BALAK 5777
UNLEASHED DEMONS

July 6, 2017
12 Tamuz 5777

Balak king of Moab, sought to put a hex on the Children of Israel, and turned to Balaam, a famous prophet and soothsayer, to curse them. At first, Balaam was hesitant; he knew he could only speak words put in his mouth by God. After much persuasion he finally acceded to Balak's request, but the Torah records that what issued forth from his mouth were praises and blessings. Balak's hope for curses that would damage our ancestors was thus frustrated.

Words, however, can be weapons to demonize the other. Jewish history is replete with instances when silver tongued orators succeeded in demonizing us with the accusation that we are Christ killers for our alleged role in the crucifixion.

Israel, the nation state of the Jewish People, is demonized as apartheid and as colonizers and oppressors of the Palestinians. The ongoing barrage of hateful speech seeks to demonize and de-legitimize Israel as a pariah State that is guilty of ethnic cleansing.

We wish it were true that "sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never harm me," but words do have a powerful impact that often lead to violence and repression.

This past Tuesday, July 4, we celebrated American independence. We rightfully glory in the Constitution and its subsequent Bill of Rights amendments that protect freedom of speech and of the press. This affirms our media's mission to keep our elected officials and political leaders accountable to the public, through its hard questions and sharp criticisms.

What then shall we make the current confrontation between the press and President Trump? He derides as fake news the uncovering of questionable practices both in and out of the White House. The recent video in which the President, who enjoys wrestling depicts himself as defeating an opponent whose head is the CNN logo, makes it very clear that he has declared war on the press. What is even more disturbing is that he has tapped in to the cynicism of many Americans who believe that the media is dominated by – and serves – the elite. Thus he could gloat with great bravado, "The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I am the president and they're not" ergo, you in the media can write and say what you will, but I am the one with real power.

Power has a dizzying effect; it leads one to believe that he/she can control every situation. The greater the power, the greater the delusion. Lord Acton's well known observation, "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is as relevant today as it was when he first issued his caveat in the 19th century…
The Bible records that King Solomon, celebrated for his wisdom, was an absolute monarch who imposed heavy taxes to build the Temple and to maintain his large royal court. Upon his death his son Reheboam was approached by a delegation of the people with the request that he lighten the tax burden.

His response reflected absolute power. "My father made your yoke heavy. I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions. (1 Kings 12: 14) The refusal or inability to accept criticism precipitated the revolt in which the ten Northern Tribes broke away to create their own kingdom.

Balaam's failure to curse our ancestors is perhaps the Torah's reminder that words not consistent with our values (or our constitutional rights) will not take hold provided that the citizenry has the courage to speak truth to power.

To be sure the media does not always act responsibly, but at its best, it serves as a key protector of our liberties. Hence the ongoing and relentless demonization of the press is designed to weaken its resolve and to compromise its power. The challenge now before us is to push back against this vendetta against the press with its frightening echoes of Reheboam's power move and Louis XIV's famous "l'etat cest moi, I am the State."

From Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman


CHUKKAT 5777
FROM CATCH 22 TO CATCH 67

June 29, 2017
5 Tammuz 5777

The Israelites, as they neared Canaan, were attacked by the armies of Bashan and Emor. (Numbers 21: 21-35) These kingdoms were located in what was formerly the Kingdom of Ammon; today it is the site of the Kingdom of Jordan. Following its victory, the Israelites took possession of these lands that were soon settled by the Gileadites of the tribe of Manasseh.

Generations later the King of Ammon, contending that these lands had originally belonged to his people, contended that the Gileadites were illegal occupiers of his territory. Jephthah, the Chieftain of Gilead, counter-claimed that these lands, having been conquered by his ancestors following the war that had been foisted upon them, were legitimate spoils of war. The Gileadite's would thus remain in the lands which had been their home for many generations. Sadly these competing narratives could not be resolved peacefully and in the ensuing battle Jephthah led his people to victory.

Today competing narratives are at the heart of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Obviously the settlements plus the demand of the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel are significant pressure points, yet competing narratives remain very much in play.

Israel contends that its 1948 War of Liberation was foisted on it the moment the State was declared. Neighboring Arab nations rejected the 1947 UN Resolution 181 that partitioned the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state, and invaded the fledgling country. As a result of the war and Israel's victory, many residents of pre-Israel Palestine left the country and became refugees. Most left of their own accord; others forcibly. What Israel continues to hail as its successful war of liberation, is mourned by the Palestinians as nabqua or catastrophe. These competing narratives have been in play for the 69 years of Israel's existence, and as the Bible instructs us such narratives, when unresolved, inevitably lead to war. Thus since 1948 three wars and ongoing terrorism have claimed far too many Israeli and Palestinian lives and casualties.

The settlements, however, while not the sole source of the tension, are nonetheless an ongoing flash point. The international community continues to condemn what it insists is Israeli illegal settlement activity in what the world terms the West Bank but for many Israelis it is Judea and Samaria.

Two solutions have been advanced to resolve the competing claims to this territory. The first is the Two State solution in which Israel and the newly declared State of Palestine would live side by side in peace and in security with common border being the 1967 lines. Most Israelis, perceiving this as a real security risk, reject this solution.

The second is the One State solution, in which Israel formally annexes all of Judea and Samaria to create a greater Israel, in which the entire current Palestinian population would enjoy full Israeli citizenship. The caveat here is that, in order to remain democratic Israel's Jewish character, would inevitably be compromised.

Given the rejection of these solutions leaves Israel with the status quo despite its many seemingly unsolvable problems. Catch 67 by Micha Goodman (no relative) currently the best-selling book in Israel, addresses the options before her. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is the story of World War II pilots who wanted to be excused from flying further missions. They learned that they could receive this dispensation if they were insane. Yet the very request to be excused was a sure sign of their sanity. Catch 22 put the pilots in a sealed box.

Catch 67's premise is that since both the two states and one state solution are not viable, the remaining option places Israel in a difficult box. Goodman's solution is to develop various projects and programs that would lighten some of the restrictions imposed upon the Palestinians in the ongoing occupation but would not impact upon Israel security. (The book, now available only in Hebrew, is in the process of being translated into English.)

The competing narratives plus the tension of the occupation are painful realities. There is hope in the existence of some joint Israeli-Palestinian projects. These transcend the differences between both peoples and respond to our common humanity. At present this is a stretch, but our tradition instructs us to not lose hope that at some point a combination of good sense and enlightened self-interest will prevail.

From Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman