Tag Archives: justice

Hineni – at Hillel at Oklahoma University, Norman, OK – Rosh HaShanah Morning 5779 – Monday, September 11, 2018

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We’ve just met so it would be inappropriate for me to discuss politics with you. I think it would be silly, however, for me to pretend that there aren’t a lot of politics swirling around us. Plus, today is September 11th, which brings up moral outrage and political questions for most Americans.

Even before you could vote, each of you already mattered. (If you aren’t 18 yet, please know: No one will card you at a protest or when you call your elected representatives.) Now, here you are now, college students and voters. I have no idea what in particular each of you care about, how your politics animate you. What I do know is that – fighting for justice has been part of Jewish tradition since Abraham.

The Akeda (Genesis 22) – Hillel’s prayer book (machzor) provides the Creation story for our Torah reading today which would be a lovely, carefree way to enjoy the beginning of a new Jewish year, but Jewish guilt won’t let me let you do that. The second choice in our prayer book is the story of the Akeda. Jews all over the world are reading the Akeda – what Jews call “the binding of Isaac” – for Rosh HaShanah. Most of us dislike this text. It’s painful. It’s about suffering, questions, confusion, and terrible parenting. In a few minutes – I promise I’m not going to talk for very long now – we will read a horrible story. God commands Abraham to take his favorite son up to a hill, build a fire, and cut his throat (Gen 22:2).

Abraham stands over Isaac, knife in hand and is interrupted at the last moment by an Angel of God shouting his name – Abraham, Abraham!…Sacrifice this ram instead. (Gen 22:11-13) Phew. Isaac is saved from death. Abraham is saved from committing a heinous crime. God reassures Abraham – or maybe God is reassuring God’s own self – Abraham passed this test. Abraham is a real God-fearer (Gen 22:12). He was willing to kill his favorite son.

Do you think that Abraham should have rejected this command? Do you think that God should have apologized? Do you blame Isaac for never talking to his dad again? How could Abraham have known that this order was “true” or “real” or “holy”? Does this story make you hate Abraham – even just a little? [Are you distracted by the fact that he even had a favorite son?] I have a million of questions about this text for y’all, but I’m trying to just give one short sermon this morning.

Two Different Abrahams – Just 4 chapters ago in Genesis 18, Abraham heard God was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham confronts God fearlessly. Abraham condemns God’s plan as unjust. Abraham bravely bargains with God to save the lives of a group of people he doesn’t even know. Where was THAT guy on the morning God commanded Abraham to kill Isaac? Is there something that Abraham knew that WE can’t know that made it possible for him to follow this terrifying order? How can we listen and read critically? How can we evaluate what we hear and see? How can THAT guy from Genesis 18 be the same Abraham we encounter in Genesis 22 ready to murder his son?

*If the order of these texts were flipped, the narrative of Genesis could be teaching us how to become ever more thoughtful and brave in the face of injustice. However, at this point, the Torah is in the order it’s in. (This would be a useful moment to discuss the way Torah became what it is today, but I promised Jessica that services would end before lunch.)

I searched for answers, and, instead of hating Abraham and the Akeda story, I’ve decided that we get to learn this lesson anyway. It is better to stand up than to keep our head down and meekly follow rules. The Torah is telling us to evaluate what we hear and see – to stand against dangerous consequences. It’s about being true to ourselves – while trying to draw near to what we perceive as divine.

Hineni – So, it is each of our responsibility to stand up for whatever WE care about, whatever WE are passionate about. Stand up. Speak up. Embody OUR passions. Collect donations. Make phone calls. Join a campaign. Vote. Volunteer. Read articles critically and share the few that stand up to your criticism. Embody your concerns for the world. Be like the Abraham who doesn’t make us cringe. Be like the Abraham who protested injustice. (Gen 18:23-25) Follow the Abraham who focused on what was right for the most people, even the ones he didn’t know.

Why is there Anti-Semitism? A letter for Ph & W

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Dear Ph and W,

You asked:

Why do they hate us? Why do they hate Jewish people?

The real answer to this question is: No one knows, because anti-Semitism is not logical.

History has proven that there is nothing that Jews can do or not do in order to make people unhate us. So, there is no real answer. The hate doesn’t make sense.

