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The book, apparently based on a historical incident, describes how the king of a tribe called the Khazars invited scholars from the three Abrahamic faiths to come before him. He posed questions to each of them, and the book recounts the discussions which ensued. Ultimately, he was most satisfied with the answers
offered by the Jewish scholar and subsequently converted himself and his entire tribe to Judaism.
But twice in the book, the king poses questions which the Jewish scholar can not answer satisfactorily. In one case, he asks about the deep connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. If the land is so crucial to Jewish faith and practice, then how can we explain the fact that most of the Jews live outside of Israel? To which the Jew replies: "You have found my Achilles heel."
In the second case, the king asks about Jewish morality, which developed in a situation of powerlessness. If you were to have military power, asks the king, wouldn't you then become just as violent as any other people? To this also the Jewish scholar has no adequate answer, responding, "I am embarrassed, as you have found my weak point."
Unfortunately, in our time, there seems to be a connection between these two issues. Jews have returned to the land, and it is in connection with the land that Jews must confront the challenge of military power.
The point of the metaphor should be obvious. The question Rabbah is asking is "Who are you to decide that you will live and the other guy will die?"; How do you know that your blood is any better than his?
We Jews grapple. We wrestle. We do not live in black and white. We live in gray. And we are to ask God for Guidance.
Some TaNaK: Judges 12: 5-6: 5: And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites . And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an Ephraimite ?" When he said, "No," 6 they said to him, "Then say Shibboleth," and he said, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.
Do you know of any modern Shibboleths? Remember during Viet Nam: "Love It of Leave It," "It" being the USA? Well, look above and see what happens when we Jews have Shibboleths. Not a pretty picture. Do we have the Shibboleth of: "Israel has the right to defend its self from attacks," as Rabbi Arthur Waskow suggests? Add any qualifier like, "but I am not sure just how,", or "I truly hope for Shalom,'' and you have now pronounced the word ''sibboleth'' and you are tossed off the Island.
Of course, we Jews are great ''Island tossers.'' If we are spiritual and experience God in an area that is mostly agnostic, we are tossed, and if we don't follow ritual to the letter in an area that does, we are also tossed.
Some more TaNaK: Psalm 18:37 : "I will chase my enemies and catch up to them and I shall not return until I annihilate them." Well, that is King David, our great Hebrew king, going out to war. But read Psalm 18 carefully, with a Judaic, not a Hebraic mind set. I have printed it below. Is David talking of an actual battle with human enemies or is he talking of a spiritual battle with his yetser ha ra in which his dependence on God makes him victorious? And we know Dovid Melech had a huge yezter ha ra (evil inclination).
It is ironic that our parasha this week focuses on the future kingship and even the future messiah of Israel. The first assumes that Israel will have its own land and government while the second assumes that humans will continue to treat each other horridly, with chamas (terror). Chamas is why God flooded the world during Noah's time. [Gen 6:11]. ['' Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with terror... v ta-mawlay ha eretz chamas.'']
The messiah will be needed to rescue us from all of this. Let us not kid ourselves. God could not rid the earth of chamas even with a deluge. Can we humans do any better?
Our sages would, and most certainly I, understand that Hamas is a terrorist organization and a harsh enemy. Judaism is neither dovish nor pacifist, nor are we blindly opposed to the use of force. Judaism supports Israel in defending and protecting its citizens from attack, including through military action if necessary and appropriate to the threat. Judaism believes that force cannot be Israel's only or preponderant response.
Our last bit of Torah from this week's parasha:Beresheit 49:5: ''Shimon and Levi are brothers -- instruments of violence are their weapons. My soul should not come into their secret meetings; my glory should not be united into their assembly, for in their anger they killed a man ... ''
There's nothing like a little anger to ruin a perfectly good act of zealousness, Jacob indicated to Shimon and Levi on his deathbed. Jacob does not curse Shimon and Levi; he curses their anger, for it is that which caused them to lose perspective, and do what Jacob had clearly decided not to do: take physical revenge for the violation of Dinah.
