Random actsEditorialAfter the fall of the Temple, as faith progressed from cult to canon, its articulation evolved from ritual sacrifice to deeds of loving kindness. The rabbis tell us that our lives may be transformed by such loving acts.The truth of rabbinic wisdom is clear yet again following last week's senseless bombings in East Africa. Dual, simultaneous attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 200 innocent people, including a dozen Americans serving their country, and injured thousands. Scenes of death and destruction flashed across our television screens like a horror movie, but all too real, underscoring the bombings' savagery and stirring an unsettling sense of our vulnerability. We Americans, who pride ourselves on our work to make the world safe for democracy, in an instant become prime targets and defenseless victims. Hope and help arrived in the rapid response by Israeli forces trained in the rescue of victims of terrorist acts. Headlines trumpeted their landing and precision in organizing the chaotic emergency effort. Drawing on experience with such tragedies, the soldiers quickly took charge of the arduous task of pulling the living and the dead from the rubble. Their actions have evoked among American Jews a strange sense of pride, tempered by the sobering realization that the Israelis have honed their skills rescuing their own and others so many times before. Israeli intelligence officers also are aiding American investigators in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in sifting through the debris for clues to identify the perpetrators. Israel's participation provides some small comfort as we reach out to console the bereaved and pray for the recovery of the injured. It offers reassurance that even in this crazy world, the propensity for deeds of loving kindness exists, and perhaps, through such acts, the promise of an era of peace. Indeed, when faced with random acts of violence, the only sane response is a random act of kindness. 
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