I’m so sorry that these questions have to be part of your lives AT ALL, EVER.

On the other hand, here are some explanations that might make sense to you.

One: The Jewish People are the Weeble Wobbles of human history. I mean, not exactly because they were TOYS but still – their song was – Weeble Wobbles wobble but they don’t fall down.

That’s us. Since Judaism began, we have undergone attacks, but we never disappear completely. We always find each other and rebuild. Some people are curious about this. Others are jealous.

Two: We are not like everyone else. Many people fear difference. Sure, we have lungs and blood like everyone else. We need air to breathe and water to drink like everyone else. We are human, and, also – we don’t believe like they do. We have our own religion. We don’t behave like they do. We have our own cultures – Jewish cultures and traditions from Yemen and Poland and Iraq and Spain as well as from the Land of Israel, where Judaism was born. Jews are different, and Jewish texts teach us to be more than okay with that – to be proud. 

THAT is why Ph should become bat mitzvah and be part of confirmation, because THAT is your cultural inheritance. Becoming Bat Mitzvah within the Jewish Community is a gift to you from your Jewish ancestors and to them from you. You don’t have to cry about it! We are thrilled you want to become Bat Mitzvah! Later, joining a Confirmation Class will be your honor and privilege as a young adult who participates in Jewish community. We will be honored and blessed to celebrate you.

[And one day, we will walk the streets of Jerusalem and Yaffo/Jaffa and Haifa and enjoy the combinations of Jewish cultures all together in one Israeli neighborhood. You will see and taste and hear that Jewish people don’t all share the exact same cultures, but we still stick together.]

Three: Starting early in Jewish history, different empires and militaries have exiled us from the Land of Israel. In every country, on every continent, Jewish people have made their homes at one time or another. Some people thought that, if Jews went home to the Land of Israel, people would stop attacking us, but that didn’t work. Our ability to adapt to many places, times, and cultures seems to scare people. Some of them actually believe they are protecting themselves from us.

Four: Many non-Jewish people feel heartbroken when Jews die in hate crimes. When we grow strong again, however, it’s harder for them to feel sympathy for us. When there are Jewish generals and Jewish police captains, suddenly, they don’t see Jews as innocent anymore. 

Does this make sense? Nope. Because we know that all Jews are not the same. There are Israeli politicians who make me sick. There are Israeli military leaders who have broken my heart over and over. However, Israelis and Jews still deserve safe, healthy lives. People who see one Jewish bad guy and decide to hate all of us, those people don’t think like we do. It’s our job to try to be honest and open – while we defend Israelis and Jews – even if they don’t WANT to understand us.

Five: Lots of people DON’T hate us. I think they probably don’t hate fat people or disabled people or people who don’t speak their language either. When some people get scared or angry, they forget about everyone but their own group. It’s easy for them to ignore the human rights of people who they think are different from them or less than they are – or people they think just might be able to take care of themselves. So, we do. If anyone told my bubbe, “take care of yourself,” she would answer: “If I don’t, who will.” She was quoting Hillel, a famous rabbi whose wisdom has survived many years. 

Rabbi Hillel used to say:

If I am not for myself, who [will be] for me? 

If I am [only] for myself, what am I? 

If not now, when? 

(Pirkei Avot 1:14)

We stand for ourselves, and we stand with others. We never wait to work toward justice – for everyone.

Six: Many people LOVE YOU. As your mom wisely said: Let’s focus on the people who love us and who stand by us. We love them back, and we stand with them. 

Together, we always work to build a world of peace and safety for everyone – not just for the Jewish People or for Israel – for everyone – even if it takes a long time, even if it takes our lifetimes. 

Seven: We always SURVIVE! We always stick together, and we have survived SO MUCH. I’m sorry that you need to learn about our worst times. I look forward to sharing good times with you too.

Love love love, Auntie Rabbi Susan

Please learn and celebrate with Kavod!

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The 30th Anniversary of the KAVOD TZEDAKAH FUND

3 Online Classes with Mitzvah Heroes & Jewish Study about Tikkun Olam

Sundays, October 15, 22, and 29, 2023  

11am Texas Time [ = Noon Eastern Time / 9am Pacific Time]

Please Register here to join and receive the Zoom Link

Each class will feature text study with some great Jewish teachers and conversations with some of Kavod’s most extraordinary Mitzvah Heroes. We want to share great Jewish values and great Jewish teachers. We look forward to learning and celebrating with you!

