EMOR 5778
THE ANCIENT KOHEN (PRIEST) – THE MODERN SENATOR
May 3, 2018
19 Iyar 5778
Speak to Aaron, saying, whoever he is your seed in their generations who… Has a blemish… shall not come close to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire [Leviticus 21:17, 21].
And the Lord spoke to Moses saying… Whoever offers a sacrifice… in oxen or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted, there shall be no blemish on it [ibid: 22:17, 21].
The Torah is clear. God demands perfection of the priests who administered the sacrifices as well as of the animals that were brought to the altar. The latter commandment ceased to have any relevance following the destruction of the Temple. The sacrificial ritual has not been a factor in Jewish worship for over two millennia. Similarly, and the Kohen no longer has cultic responsibilities, yet the focus on physical disabilities is particularly harsh and demeaning.
We have become increasingly sensitive to human disability. We make the distinction between a person with a disability and a disabled person. The latter describes a person who can no longer function productively despite his malady or disability. A disability in and of itself does not disqualify a person from being productive. The legislation demanding sensitivity to disabilities is wisely called the Americans with Disabilities Act not the Disabled Americans Act.
The Paralympics in which athletes with disabilities compete in difficult physical feats are a source of inspiration. It demonstrates that the power of the human; is a mighty force that overcomes a variety of disabilities.
Tammy Duckworth, now the junior senator from Illinois, is a double amputee. She is a trained military helicopter pilot who was severely injured in the Iraqi war, and is a double amputee. She, however, did not allow this terrible disability to define her. She became involved in government service, was elected to Congress and in 2016 to the United States Senate.
Senator Duckworth recently made Senate history by being the first member of that body to give birth while in office. The reaction of her colleagues reflected an inability to easily accommodate to a new situation when she requested permission to bring the baby into the Senate while it is in session, an act that departed from the tradition of that august body. Initially, she was denied permission.
Fortunately, there was sufficient pressure from many of her colleagues to expand the tradition to deal with this new reality. The suggestion that she be excused to leave the floor and utilize the Senate cloak room to attend to her baby, was quickly quashed. It was apparent that she could not access the room in her wheelchair. Senator Duckworth thus now casts her votes with her baby in her arms or at her side.
Times have, of course, changed. FDR was a victim of polio and often confined to a wheelchair. Yet he was never photographed while sitting in it. The press acceded to his wishes that he be shown while either standing at a podium or seated at his desk in a regular chair. . So sensitive was he to not be publicly viewed with a disability that his monument in Washington DC has in a regular chair with small wheels at its base.
It's an open question whether the public in the 30s and 40s would have been comfortable with a president with such marked disabilities. Today, however, Tammy Duckworth, along with Para-Olympians and countless number of people with physical disabilities are encouraged to follow their dream, be it of a gold medal or a seat in the highest level of government.
These men and women are not interested in eliciting our pity. They are determined to be accepted as human beings who despite their disabilities, continue to follow their dreams. They are true profiles in courage and models for any of us slowed down by visual impairment, limited physical ability, or simply the aging process.
May we never lose the capacity to dream our own seemingly impossible dreams.
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From Atlanta, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
*I look forward to my visit to the Congregation this Shabbat and Sunday. I happily look forward to seeing old friends and being introduced to new members of our wonderful Synagogue.
ACHREI MOT KEDOSHIM 5778
THREE MONKEYS – THREE COMMANDMENTS
April 28, 2018
13 Iyar 5776
You shall not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind… you shall not go up and down as a talebearer [Leviticus 19:14, 16].
It would be wonderful to live in a world or social order where no evil was ever seen, heard or spoken. Alas evil, wrongdoing and sin are prevalent in our world and sadly even within each of us. The legendary three monkeys thus cover their eyes, ears and mouths to assure that they would neither see, hear nor speak evil. Mahatma Gandhi who divested himself of all possessions except what was necessary for daily existence (a few garments, a dish or two, a pair of sandals etc.) was purported to have had on his table a small statuette of the three monkeys.
I suspect that the statuette reminded Gandhi to keep his eyes focused on the hunger, poverty, vulnerability and depression in his home country.
Gandhi's eyes were constantly open to the evils of oppression, poverty, hunger, homelessness and his open ears heard the painful cries of the oppressed and vulnerable. His mouth was always open to challenge evildoers and oppressors, thereby speaking truth to power. He rallied his people to confront the mighty British Empire and helped transform India from a colony to an independent state.
In the three concise Commandments listed above, the Torah focuses on our eyes, ears and mouths. We are not to place a stumbling block before the blind. It's our duty to see for those who cannot; it's our responsibility to have clear vision to prevent harm to come to another. Few, if any, of us would purposely and maliciously place a stumbling block before the visually impaired. The Talmud, however, expands this commandment to warn us against giving wrong directions to a stranger. Similarly, we are warned against taking advantage of another's lack of information and knowingly giving wrong advice and counsel. This commandment is also expanded to warn us not to tempt someone struggling with alcohol addiction to enjoy a drink at a simcha.
All too often we are the "deaf" who simply do not – or will not – hear the voices of the homeless, the hungry and the poverty stricken. When, in our busy world, with its frenetic pace, we knowingly drown out these voices, we choose to be deaf to the voice of our tradition that summons us to give tzedakah and to perform acts of elementary kindness.
While we are warned not to open our mouths to engage in lashon hara (evil speech) and hurtful gossip, we are challenged to open our mouths to speak truth to power. The blessing of living in a democracy is the freedom of speech to urge and to demand that our social order and individual lives reflect the highest teachings of our tradition. At best, our voices should summon us and others to engage in tikkun olam.
The monkeys with their closed eyes, ears, and mouths essentially isolate themselves from the world about them. Far more is expected and demanded of us, as individuals committed to the call of our Torah and tradition.
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From the holy city of Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
I look forward to my visit to Ahavath Achim next Shabbat. It's always a delight to see old friends and to meet new members of our wonderful Synagogue.