I do not know about you, but without God, as I taught in my last class and which is taught in my The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew, I will have anger and I will hold grudges and I will have resentments. With God, I forgive instantly, pray for those who try to offend me, and am like Teflon, with stings and arrows, slipping off of me.
This is why I pray 3 times a day in the Amidah: "It should be Your will, God, God of our Forefathers, that no person should be jealous of me, and that I should not be jealous of others; that I should not be angry today, nor anger You ..." If I think an angry thought, I immediately ask God to remove it. Anger and resentments are only acids eating away at those that hold those thoughts. I don't want them. It is easier for me to pray for my detractors, and to be happy, joyous and free, that to be upset with them.
A little more Talmud: Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 105b : "Someone who tears his clothing in anger, or breaks something in anger, or throws his money in anger, will be in Your eyes like one who worshipped idols, because that is the trade of the yetzer ha ra " The rabbis ask: How many relationships have been destroyed because of anger? How many wars have been waged and fought in anger -- small and large? Anger, everyone must agree, is, perhaps, the most destructive human trait known to man.
Anger, and hence holding on to it, with grudges and resentments, is a rejection of one's personal Divine Providence. An angry person and/or one who holds a grudge, or a resentment, is one who does not understand the basic principles of Judaism. He doesn't love God and he doesn't love his fellows. That is a form of pagan thinking. The rabbis say that this person is not fit to be a rabbi nor even serve on a jury.
Elsewhere, the Talmud warns that anger leads to sin (Talmud Bavli Tractate Beracoth 29b), and most people will vouch for the fact that loshan ha ra, [gossip] one of the most serious sins a person can commit, is often spoken only out of anger. According to the Talmud, anger can even lead to a loss of wisdom (Talmud Bavli Tractate Pesachim 66b) -- which is scientifically documented now (at least forgetfulness is). And finally, in the Talmud's opinion, one who constantly gets angry and doesn't control his temper is like one who is not alive (Talmud Bavli Tractate Pesachim 113b)
No wonder, then, that Jacob chose to recall the anger of Shimon and Levi so many years later after the incident of Shechem. It turns out that Jacob's words weren't just a warning to Shimon and Levi for the future, but for all future descendants of Jews. As the King of the Khazars asked the rabbi (above): ''If you were to have military power wouldn't you then become just as violent as any other people? ''
This is what I, humbly, as a Jewish Spiritual Renewal Rabbi ask you, as God- wrestlers, with which to grapple.
For those who really want to help Israel, whether we think the incursion in Gaza is right or wrong (I am no military person so I am still grappling and that is all I ask any of you to do), here is a list of humanitarian charities, provided to us by our Chavarah Sharon in NJ at Adath Israel Synagogue:
www.lemaanachai.org Lemaan Achai, emergency relief activities in Bet Shemesh
www.tabletotable.org.il Table to Table, packages for soldiers and relief for residents of the north
www.israelsoldiers.org Friends of the IDF, support IDF soldiers up serving in the north and in the Gaza Strip
www.onefamilyfund.org One Family Fund, support for victims of northern missile attacks and their families
www.livnot.com Livnot, Tzfat organization raising funds to fix bomb shelters, assist the elderly, provide meals
www.hazonyeshaya.org Hazon Yeshaya, provide/deliver meals to people in bomb shelters and displaced residents of the north
www.yadsarah.org Yad Sarah, medical equipment, specifically for residents of the north
www.mishnasyakov.org Mishnas Yaakov, provide massive amounts of emergency supplies to residents of the north
www.jfsisrael.org Jewish Family Services Israel, provide emotional and crisis management support
www.crisisinisrael.com a web page with specific information on people/groups who need help and people/groups offering help
Psalm 18, as promised appears below, and our weekly d'var Torah appears after it.
Please send me your thoughts and comments. This is an ago old question in Judaism.
1I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
6In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
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