October 15: Torah study with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and our mentor and teacher Danny Siegel, and a discussion with Rabbi Susan E. Lippe and Kris Wade of The Other Ones Foundation, doing extraordinary work with unhoused people in Austin, TX.

October 22: Torah study with Rabbi Jacqueline Ellenson, and a discussion with Rabbi Jay Moses and Dr. Beth Weinstock of BirdieLight, working to save the lives of young people with education and action around the dangers of Fentanyl, the #1 cause of death among 18-45 year-olds in the US.

October 29: Torah study with Rabbi David Ellenson and Rabbi Sydney Mintz, and a discussion with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of JCC KRAKOW, on the frontlines of work and rescue of Ukrainian refugees.

I hope you can join us for these 3 opportunities for learning and inspiration about the art and skill of Tzedakah [just giving] and Tikkun Olam [repairing what is broken in our world].

What is the Kavod Tzedakah Collective? 30 years ago, a group of rabbinical students in Jerusalem established the KAVOD Tzedakah Fund with the intention of seeking out, supporting, and promoting individuals and organizations that do the work of justice, caring, and peacemaking. 

This was the brainchild of my friend R. Yoshi Zweiback who named our group KAVOD, since human dignity is the common denominator of all our projects and donations.

Three decades later, the Kavod Tzedakah Fund has distributed over $1.7 million in the United States, Israel, Ukraine, and around the world. We continue to be dedicated to the art of grassroots, no-overhead giving.

Special thanks to R. Neal Gold and A Tree with Roots for hosting our classes online!

To learn more about Kavod’s work, please check out the most recent Annual Report here. There is no cost for these events, and we encourage participants to make a contribution of any amount (nothing too big or small) to our Kavod Tzedakah Fund at www.kavod.org.

Thank you!

I don’t like talking politics on Facebook.

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But I do want to share my support for BOTH Israelis and Palestinians.

From May 14, 2021:

I am a Zionist.

I also know that the Israeli government and the Jerusalem police are NOT perfect.

I also believe that all of the Israeli people AND all of the Palestinian people deserve safety, freedom, independence, etc.

For me, Zionism means I believe Israel is a legal, vital, contributing part of the global community.

4a. I don’t believe Israel is perfect, but I love her anyway, which is similar to how I feel about the imperfect, racist, sexist, classist USA – the country who took in my two of my grandparents when they escaped from Poland/Russia – and yet still pisses me off almost every day.

4b. I don’t agree with most of the Israeli government and the Jerusalem police, BUT I LOVE my Israeli friends/family. I love Israeli art, food, technology, reproductive freedom, and socialized medicine. I am grateful that there has been a tiny, welcoming place on earth for Jewish refugees from the FSU, Iraq, Ethiopia, and more.

4c. For Jews, loyalty to ANY country is complicated since most countries have one or two events in their history where they treated Jews like garbage and/or tried to kill us. So, nationalism and patriotism are complicated for us.

If you want to unfollow/unfriend me because of any of these above points, please go ahead. I can take it.If you want to discuss Zionism more, that’s cool, but it has to wait until Sunday because I’m going to try to observe shabbat a bit.Shabbat Shalom, Jummah Mubarak, and all the prayers for peace, health, safety, and justice for ALL.

From May 18, 2021;

While a lot of American self-proclaimed human rights activists are busy telling me how to feel about Israelis and Palestinians, the country where we vote is busy dismantling reproductive freedoms, deeming trans rights/health care “child abuse,” and buttressing voter suppression.

I’d prefer that we all be allowed to continue to express our own opinions and feel our own feelings while we 1) respect each other and 2) fight for justice for all in the country where our votes and voices are supposed to matter……….

A discussion is a respectful exchange of ideas. Trying to make someone change their opinion to yours is not an invitation to a discussion. It is an invitation to a conversion.

Side Note – the next FB “friend” who comes to this page to tell me my opinion is wrong or “not liberal” will be treated just like anyone else who tries to silence me. If you want to judge me, that’s fine – but not in the guise of “discussion.”

Feel free to unfriend/unfollow. I promise you – I can take it.