I would have expected my first post on this blog to be about Jewish religion, but sadly I was motivated to post this after hearing the Rabbi’s sermon last Shabbat.
Now, setting aside my belief that I don’t think ANY religious leader with a pulpit should ever use it for politics, I would like to engage the Rabbi in a respectful argument leShem Shamayim.
“The whole world is against us” is a common trope in Jewish history, and its latest incarnation is apparent in the current attitude of the government of the State of Israel. It may be proper when it is used as a warning against being too trusting of the world, but too often it is used to absolve Israel of its own crimes. When there is overwhelming criticism of Israel for its actions, one must see if they have some sort of merit rather than dismiss it off hand as global anti-Semitism.
Human Rights Watch has responded to the letter from its founder, which can be found here: (http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/20/why-we-report-open-societies). Contrary to the letter, HRW does NOT excessively focus on Israel, and quite frankly puts a lot of focus on the rising theocracy in Gaza. Only when HRW uses the same set of standards and attacks Israel for human rights abuses does it come under fire. In other words, the only ones who use double standards are those who would apply a more favorable view of Israel because it is a democratic society. Besides, the Israeli government has cited the very same organization in order to shine a light on Palestinian crimes and abuses. (http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/26/human-rights-watch-applies-same-standards-israel-hamas)
What was more of an affront to my values, however, was the way the Rabbi (by quoting another writer) seemingly dismissed the suffering on the ground as somehow ginned up by Hamas as a PR tactic, and suggested that the people of Gaza were only under pressure from their government to create these stories. NO ONE should so callously treat human suffering from any side, even if the suffering is expedient for a faction or government. After all, what would be the attitude of our community (and indeed, good-hearted people around the world) if someone were to belittle the suffering of the rocket-battered denizens of Sderot? It’s no secret that many factions want to exploit suffering for gain; however, the suffering itself remains very legitimate, and frankly should be “taken at face value.” Should one ever accuse a victim of domestic abuse of “making it up” just to attract the attention of the media and police?
Again, this is all in the realm of politics, and differing opinions may disagree. However, there was one view proliferated which I found extremely offensive. The Rabbi took Israel’s supposed “loner” position in the world, and compared it to another well-known solitary figure, the biblical patriarch Abraham. In a world of polytheism and idolatry, the latter was the sole individual in the era after Noah who recognized the truth of one God. Though beleaguered in trying to spread his message, he eventually won respect and followers by standing up for the ultimate truth. Thus, by analogy, Israel and its allies should stand for the truth in the face of overwhelming opposition and defeat the Goldstone Report.
What is wrong with this analogy?
First of all, the nature of Abraham’s truth was that it was revealed from Heaven itself. God’s own voice instructed Abraham on the eternal lies of `Avoda Zara. That message was continued by Moses and confirmed by the revalation at Sinai.
The truth that the Rabbi purported to stand for, on the other hand, was not miSinai. Instead, it is a narrative we choose for ourselves because it fits our interests to do so. The Defense Minister is not a prophet who can ultimately confirm to us that Hamas’s use of “human shield” tactics ultimately absoves Israel of the majority of civilian casualties in Gaza. Conversely, Richard Goldstone is no prophet either, nor should his report be taken as the ultimate truth (as it has been for others). We all take varying narratives fitting our own worldviews and present them as truth. This merely tells us that we are farther from Truth with a capital T than we think. Nonetheless, to put the narrow interests of Israel on par with the universal message of Abraham is not only completely off the mark, it borders on blasphemous (comparing human ideas to God’s Truth), and is completely unbecoming of a rabbinic sermon.
I hope sermons in the future will engage our intellect and enrichen our pursuit of a closer relationship with The Holy One, rather than blatantly compel us to political action.
Barnaby Yeh, AKA Baruch Bar-Navi, is a congregant at Tikvat Israel.
Loading ...