Who won?
Did you like the movie? Yes or no?
Which answer, A or B?

We have come to love the short answer. Quick results. Boiling it down. Elevator speeches. Up or down votes. As a society, we have lost our ability to unpack the details.

To prove my point further, if I type 400 words or less for this weekly message, our data indicators tell us that up to 60% of the recipients will click and read it. If it is over 800 words, the numbers drop precipitously. 1500 words and even Dori refuses to look at it.

The problem with a Twitter-based, 140-character platform to communicate in life is that the nuances and tapestry are lost.

Here are some of the questions I fielded this week:

Did you like AIPAC?
Was it good?
Was Hillary’s speech special?
Did you boo Trump?
Did you clap for Trump?
Did you walk out for Trump?
Which candidate received the best applause?

We have morphed into asking questions that seek staccato answers. In many cases, doing so is simply not fair. Our Bible is a complicated book. That is why we have commentators like Rashi to help decode and explain further. When it comes to our tradition, we always look for more elucidations and descriptions. To boil down laws into simple answers of kosher or treif, permissible or forbidden, is in many ways against the grain of the religion we call Judaism.

The AIPAC Policy Conference was rich, detailed, multi-layered and bi-partisan. There were moments of cheer, laughter, dismay, and celebration. But to boil it down into a word, an e-mail message, a sermon is a disservice to the plurality it represents.

What I do suggest is that we swivel from asking the simple, short-answer questions to seeking out more thoughtful answers from our friends and colleagues. Take the time to unpack the layers and appreciate the nuances, but that begins with how we ask the questions in the first place.

Equally important is to sign up for AIPAC 2017 Policy Conference today. Don’t just seek the quick answers. Be a part of the detailed conversation. To study Jewish texts in a Yeshiva without ever putting those lessons to practice is a crime. So too, talking about politics without being a part of the democratic process is forfeiting your inalienable rights as a citizen of this country. We have a responsibility to get in the game and make our voices heard. Whether Jewish or Christian, Reform or Orthodox, Republican or Democrat, we all need to be at AIPAC next year and ask the hard questions and be prepared to accept the detailed, non-straight line answers.  After all, that is the Jewish way.

Perspective.

Waking up to the news of the horrific terror attacks in Belgium gives perspective to much of the now seemingly trivial conversations that have taken over the feeds on our news circuits.

Our condolences extend to the families of the victims. We send love and support to the survivors on the painful journey they will take in the hours, days and years to come.

There is no denying that the world our children will inherit is a much scarier place.

Purim is a time to rejoice. But today, we pour out from our cup and temper that festivity as we mourn the loss of lives and lament another layer of safe space that has been ripped from our world.

May God give us strength to overcome fear, combat hate and the ability to embrace the other. Let us collectively work towards leaving a better inheritance for all of our kids to celebrate.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner