B'HA'ALOTCHA 5778
THE LAMPLIGHTER
June 1, 2018
17 Sivan 5778
And the Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron and say to him when (in the Sanctuary) you light… the seven candles (to give) light to the candelabrum… (Numbers 8: 1, 2)
Yitgadal v'yitkadash… Upon Israel, upon the teachers, their disciples and all of their disciples and upon all those who engage in the study of Torah, who are here or anywhere else… [From Kaddish d'Rabanan, the Rabbinical Kaddish]
RBG is the informative, inspiring and entertaining documentary tracing the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who will long be remembered for her determined and successful crusade to end gender discrimination. She continues to shine a light upon the dark places in our society in which prejudice continues to fester.
In one revealing scene she recounts her first appearance before the US Supreme Court. Her client, the plaintiff, was a woman in the military denied the benefits received by men. RBG, scheduled to be the first presenter in the afternoon session, was terribly nervous. When called to approach the bench, she was at first at a loss for words. She then suddenly realized that the nine white male justices before whom she stood were a captive audience. As a gifted and experienced educator she seized the moment to enable these men to fully comprehend the unfairness – even the evil – of gender discrimination.
The Justices' tradition of interrupting lawyers in their presentation poses a daunting challenge for any attorney appearing before them. She recalls, with deserved pride, that she was not interrupted once during her presentation. She won this first case before the Court, as she did four of her subsequent five appearances.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the day when "nations that walk in darkness would perceive a great light" (Isaiah 9: 1).
He foresaw the epiphany when the candle would be kindled to illuminate the blind spots preventing these nations from coming to terms with their prejudices and discriminations. Isaiah's challenge continues to be Ruth Bader Ginsberg's mission. She has been for many decades a leading lamplighter in our midst.
She takes justifiable pride in the many women and men who have been, and continue to be, inspired to carry on her work. This is the role beautifully articulated in the version of the Kaddish d'Rabbanan (Rabbinical Kaddish) in which we extol the teacher who imparts her values to students who in turn transmit it to their students who do so to their students.
Few of us have been privileged to sit as students at RBG's feet. To the extent, however, that we willingly commit ourselves to add our bright light to hers, we are all her students. It is both a challenge and a privilege to join her in illuminating the blind spots that hide our prejudices and preconceived notions about the others because of their religion, their ethnicity, their skin color, their gender or their foreign birth.
Ultimately the true captive audience before whom we stand is not any human court but our own conscience. Will we demonstrate the strength of purpose and the personal integrity to be among the lamplighters striving to illuminate the dark spots that compromise our consciences and darken our souls?
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From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
NASO 5778
SPLIT SCREENS – THEN AND NOW
May 24, 2018
10 Sivan 5778
The Nazirite had a burning desire to intensify his religious experience, hopefully enabling him to come closer to God. During the period of his Nazirite vow he was not to cut his hair, drink wine or attend any funeral. It was a significant commitment that I suspect was seriously undertaken.
At the conclusion of his Naziritehood he was to appear at the Temple to offer a sin sacrifice; the particular offering designed to expiate wrongdoing. The Talmud explores this dissonance between the inner desire to enter into a deeper relationship to God by discomfiting himself physically and foregoing the pleasure of wine. The rationale was that his motive was commendable, but God warns us against denying ourselves legitimate earthly pleasures.
It's as if God viewed the Nazirite in a split screen. One image reflects God's desire that we embrace and enjoy legitimate pleasures; the other is God's delight in those who seek to forge greater closeness to Him. Ultimately there is a price to pay given Divine ambivalence, the Nazir does "pay a price" for abstaining from pleasures that God has bestowed on us as human beings.
The Midrash describes a more well-known split screen scenario that unfolded the night before the Egyptians were to be drowned in the Sea of Reeds after the Israelites safely passed through the split waters. As was the nightly tradition, the heavenly choir gathered to sing to Him songs of praise. The Midrash has God chastising the angels, "Tomorrow I will drown human beings, My creations; this is not the time to sing My praises."
This rabbinic description of God's ambivalence was in the minds of many last week. The joyous celebration in Jerusalem at the dedication of the American Embassy was a powerful contrast to the mayhem at the Gaza fence. Israel's determination to prevent the breach of its border fence by resorting to live ammunition as a last resort has been criticized by many nations and various media outlets. The screen of the blood of unarmed civilians, who had been urged on by Hamas, trumped Israel's right to protect itself from the inevitable mayhem had the fence been torn down.
God, as we know, destroys the Egyptians because they were responsible for their plight. They were cruel oppressors of the Israelites; they were architects of their fate because of their behavior. God regretted their fate, but it was a fate of their own making.
The situation for Gazans is deplorable. They suffer from both a stubborn refusal to accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state and from a corrupt Hamas leadership that diverts the aid sent to Gaza to finance terrorist activities and the construction of tunnels through which Israel's border can be breached.
We mourn the deaths of the unarmed at the Gaza fence, but we have every right to take pride in Israel's accomplishments and independence. We are sensitive to the image on the second screen, but Israel's achievements deserve to be celebrated. Would Israel become a model to inspire emulation by the Palestinian leadership and public?
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From Newton my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
