Tuesday Morning Torah – February 20, 2018
If not now, when?
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once famously said:
The more deeply immersed I became in the thinking of the prophets, the more powerfully it became clear to me what the lives of the prophets sought to convey; that morally speaking there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings. It also became clear to me that in regard to cruelties committed in the name of a free society, some are guilty, while all are responsible.
While the quote itself is well known, the context is not. Rabbi Heschel spoke these words when describing his reasons for being involved in the peace movement during the Vietnam era. Evoking the memory of our ancient prophets, Rabbi Heschel was challenging society to remember that a religious expression which is completely divorced from the political issues of the day is simply incomplete. This often makes people uncomfortable. As Jewish Americans who believe in the separation of church and state we are often happy to hide behind the thought that religion should be relegated to issues of ritual or prayer. And yet, that is not authentic to a Judaism whose values can, and should, speak to the issues of the day.
Last week, yet again, we witnessed the tragedy of yet another mass shooting in our country as 17 lives were tragically cut short by a disturbed individual with a semi-automatic weapon. There is something very disturbing happening in our society when it comes to gun violence. We all know it, even if we have different opinions about how to go about solving the problem. The media message of mental health versus gun violence is a false binary. Both of these areas must be addressed. When I ask my children to tell me about their day after school, and I hear stories of lock down drills, hiding in closets, or a discussion of which teachers would take a bullet for them, I know something is terribly wrong. When I hear stories from congregants whose family friends were either hiding, killed, or are recovering from this very shooting right now- I am deeply saddened. As a Jew, and as someone who one might say “specializes” in prayer, I know that prayer is simply not enough. It never has been. As the Talmud teaches in multiple places, we are not a people who should “rely on miracles” alone. We are a people who should work to be the miracles in this world.
Can we disagree about the solution to this problem? Yes. But as individuals who strive to lead meaningful Jewish lives we must not be afraid to stand up and demand that our political leaders work to find a solution to this national epidemic. Educate yourselves about Jewish views on gun ownership and gun control- start with a google search and then email me and we can find a time to discuss the issue further. Call your representatives, write, march, or speak out in a way that you think is authentic to your values as a Jewish American. As I wrote in a High Holiday sermon back in 2014, It is up to each one of us here today to learn about what Judaism has to say about the challenges of the day, and then to act as individuals, and as a collective to make a difference. Judaism demands that we look at our daily lives, including the issues of our day, through the lens of Torah. While we may disagree about nuances of policy, let us always endeavor to use the wisdom of our tradition as our guide as we navigate through the challenges of our times. This is our responsibility, this is our privilege, and this is what it means to be a religious person.
As Hillel famously taught: “If not now, when?!”
