So, that article I posted... To me, in part, it sums up as "we are responsible for the upkeep of the world". It's a familiar trope in Jewish ethics...
In Genesis, God asks Cain where is his brother, Cain replies "Am I my brother's keeper?", God responds by asking Cain what he has done... and the great sages tell us that this response indicates that the answer to that question is Yes, we indeed are our brothers' keepers.
During the High Holy days, we not only ask forgiveness for our personal sins, but we ask forgiveness for the sins of our community. We have fallen short, not just on our own actions, but for allowing corruption and immorality in our midst.
It's clear to me that the article is correct in its assertion that Tisha B'Av is not meant as self-flagellation for allowing the destruction of the Temple, but as a call to action to not allow the same societal ills that lead to its destruction befall us again and again.
A noble call, to be sure, but also a troubling one.
You see, at what point do I cross the line from fighting immorality and societal decline, to imposing my moral point of view on others?
I'm sure there would be a lot of people cheering someone on if they were taking on corruption in business, or fighting for a living wage for all workers.
Not so much if they were working to make all instances of abortion illegal.
I find myself looking differently at those I would blithely label with the phrase "fundamentalist nutjob". They are acting on that same principle... trying to create a world that is free of immorality... it's just that our definitions of immorality are quite different.
I've come to the conclusion that perhaps "immorality" is just the wrong word to focus on in this discussion.
There is a lot of disagreement on what is considered moral and ethical in our world. (I myself believe that we all share the same human morality and that we just disagree on ethics, the application of those morals, but that's something we can discuss later.) I don't think that God, or our sages, are really asking us to go out and eradicate every instance of immoral/unethical behavior we come across. I really think we need to be looking at corruption.
God has allowed us to have free will. To choose to do right or wrong. To choose the blessing or the curse. To choose to be connected to God, or to walk away from the divine.
Corruption in society takes away individual free will. It makes the playing field uneven. It takes away choice and decisions.
It makes it that some of us cannot truly choose to do the right thing, or cannot avoid doing the wrong thing.
Take away corruption from society, and then everyone is free to make their own choices. Until everyone is free to follow their own moral and ethical compass, we cannot sit as judge on individual decisions or individuals. We can only turn inward and ask what we can do to improve ourselves.
This isn't to say we need to abandon the country's justice system. People should still be held responsible for their actions. However, we need to really look at who we are as a people, as a country, and as a planet... Why did this person choose this path? Did they really choose it, or was it forced upon them, even in part?
If the answer is even a "maybe", then that's where we have work left to do. Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, isn't about imposing one group's social code on another... it's about building a world that allows everyone the ability to develop to their own full potential.
Am I My Brother's Keeper? Yes, and, No. I'm not responsible for his decisions, but I am responsible for the world he lives in.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
A Tisha B'Av Article To Share
The following article was presented as a reading for Tisha B'Av services at Congregation Beth Shalom. I found it an interesting read, as it brought to mind several connections to other Judaic topics, but at the same time raised questions in my mind. I will be posting further on those connections and questions, and so I place the article here for reference.
Tisha B'Av and Contemporary Jews
-Rabbi Joshua Maroof
Tragically, Tisha B'Av is often neglected or overlooked by contemporary Jews. Many are unaware of its existence. Those who are familiar with Tisha B'Av may feel alienated from its message of sadness and gloom. As a result, despite the supreme importance of the day, it is not as widely acknowledged or observed in the Diaspora as it should be.
Tisha B'Av is a reminder to all of us that we live in a dark and unjust world, a world marred by profound ignorance, immorality, materialism, poverty, racism, misogyny, tyranny, and selfishness, and that it is our responsibility to correct this sorry state of affairs.
The purpose of our focus on a wide array of painful and unspeakable tragedies is not to depress, debilitate, or demoralize us, but to awaken within us a sincere desire to avoid such calamities in the future. This means realizing that the terrible occurrences of the past were not accidental; rather, they were the inevitable and inescapable consequences of the corruption of the society in which we live.
The mourning of Tisha B'Av is designed to create a powerful sense of unity among the members of the Jewish people, both in terms of our shared historical fate and in terms of our shared national destiny, so that, together, we can strive for a genuinely better tomorrow.
We understand that the process of redeeming our broken society cannot begin until we face the stark, harsh, and painful realities that surround us. We know that the joyous rebuilding of Jewish community and the achievement of the Prophetic ideals of peace on Earth and universal brotherhood will be inspired and fueled by the feelings of sadness and despair we experience on Tisha B'Av.
The message of Tisha B'Av is meant to resonate and should resonate with all those who are sensitive to the plight of mankind and are truly concerned about the injustices and abuses - physical, moral, and intellectual - that are perpetrated daily across the globe.
When we, as a people, cannot tolerate this state of affairs any longer; when we are finally willing to set aside all of our trivial concerns and petty disagreements for the sake of a greater good; when the lessons of Tisha B'Av finally penetrate our hearts and we are fully prepared to do whatever it takes to transform a disappointing and diseased world into the inspiring and idyllic one of which we have dreamed for centuries - then, and only then, will the light of true redemption burst forth in all its glory.
Tisha B'Av and Contemporary Jews
-Rabbi Joshua Maroof
Tragically, Tisha B'Av is often neglected or overlooked by contemporary Jews. Many are unaware of its existence. Those who are familiar with Tisha B'Av may feel alienated from its message of sadness and gloom. As a result, despite the supreme importance of the day, it is not as widely acknowledged or observed in the Diaspora as it should be.
Tisha B'Av is a reminder to all of us that we live in a dark and unjust world, a world marred by profound ignorance, immorality, materialism, poverty, racism, misogyny, tyranny, and selfishness, and that it is our responsibility to correct this sorry state of affairs.
The purpose of our focus on a wide array of painful and unspeakable tragedies is not to depress, debilitate, or demoralize us, but to awaken within us a sincere desire to avoid such calamities in the future. This means realizing that the terrible occurrences of the past were not accidental; rather, they were the inevitable and inescapable consequences of the corruption of the society in which we live.
The mourning of Tisha B'Av is designed to create a powerful sense of unity among the members of the Jewish people, both in terms of our shared historical fate and in terms of our shared national destiny, so that, together, we can strive for a genuinely better tomorrow.
We understand that the process of redeeming our broken society cannot begin until we face the stark, harsh, and painful realities that surround us. We know that the joyous rebuilding of Jewish community and the achievement of the Prophetic ideals of peace on Earth and universal brotherhood will be inspired and fueled by the feelings of sadness and despair we experience on Tisha B'Av.
The message of Tisha B'Av is meant to resonate and should resonate with all those who are sensitive to the plight of mankind and are truly concerned about the injustices and abuses - physical, moral, and intellectual - that are perpetrated daily across the globe.
When we, as a people, cannot tolerate this state of affairs any longer; when we are finally willing to set aside all of our trivial concerns and petty disagreements for the sake of a greater good; when the lessons of Tisha B'Av finally penetrate our hearts and we are fully prepared to do whatever it takes to transform a disappointing and diseased world into the inspiring and idyllic one of which we have dreamed for centuries - then, and only then, will the light of true redemption burst forth in all its glory.
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