VA'ERA 5778
THE PROPHETS – THE PRESS

January 11, 2018
24 Tevet 5778

Pharaoh ruled Egypt with an iron hand. He not only believed that he ruled by divine right, but he perceived himself as a divine being. His subjects shared this perception. The Royal monarch was certainly not accustomed to being challenged; his edicts were final judgment beyond reproach. Even a glimmer of his wishes was a command to be executed.

Thus, when Moses appears on the scene, demanding in the name of God, "Let My people go," Pharaoh's predictable response was who is this God that has the arrogance to demand that I heed His command? The Bible attributes this to his hard heart. As plague followed plague his advisors who regularly stamped their approval on his decisions, began to suggest the advisability of effecting some compromise with Moses. It is only after the final deadly plague of the slaying of the first born that Pharaoh accedes to the demand to "let my people go."

What the Bible describes as the "hard heart" is a common syndrome exhibited by leaders and dictators who demand the total obedience of their subjects. They hold themselves as being beyond criticism . . . beyond reproach.

The founders of our Republic had no patience for such governance of their new nation. They thus limited government and its leaders with the passage of the Bill of Rights that granted every citizen freedom of speech, of assembly and of press. These freedoms are rightfully cherished. They are particularly vital in challenging government efforts to amass greater and greater power at the expense of our treasured freedoms.

Not unsurprisingly, there has always been, and continues to be, an ongoing tension between the leaders of government and the press. The current movie, "The Post," describes the determination of the owner and editor-in-chief of the Washington Post to publish the Pentagon Papers that exposed decades of government collusion in misinforming and misleading the American public on Vietnam. The government's attempt to use the courts to stifle this harsh critique of its policies was ultimately frustrated by the Supreme Court which held that the role of a free press to keep the government "honest."

During the Biblical period, there was no press to challenge monarchs and emperors. This was the role of the prophets. The memory and legacy of Moses, the first and foremost of all prophets, who challenged Pharaoh, is always in the conscience of the later prophets, who bravely confronted and challenged the rulers of their day.

Thus, David's abuse of his power in the infamous Bathsheba affair was challenged and rebuked by the prophet Nathan. His powerful and pointed critique brought David to his knees. Likewise, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah were strong voices challenging and damning the immoral and illicit behavior of the rulers of their times.

There are obviously no contemporary prophets to challenge authority. Yet we are not without conscientious clergy to carry on the tradition of speaking truth to power. Their voice however has been magnified by the press that is equally concerned with governmental abuse of power. Yet in a fundamental sense every citizen is challenged to have the courage to confront authority that abuses its power.

Abraham Joshua Heschel venerated the prophets precisely because of their courageous challenge of abusive authorities. He reminded us that in the absence of prophets we dare not forget that we are the descendants of prophets. He thus challenged contemporary Jewry to raise its collective voice and not remain silent in the face of wrongdoing, irresponsibility and immorality. Not the least of our responsibility is to assure the freedom of the press to do its work in holding government responsible in fulfilling its sacred mission to be the honorable protector of the common welfare. This ancient mandate is obviously no less relevant in our day.

From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing, and a rich and rewarding 2018.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman


SHMOT 5578
CELEBRATING TWO NEW LIGHTS

January 4, 2018
18 Tevet 5778

The reading of the book of Exodus this Shabbat begins the story of the Jewish People. Incidents in the first and second chapters focus on the steps taken to shield and protect children. Pharaoh concerned about the growing number of Israelites in his kingdom orders that every male infant be cast into the Nile. Two brave women, the midwives Shifra and Pu'ah, frustrate his wishes and refuse to carry out the Royal command.

The edict however was still in effect when Yocheved gave birth to an infant that she sought to save by placing him in a basket floated down the river. Her hope was that the basket and child would be discovered, taken ashore and raised by a caring family. It was Pharaoh's daughter who spied the basket and embraced the infant that she named Moshe, as her own. In time, Moshe would become lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through forty challenging years in the desert.

The birth of every child helps assure the continuity of our nation and a community. Demographers thus pay close attention to birthrates in order to assess the people's future. The birth of a child is equally important to a family's continuity. The prayer mi'dor l'dor (from generation to generation) affirms and celebrates the transmission of traditions from one generation to another.

This past week our family was blessed as two of my granddaughters gave birth to daughters. Last Thursday we celebrated with Amirit and David Goodman the birth of Mayan Orot Tamar in Jerusalem and on Shabbat the birth of Rachel Hadassah to Hannah (Goodman) and Ari Brenman in New York.

The Torah records that Noah was so named in the hope that he would bring nechama (consolation) to assuage the pain of his generation. The birth of these two children, each of which bears in her name, the name of Rae, the great grandmother whose death we have mourned for the past year, has lightened our burden and has assuaged our pain.

Thus with God's grace we celebrate the continuity of our family, even as we perpetuate Rae's name and her legacy. We pray that these two infants will thrive as they grow and mature into womanhood to find fulfillment in their lives. It's with deep gratitude that our family recites the traditional prayer thanking God for sustaining us and enabling us to celebrate these happy moments in our lives.

May we all be blessed with good tidings and celebrate simchot with the people we love.

From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing and a rich and rewarding 2018.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman