I look forward to Wednesdays. Each Wednesday afternoon I lead assemblies during Hebrew School. We talk about the Torah portion, upcoming holidays or current events. Often the students share serious questions and comments.
Leading up to Purim we compared Mordecai's refusal to bow down to Haman, to Rosa Park's refusal to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery in 1955.
Recently during a discussion about God taking the Jews out of Egypt with "a mighty hand and an outstretched arm" one of the students asked about the meaning of describing the Jews as "the chosen people." It bothered him that we declare ourselves as "God's chosen."
I suggested that that God choosing the Jews should not be thought of in terms of how we choose up teams for a ball game. In soccer, baseball or basketball, when someone is picked for a team, it means that some one else is not picked.
I told our students that when I say God chose the Jews to receive the Torah, I can also say that God chooses others peoples in other ways. Sam, one of our sixth graders said, "It is as if God has more than one first round draft pick."
The Torah describes us as God's treasured people. The text does not say that we are God's only treasured people. We can describe ourselves as God's chosen people without imagining this to be our exclusive prize.
For me the seder is a time to discus questions like this one. Just "reading" the Haggadah takes the life out of the seder. At the seder, our task is to search deeply into the meaning of Exodus from Egypt by asking and discussing questions.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Esther's Story
At our Purim services I do not have the opportunity to comment in a serious way about the text of the Book of Esther. At those services we become fully focused on fun. The Esther story does provide many opportunities for serious study and interpretation.
In Esther 2:10 we read, “Now Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mor'decai had charged her. ” Esther hides her Jewish identity from her husband, the king. Esther is not this young woman's real name. Esther is her Persian name. A name she uses to blend in. Her real name is Hadassah. She does not tell the king her name is Hadassah. In her encounters with the Persian palace, she goes by her Persian name.
The rabbis imagine this woman lived a double life. She was Esther and she was Hadassah. To the king she was Esther, his Persian queen. But in private she was Hadassah, secretly living a Jewish life. The rabbis imagine that Hadassah kept Kashrut and Shabbat.
On Purim we recall Hadassah's masquerade as Esther by dressing in costume and pretending to be someone else. Most of us do not lead secret lives. We are not secret agents. But most of us do have more than one aspect to lives, more than one name. There are ways in which we each are Hadassah and ways in which we each are Esther. We face the challenge of maintaining a balance between our Hadassah selves and our Esther selves.
In Esther 2:10 we read, “Now Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mor'decai had charged her. ” Esther hides her Jewish identity from her husband, the king. Esther is not this young woman's real name. Esther is her Persian name. A name she uses to blend in. Her real name is Hadassah. She does not tell the king her name is Hadassah. In her encounters with the Persian palace, she goes by her Persian name.
The rabbis imagine this woman lived a double life. She was Esther and she was Hadassah. To the king she was Esther, his Persian queen. But in private she was Hadassah, secretly living a Jewish life. The rabbis imagine that Hadassah kept Kashrut and Shabbat.
On Purim we recall Hadassah's masquerade as Esther by dressing in costume and pretending to be someone else. Most of us do not lead secret lives. We are not secret agents. But most of us do have more than one aspect to lives, more than one name. There are ways in which we each are Hadassah and ways in which we each are Esther. We face the challenge of maintaining a balance between our Hadassah selves and our Esther selves.
Rabbi Bob's Questions on the Events Happening in Egypt
We have been closely watching the events in Egypt. We look at the same events from several perspectives. We watch the events as freedom loving Americans. We watch the events as people worried about stability in the world. We watch the events as Jews concerned about Israel.
In my sermon at services this Friday evening I will sort through many of the questions raised by the events in Egypt.
What impact will the changes have on the Israel/Egypt relationship?
What will be the impact of these events on the Palestinian in the West Bank? In Gaza?
What will be the impact of these events on the governments of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran?
Will elections actually take place? What will be the result of those elections?
In recent days I have participated in conference call briefings with diplomats, academics and activists. I have also heard from sources in Washington and in Israel. I expect I will continue to learn more as the week goes on. On Friday I will share with you my analysis.
In my sermon at services this Friday evening I will sort through many of the questions raised by the events in Egypt.
What impact will the changes have on the Israel/Egypt relationship?
What will be the impact of these events on the Palestinian in the West Bank? In Gaza?
What will be the impact of these events on the governments of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran?
Will elections actually take place? What will be the result of those elections?
In recent days I have participated in conference call briefings with diplomats, academics and activists. I have also heard from sources in Washington and in Israel. I expect I will continue to learn more as the week goes on. On Friday I will share with you my analysis.
Understanding the Revolution in the Middle East
The Torah portion for this week tells the story of the Golden Calf. The Israelites revolt against the leadership of the absent Moses. It is a rebellion motivated by fear.
Across the Middle East we are witnessing rebellions against tyrants. These rebels are not moved by fear. They are moved by hope- the hope that it is possible to create something new.
We are often reminded of the importance of learning the lesson of history. The challenge is not simply to study history, but rather to apply the correct bit of history to the current situation.
At the beginning of the uprisings in Tunisia and then in Egypt, people in the West feared that they were seeing a repeat of the events which took place in Iran in 1979, the events which brought the current Iranian regime to power.
Who is rebelling?
Many in the West feared that the uprising in Egypt was led by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Today’s revolutionaries are not jihadists. They are not followers of Bin Laden, committed to using violence to overthrow the governments, committed to using violence to establish Islamic republics. Quite the opposite- by using nonviolent protest, they give lie to the Bin Laden argument that violence is the only path.
In most cases today, revolutionaries are not caliphists, wanting to establish a state in which religious authority and governmental authority would be in the same hands.
Today’s revolutionaries are young people, young people speaking their minds. They held nonviolent demonstrations. When Mubarak delayed resigning, they did not storm the presidential palace. They did not set up a guillotine in Tahrir Square.
Iran of 1979 is not the correct historic model. I think that the revolutions against the monarchies which took place in Europe in 1848 are a much closer historic precedent.
The Revolutions of 1848 began in February in France where the people wanted universal suffrage. They overthrew King Louis Philippe and established the Second Republic. The revolution in France inspired people in other countries in Europe. Liberals in the German states pushed for a unified German country with a national parliament. The Italian states also had a revolution which led to Pope Pius IX fleeing Italy. Within the Austrian Empire, nationalism increased among the Czechs, Hungarians, Germans and other groups.
In the short run, these rebellions collapsed. But, in the long run, they paved the way for the creation of modern Europe.
I have been in a totalitarian country. In 1986 I visited the Soviet Union. Rabbi Michael Weinberg and I went to see refuseniks persecuted by the communist states. We followed rules to avoid being detected. The Soviet State had lots of watchers. But there were many more people being watched. The watchers’ fears maintained the power of the state.
The collapse of the Soviet Union occurred in stages. But one could say that the Soviet Union was over when the army would not fire on citizens massed in Moscow. In Egypt, Mubarak’s regime was over when the army would not enforce his will. In contrast, in Libya, Bahrain and Iran, the army has used force. The outcome in these counties will depend, to a large extent, on the willingness of the army to continue to be the enforcers of the tyrant’s will.
Across the Middle East we are witnessing rebellions against tyrants. These rebels are not moved by fear. They are moved by hope- the hope that it is possible to create something new.
We are often reminded of the importance of learning the lesson of history. The challenge is not simply to study history, but rather to apply the correct bit of history to the current situation.
At the beginning of the uprisings in Tunisia and then in Egypt, people in the West feared that they were seeing a repeat of the events which took place in Iran in 1979, the events which brought the current Iranian regime to power.
Who is rebelling?
Many in the West feared that the uprising in Egypt was led by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Today’s revolutionaries are not jihadists. They are not followers of Bin Laden, committed to using violence to overthrow the governments, committed to using violence to establish Islamic republics. Quite the opposite- by using nonviolent protest, they give lie to the Bin Laden argument that violence is the only path.
In most cases today, revolutionaries are not caliphists, wanting to establish a state in which religious authority and governmental authority would be in the same hands.
Today’s revolutionaries are young people, young people speaking their minds. They held nonviolent demonstrations. When Mubarak delayed resigning, they did not storm the presidential palace. They did not set up a guillotine in Tahrir Square.
Iran of 1979 is not the correct historic model. I think that the revolutions against the monarchies which took place in Europe in 1848 are a much closer historic precedent.
The Revolutions of 1848 began in February in France where the people wanted universal suffrage. They overthrew King Louis Philippe and established the Second Republic. The revolution in France inspired people in other countries in Europe. Liberals in the German states pushed for a unified German country with a national parliament. The Italian states also had a revolution which led to Pope Pius IX fleeing Italy. Within the Austrian Empire, nationalism increased among the Czechs, Hungarians, Germans and other groups.
In the short run, these rebellions collapsed. But, in the long run, they paved the way for the creation of modern Europe.
I have been in a totalitarian country. In 1986 I visited the Soviet Union. Rabbi Michael Weinberg and I went to see refuseniks persecuted by the communist states. We followed rules to avoid being detected. The Soviet State had lots of watchers. But there were many more people being watched. The watchers’ fears maintained the power of the state.
The collapse of the Soviet Union occurred in stages. But one could say that the Soviet Union was over when the army would not fire on citizens massed in Moscow. In Egypt, Mubarak’s regime was over when the army would not enforce his will. In contrast, in Libya, Bahrain and Iran, the army has used force. The outcome in these counties will depend, to a large extent, on the willingness of the army to continue to be the enforcers of the tyrant’s will.
- I cannot see the future.
- I can imagine the future.
What impact will the changes have on the Israel/Egypt relationship?
- I think the peace agreement will hold. The struggle to overthrow Mubarak was not Israel-centered. When Joe Lieberman was running for vice president, I attended a Labor Zionist seminar. Many of the participants spoke of the response of “non-Jews” to Lieberman. One of the groups observed that regular Americans do not think of themselves as “non-Jews.”
It is hard for us as Jews to believe, but this is not about us. Egyptians do not want war with Israel. They have no motivation for war with Israel. The Egyptians want to build Egyptian society.
Will elections actually take place in Egypt?
Will elections actually take place in Egypt?
- I think the Egyptian people will insist on elections.
What will be the result of those elections?
- Overthrowing any regime can be messy. The French Revolution lasted ten years and consumed its leaders. A stable democratic government is a reasonable hope, but it may take a while to get there.
What will be the impact of these events on the Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza?
- The Palestinian Authority has announced elections by September. Hamas responded by saying they would not participate. They came to power in Gaza through elections, but now they do not want to participate. Why? Because they fear that they will not win.
- In Gaza, there already is pressure on Egypt to open the border with Gaza. This may create closer ties to Egypt. I understand that this thought may upset friends of Israel. But I think in the long run it would create greater stability in Gaza. Also, it could rotate the focus of Gaza from Israel towards Egypt.
What will be the impact of these events on the governments of Jordan and Saudi Arabia?
- The royal families in these two countries have strong holds on the loyalty of their populations.
How will events in Libya, Bahrain and Iran play out?
- There are lots of factors specific to each country including:
- Size and power of royal families
- Clan structure
- Distribution and control of wealth
- Religious differences
I cannot in this setting take the time to talk about all of them. I expect violent, messy, ongoing struggles.
In reflecting on this Middle Eastern “spring," many have mentioned that electronic communication makes these movements possible. But the key element is the message being communicated. These young protesters are moved by the spirit of 1776.
In the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
In the Middle East, the governed are insisting on their right of consent.
Jefferson wrote that when a people suffers "a long train of abuses" from their government “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
We may not like everything that happens as a result of these revolutions, but we cannot but be inspired by the rising up of the governed insisting on their right of consent.
In reflecting on this Middle Eastern “spring," many have mentioned that electronic communication makes these movements possible. But the key element is the message being communicated. These young protesters are moved by the spirit of 1776.
In the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
In the Middle East, the governed are insisting on their right of consent.
Jefferson wrote that when a people suffers "a long train of abuses" from their government “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
We may not like everything that happens as a result of these revolutions, but we cannot but be inspired by the rising up of the governed insisting on their right of consent.
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