When Will We Ever Learn?

Last fall the Torah study group at my temple decided to move on to read the Book of Joshua, followed by the Book of Judges. Judges can be easily summarized as follows:

The people of Israel sin against God.

They are subjugated to another people.

God chooses a new leader for them.

They defeat the enemy.

They live in peace.

They sin against God.

Repeat, repeat, repeat…

Last week we read the story of Gideon and I found myself getting depressed. Not because of the stories that were told thousands of years ago, which were written to justify the monarchy, but because of how these stories are reflective of modern times. We too seem incapable of learning. It seems like every generation is doomed to make the same mistakes. The “war to end all wars” was followed quickly by another “world” war, and then we fought in Korea, and then Vietnam, and then Iraq. Repeat, repeat, repeat…

As I wondered what stories we tell our children that allow them to believe in the glory of war, one of the participants mentioned that the story of Gideon, who defeated a large army  with a band of guerillas,  was used to inspire soldiers being trained for the U.S. Army special forces in the 1970’s. Perhaps, I said, the underlying message was that God was on our side.  

When the flu pandemic of 1918 began, our government didn’t want anything to divert attention from the war effort. They downplayed the dangers of the flu. Millions died. Cities that mandated closures and masks had fewer fatalities. When will we ever learn?