If you happen to be in New York's Temple Emmanuel for Shabbat services a couple weeks back,

you would have heard Rabbi Sarah Rhinis deliver something like an explicit content morning before her sermon.

I told him that when I assigned Torah portions to 12-year-olds and their parents,

I always warn them, whatever you think, this is not a G-rated text.

This is not the kind of stuff you would permit your children to see on the screen.

And then they might ask, so why are you giving it to them to read in synagogue? The answer is because that's what we do as Jews. We don't turn away.

That Friday, Rabbi Reynus was reading a piece of scripture recounting an ancient war

between the Israelites and the tribe called the Midianites.

Well, it is a shocking passage.

It's a part of the Torah that I've never talked about before because it's so upsetting.

God commands Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites for leading Israel away from the covenant

and deep into the morass of idolatry.

And the officers, the fighters of Israel carry out this order.

We have this image of the Bible as being very wholesome.

And, you know, the Bible is responding to different historical norms than what we're used to.

And violence and war and bloodshed are not off limits

in the biblical context.

Every adult male is killed.

Women and children are taken captive.

Every leader is slaughtered, including Balam, the prophet who once blessed Israel.

When the troops returned from battle, Moses, instead of expressing gratitude, expresses rage,

you didn't go far enough.

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