains parallels to rituals observed in West African and Native American traditions, which suggest that expeditionary warfare exacts a unique toll upon the spirit of the soldier, one that must be acknowledged through ritual and accepted by the host nation whom the soldier serves.
As we continue to learn from our experiences in Vietnam, we invite all members of our community to reach out to the Vietnam veterans of our city and of our Wise community, to thank them for their service, to listen to their stories, and to learn more about the nature of expeditionary service.
We extend our deepest thanks to Marvin Perer, Arthur Kahn, and David Meshulam, who served our country with distinction in Vietnam, as well as all other veterans of the Vietnam War.
—Rabbi Josh Knobel
On Monday, a mass shooting occurred at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian private school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tenn. Six people, including three children and three staff, were murdered. The shooter, a former student at the school, was fatally shot and killed by the responding police officers. Our hearts go out to those affected by yet another senseless act of mass violence at a place that should be one of safety and refuge, acts that have become all too common in our country.