Torah - There is no neutrality. Silence is assent

Shabbat Parashat Mattot/Masei, 26 Tammuz 5762 - No Neutrality: Silence is Assent
Torah Reading: Numbers 30:2 - 36:13

Haftarah Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-28, 3:4, 4:1-2


Silence is assent. How often do we face acts of injustice or callousness with silence? A derogatory joke in our presence, an act of selfishness or cruelty, or simply reading of political oppression in our newspapers -- all of these instances summon us to choose a side. We can either verbalize our opposition immediately, or -- through our silence -- we become allies of the act or words we abhor. There is no neutrality. Silence is assent.

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