How To Punch a Nazi
The news cycle, normally given to endlessly repeating the same topics ad-nauseum, seems to have finally reached a breakneck pace that even it can't keep up with.
But I'd like to take a moment and reflect on a topic that now feels so quaint - as if our discussions took place oh so many months ago. It may be dated, but in my opinion, it's of great importance:
Punching Nazis.
Think-pieces have been written about the efficacy, the ethics and even the technique of punching Nazis.
I'd like to talk about the Messianic nature of it.
Jewish communities around the world are preparing for the 10th of Shevat, the day the Rebbe assumed the leadership of the Chabad movement.
In his inaugural address, the Rebbe outlined his vision for the Jewish people and the world and the Divine purpose for which we were all created. In its inception, this world is a garden, a place of divine revelation. Our mission is to reveal it.
True the world today seems full of falsities that can cloud our vision. The darkness can be so intense that the worst of humanity--hate and evil--can rear its ugly head. It can give rise to creeping horrors, human cruelty, trolls and, yes, even Nazis. We can live in a world of falsehood, false news and alternative facts
None of that, however, is the truth. The true nature of the world is one of Divine revelation and transcendent goodness.
In chasidic thought there are two ways to confront negativity - the act of iskafya of subduing the negative and is'hapcha, sublimating and subverting the evil. Our mission is to not just subdue the darkness, not to fight it or to be dragged down by it, but to subvert it. Turn the source of untruth on its head, reveal its divine vision, and and elevate the world.
Trolls like Richard Spencer feed on the attention they get - the rush of Internet fame and their pathetic sense of domination over the world through "meme magic." Only by rallying anonymous swarms of Twitter eggs are they able to drown out their own sense of inferiority and attempt a modicum of domination over the world.
We can debate if it's ethical to punch a Nazi. If we have the authority to rise up like Pinchas the son of Elazar and bring an act of righteous zealotry into the world.
One things is for sure: That's iskafya. That's grappling with darkness and subduing it.
That action is, ultimately, only temporary.
Through is'hapcha, though, we sublimate the tools of Internet Nazi's trade. We subvert the very meme-culture these erstwhile Nazis use to express themselves and channel it against them.
Whenever Spencer tweets, suddenly he's confronted with a barrage of tweets sharing, mixing and remixing his ultimate fragility and impotence. Taking that tool and elevating it is the real knockout punch.
On a personal level: Within each of us is the negative destructive voice of the nay-sayer. True we must subdue it . . . but beyond that we must subvert and channel it. Use its seductive power to fuel us towards doing true, actionable good in the world.
May we be blessed to make this world a “dwelling place for G-d,” when all negative forces with be subdued and subverted with the revelation of Moshiach!
On a final note: If you happen to be in New York City on Friday, February 17th, please join us for an #openShabbat experience at Foursquare HQ.