On the morning of the 4th of Nissan, a civilian convoy of doctors and nurses traveling to the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus (see Today in Jewish History for 20 Iyar) was attacked by Arab forces. Of the ten vehicles in the caravan, five escaped. The other five vehicles, however, which included two buses and an ambulance, were riddled with machine gun fire and later set ablaze. Altogether 77 Jewish civilians were massacred on that day.
Shortly afterwards, the hospital was closed down and moved to the western part of Jerusalem.
The Mt. Scopus hospital only reopened after the eastern part of Jerusalem was liberated by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Primarily staffed by Israeli doctors, it is the largest and best equipped hospital in the eastern section of Jerusalem.
In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Reuben, Elitzur ben Shedeur, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
There are those who say that before we do any mitzvah, we must first understand why it needs to be done. Why else were we given a mind?
There are others who say we must just obey with simple faith. How else can we bond with One who is entirely beyond our understanding?
Abraham did both. He began with absolute faith, even when it was impossible to make sense of what he had been told to do. Yet he would not leave until his questions were answered and he had been given a way to understand.
“Don’t do a thing to the young man, for now I know that you are a G‑d fearing person.” (Genesis 22:12)
Abraham said to G‑d, “Let me present my case. First You told me that my descendants will be from Isaac. Then You told me to take him for an offering. Now You say I mustn’t do a thing to him…” (Rashi, citing Midrash)
That makes sense. Matters that are beyond our understanding can never be fit neatly into human reason. But neither can they be left in conflict.
Because if what you believe is true, it must be true everywhere. Even within your own limited human mind.