Exodus 1:5, 7
"And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls:
for Joseph was in Egypt already. "And the children of Israel were fruitful,
and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
mighty; the land was filled with them."
The era
of the patriarchs had come to an end and a new time period was ushered in. We
all know what happened next: The Israelites embark on hundreds of years of
bitter slavery. It was there, in Egypt, that the children of
Jacob grew into the nation of Israel.
A name is very
individual. In fact, a person’s name hints at his
or her unique essence. There is a danger in placing individuals into one group, especially when it
comes to collective suffering. When a nation or a group is oppressed, we tend
to lump all the victims together. By doing this, we minimize their suffering
and lose our compassion. When victims are nameless and faceless, they
become mere numbers and statistics. However, when someone has a name and an
identity, his or her suffering is felt so much more deeply.
One of the saddest places on earth is the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, where 6,000 people were put to death each day by the Nazi regime more than a million innocent people were gassed and burned. But the most disturbing place in the camp is not the gas chambers or the ovens. It’s the room filled with shoes. And the one next to it filled with hair. Another one filled with eyeglasses. And another filled with toys. And yet another filled with suitcases, still marked with individual names.
These rooms are filled with the personal items of the many victims who perished in Auschwitz. These rooms give names and identities to the millions that perished in the Holocaust, and that’s why they are so difficult to witness. When we recognize that each victim was a living, breathing, unique human being, who once wore eyeglasses or played with a toy, or packed a suitcase, the tragedy of that person’s massacre is felt tenfold. And hopefully this deeper impact inspires more compassion and greater change.
Today, social media makes it instantaneous to hear about tragedies around the world. It’s so easy to become immune to human suffering. But we must remember that every victim has a name and has value beyond what we can understand. Whether lives are claimed in a natural disaster or by terror, we must pause and remember each victim. By doing so, we bring honor to their memory and ensure a more compassionate future for all.
One of the saddest places on earth is the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, where 6,000 people were put to death each day by the Nazi regime more than a million innocent people were gassed and burned. But the most disturbing place in the camp is not the gas chambers or the ovens. It’s the room filled with shoes. And the one next to it filled with hair. Another one filled with eyeglasses. And another filled with toys. And yet another filled with suitcases, still marked with individual names.
These rooms are filled with the personal items of the many victims who perished in Auschwitz. These rooms give names and identities to the millions that perished in the Holocaust, and that’s why they are so difficult to witness. When we recognize that each victim was a living, breathing, unique human being, who once wore eyeglasses or played with a toy, or packed a suitcase, the tragedy of that person’s massacre is felt tenfold. And hopefully this deeper impact inspires more compassion and greater change.
Today, social media makes it instantaneous to hear about tragedies around the world. It’s so easy to become immune to human suffering. But we must remember that every victim has a name and has value beyond what we can understand. Whether lives are claimed in a natural disaster or by terror, we must pause and remember each victim. By doing so, we bring honor to their memory and ensure a more compassionate future for all.
Amen!
Reading: (Ex. 6:1-6)
(Is. 27:6-28)
Ref: www.history.com/topics/world/holocaust
May God Bless You
And Your Family
Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry
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