Healing Our Nation
November 11, 2016
Though we are mortal, history shows our words and ideas can long outlive us. As we discussed over the High Holidays, there are words that hurt and words that heal. Words and ideas can create new realities. We have seen this happen throughout history for both good and bad.
Created in God’s image, we believe in the dignity of every individual, every individual regardless of our differences, and this is a religious worldview from which freedom was borne. We as Jews are a people constantly striving to be better at the art of living, each day reflecting on our behavior and our communications because we believe our lives and what we do with them matters not just to ourselves and to our circle of family and friends but to our society and ultimately to the world. Our Talmudic sages teach that just one act of goodness has the capacity to tip the balance of the world toward goodness and one act of evil can tip a world whose balance is teetering toward evil. That is how powerful each of us is. A butterfly flapping its wings in Australia changes the energy in the entire world.
Western civilization has now entered what Rabbi Jonathan Sacks calls the politics of anger. We should note that anger does not belong exclusively to the supporters of a candidate or even the victor who understands and taps into that anger. We are witnessing the politics of anger rise across the political spectrum both here and globally and it is not the sole property of those on the right.
In spite of the dashed hopes of millions who feel our government has been unresponsive to their needs and who feel angry, fearful and pessimistic about the possibilities of their lives, our foundational words of the Constitution guide us and require the peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to another. This, in itself, is rather revolutionary in the history of humanity. We have three branches of government each of which serves as a check and balance on the other two, and in this way no one branch should be able to abuse its power for long. We do not have coups in this country and we are not a banana republic in which the winner imprisons his/her opponent. We are a constitutional people and we accord the office of the Presidency with respect and with the rule of law. To do otherwise diminishes the very office itself.
Some of us are pleased with the result of our national election and some of us are displeased. This is what happens in a democracy. If we lean to the left, historically we have learned to accept the winner on the right as our President and vice versa. If we don’t like the result, it is both the American and Jewish way to constructively dissent, even to exercise our first Amendment right to peacefully demonstrate, to work hard to effect change, but ultimately win or lose, right or left, conservative or liberal, the American people have shown great capacity to unify.
Americans are a resilient people. We learn to tolerate differences of opinion. This is what we teach our children. This is what we remind ourselves. We learn to be inclusive, to do unto our neighbors as we would want them to do unto us. This is a Biblical requirement, not a mere courtesy. We strive to be as non-prejudicial as possible understanding that in our differences there is so much more that unites us rather than divides us. We also have come to understand throughout our history that our differences make us stronger. We are a nation of tremendous diversity: multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-everything.
What Americans have learned the hard way and almost lost our nation over during the Civil War is that discrimination, name calling, treating others differently because of their race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual preference and physical disability weakens the very fabric of our nation and of ourselves. We respect our differences, period.
It is the sacred responsibility and necessity of every individual who has been elected President to put all the campaign discord aside and unite the country. We live in deeply divisive times but we also understand that reasonable people may disagree over policy differences. What we cannot and will not tolerate is bigotry and inciting and legitimizing bigotry on the part of others. When we see people all over the country demonstrating against the election results, they are exercising their first Amendment rights as envisioned and mandated by the Constitution.
Many of those demonstrating have been marginalized throughout our history and they are afraid. Many are young adults who have whole futures ahead of them and are now wondering whether the President-Elect is willing to back his acceptance speech language of unifying the country with words and action and divorce himself from his campaign rhetoric which was tinged not only with anger but with bigotry as well.
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, has observed that “…the election of Donald Trump has emboldened the forces of hatred and bigotry.” (November 11, 2016) This is indisputable. Fear is pervasive and is now being felt by those historically marginalized. Trump supporters feel emboldened by his campaign rhetoric. Media outlets are reporting that Muslim women wearing hijabs have been attacked. (http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/muslim-women-wearing-hijabs-assaulted-just-hours-after-trump-win-n681936) College campuses are experiencing hostile acts against minorities. (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/us/police-investigate-attacks-on-muslim-students-at-universities.html?_r=0) Donald Trump supporters, according to multiple reports, have celebrated by using racial slurs and intimidating women and minorities. (http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/11/trump-voters-threatened-women-people-of-color-yesterday.html)
It is never too soon for someone about to assume the reigns of the most powerful position in the world to engage in conciliatory behavior and speak out against those, both supporters and non-supporters, who now feel they have a legitimate license to intimidate others on the basis of their race, religion, etc. because of the campaign rhetoric they heard the President-Elect espouse during the campaign. Tweeting professional protesters were incited by the media is not only not Presidential but will only incite more anger and hostility. The politics of anger never leads to more freedom; rather, it leads to tyranny destroying the dignity of the individual and the very notion of freedom itself. This transcends party politics. Our national narrative needs to change from a politics of despair and fear to one of hope and possibility by addressing the very real issues that confront us all.
In the days to come, cry out in the many creative ways you can think of against the hatred and bigotry you are hearing. As Jews, as non-Jews, all people of decency understand that faith is expansive; it calls upon us all to reach out and build bridges with others, not to label the world as Us and Them. Ultimately, our different faith traditions lead us to the same place and it is a place of benevolent embrace and unity. Do your part with your action and words to help heal our world.
Words can hurt, they are that powerful, but words can also heal, they are that powerful. It is time for President-Elect Trump to reach out in these opening days and begin the necessary work of healing this country.
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Amen.
Shabbat Shalom. Warmly, Rabbi Debra Nesselson Friday, November 11, 2016 |
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Our Democracy
November 9, 2016
If we live with a sense of historical consciousness, both as Jews and Americans, we understand that these are indescribable, invaluable blessings which are based upon the belief that each individual should be treated with dignity regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual preference, and physical disability.
Our sacred texts exalt not only God but as God’s messengers and creations, all of us. We believe this world was made for each of our sakes alone. It is our call as God’s messengers to work with the gifts we each are uniquely endowed with to unify people, thereby making the world a better place. Tikkun Olam, healing our world, is not just a convenient mantra. It is both our vision and our mission. This is what drives us. We should always be mindful of this in each and everything we do all the days of our lives. The Book of Proverbs, (29:18), reminds us that living without vision will only lead to our demise.
So much of our history as Jews has been filled with living as unwelcome guests, existing often precariously at the overbearing authoritarian behest of numerous unelected leaders. As history’s pariahs, our response regardless of our age-old trials and tribulations has always been to embrace and embody the vision of returning to our Promised Land, which has kept the Jewish people alive. And as American citizens we also understand that America is its own kind of Zion, endowing each of us with the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These blessings are fundamentally the ethical foundations of Torah and upon which America is based.
Our call as Jews, as Americans and as human beings is to be active participants in our societies. America, with all its flaws, with the messiness of our democracy, continues to work because we engage in it actively. Receiving blessings passively has never been our way. Instead, we exercise our blessings and our inalienable rights giving them life. We hold our elected officials accountable as we hold ourselves accountable.
Our sacred texts exalt not only God but as God’s messengers and creations, all of us. We believe this world was made for each of our sakes alone. It is our call as God’s messengers to work with the gifts we each are uniquely endowed with to unify people, thereby making the world a better place. Tikkun Olam, healing our world, is not just a convenient mantra. It is both our vision and our mission. This is what drives us. We should always be mindful of this in each and everything we do all the days of our lives. The Book of Proverbs, (29:18), reminds us that living without vision will only lead to our demise.
So much of our history as Jews has been filled with living as unwelcome guests, existing often precariously at the overbearing authoritarian behest of numerous unelected leaders. As history’s pariahs, our response regardless of our age-old trials and tribulations has always been to embrace and embody the vision of returning to our Promised Land, which has kept the Jewish people alive. And as American citizens we also understand that America is its own kind of Zion, endowing each of us with the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These blessings are fundamentally the ethical foundations of Torah and upon which America is based.
Our call as Jews, as Americans and as human beings is to be active participants in our societies. America, with all its flaws, with the messiness of our democracy, continues to work because we engage in it actively. Receiving blessings passively has never been our way. Instead, we exercise our blessings and our inalienable rights giving them life. We hold our elected officials accountable as we hold ourselves accountable.
In our prayers “we pray (to God) for all who hold positions of leadership and responsibility in our national life. Let Your blessing, (O God), rest upon them, and make them responsive to Your will, so that our nation may be to the world an example of justice and compassion….Make us to see that the well-being of our nation is in the hands of all its citizens; imbue us with zeal for the cause of liberty” (Gates of Prayer, p.186).
It is a privilege to be Americans. It is our blessing. We congratulate President-Elect Trump and remain ever grateful for Secretary Clinton’s tireless years of public service.
This land was made for you and me. We are Americans. May we ever be mindful of the awesome blessing and sacred responsibility that is.
It is a privilege to be Americans. It is our blessing. We congratulate President-Elect Trump and remain ever grateful for Secretary Clinton’s tireless years of public service.
This land was made for you and me. We are Americans. May we ever be mindful of the awesome blessing and sacred responsibility that is.
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Keyn Yehi Ratzon.
So may it be God’s will. So may it be our will. Amen. Warmly, Rabbi Debra Nesselson November 9, 2016 |
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