Such boycotts are misguided.  They are ill-informed.  They are unproductive and even counterproductive.  They only manage to assuage anti-Israel activists’ feelings.  Boycotts do not tip the balance toward justice.  Most worrisome of all, boycotts open the door to antisemites.

Fanatics fracture communities.  The rabbis argued that being right is not as important as remaining whole.  We can hold many opinions.  Zealots only see their own opinions and reject everyone else’s.  We can embrace a multiplicity of opinions if we prioritize attaching ourselves to our community. 

Throughout our history, and despite the world’s attacks against us, we have stubbornly clung to our faith.  We have not turned aside from our people or looked away from our tradition.  We have not focused on what they are doing, or saying, but instead on what we can do.

Why is the Torah not revealed in a lush forest, teeming with life or a rainforest for that matter that offers countless plant and animal species?  The rabbis respond and say that the Torah was revealed in the wilderness precisely because it is a wild and untamed place. 

Blessings need not be tied to how much food we have.  They are not connected to an abundance of crops but instead an abundance of feelings.  It has much more to do with how full our hearts feel.  And this is something we can fashion. 

Rabbi Israel Salanter reminds us that it is not really about the holidays.  It is instead about how we care for each other.  The Jewish things that define us should be more about how we treat each other.  Do we speak with honesty?  Do we strive for kindness?