LECH L'CHA 5778
CELEBRATING ABRAHAM AND AARON
October 26, 2017
5 Cheshvan 5778
These are deeds that yield immediate fruit and continue to yield fruit in time to come: honoring parents, doing deeds of loving kindness, … making peace between one person and another, and between husband and wife… [ BT Pe'ah 2:a]
It's human nature to vie for the lion's share. When dividing an estate, families have been rent asunder by the competition for assets and money. Such conflicts often poison family relationships for more than a lifetime; the feud is often passed down from generation to generation. Shalom bayit (family harmony) is thus a tragic victim of human greed.
The Torah records that Abraham, responding to the divine call, departed from Iran with his wife, Sarah, and his nephew, Lot. Since both men had large flocks, the limited available grazing area led to a controversy between them.
In a selfless act, Abraham suggested to Lot: "Let there not be strife between you and me for we are kinsman. Is not the whole land before you? If you go south, I will go north; if you go north, I will go south." (Genesis 13:8, 9) For Abraham, shalom bayit took precedence over material advantage.
As cited in the above selection from the Talmud, we are urged to be catalysts and to create a spirit of reconciliation between adversaries. The challenge reflects the concern that strife in one corner of a community can have a widespread negative impact.
The rabbinic tradition portrays Aaron as "a pursuer of peace and a lover of peace." It describes how Aaron, upon learning of a feud, would visit one and then the other of the adversaries and inform each that the other was prepared to heal the relationship. He urged each party to take the first step, thereby initiating a process leading to reconciliation. This story may be apocryphal, but it reflects the importance of creating a positive social environment.
It's not a far stretch to perceive a community, or even a nation, as a large family. Competition is a fact of life and the desire to have the upper hand is a fact of human nature. Political leaders often articulate positions and take actions pitting segments of society against each other; yet a society or a village is strengthened where there is a community-wide shalom bayit.
The Talmud also encourages us to take steps to ensure harmony not only within our own families but in all families. It's obviously highly inappropriate to intercede in a marital relationship. People cherish and deserve their privacy. I interpret this Talmudic exhortation as a reminder that a community has a stake in family stability. Shalom bayit often eludes families mired down by inadequate finances, poor and substandard housing, and the lack of adequate childcare. Prejudice and discrimination also often severely limit the options before these families.
The negative consequences of such a state of affairs dash any hope of achieving the Abraham model of shalom bayit. The Aaron model should also inspire us to insist upon political leadership committed to bringing communities together.
Both Abraham and Aaron remind us that we can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. When we choose the former, we come closer to realizing the dream of the widespread shalom bayit that would be a blessing to all.
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From the holy city of Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat have peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M Goodman
NOACH SHABBAT ROSH CHODESH 5778
NEITHER ONE LANGUAGE NOR ONE VOICE
October 19, 2017
29 Tishri 5778
Following the great flood, a unified humanity spoke one language and began to build a great tower to reach into the heavens–not only to challenge God but to replace Him. God's response to this hubris was to scatter its population throughout the world leading to the creation of many nations, each with its distinctive culture and language.
This biblical account is more than a story of the genesis of nations and language. It is a warning of the danger of one authoritative voice articulating a vision of national aggrandizement and superiority. Such social orders not only oppress their citizens but also pose a threat to world order.
In the 20th century, both Nazi Germany and communist Stalinist Russia, each with its vision of global supremacy, demanded total loyalty of their people as they mobilized to attack, conquer and subdue other nations. The common enemy of these two police states was a democratic society where people are free to speak their minds, to choose their leaders in open and fair elections, and to challenge restrictions on their freedom of expression.
A segment of the American population today responds to the clarion call of making America great again. The greatness of America, however, is a citizenry free to speak its mind. This cherished freedom of speech protects the right to express viewpoints, ideas, and opinions that challenges the message articulated by America's leadership.
African-Americans and people of color are enraged by what they perceive as police brutality that victimizes their communities. They cite the number of "defensible" (not familiar with this term?) fatal shootings by law enforcement officers and other violations of their civil rights. Many African-American NFL athletes, joined by white teammates, have taken to kneeling rather than standing silently and at attention during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. This is their protest against what they contend are the racial discrimination and overt bigotry that make a mockery of American democracy.
This particular voice of protest is challenged and denounced by a leadership that seeks to be the one authoritative public voice. The athletes have chosen to prick the American conscience in the venue of the Stadium that enables them to reach a significant audience of both spectators in the stands and the host of television viewers throughout the nation and the world. Succeeding in silencing these voices of protest would diminish America rather than elevate it. The strength of our democracy is not only in permitting protests against perceived discrimination and bigotry, but in encouraging its citizenry to speak out. The Generation of the Tower inevitably collapsed because only one voice was heard in its midst.
Ultimately this is the fate of dictatorships that permit only one authoritative voice to be disseminated and heard. May we all learn from the Tower of the Babel and protect the multiple voices in our midst.
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From the holy city of Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat shalom u'mevorach and a Chodesh Tov, a good month .
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
