Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

When slander leads to Anti-Semitism - Parshat B'haalotcha  (May 29, 2021 - 18 Sivan 5781)

I wish to focus on two texts from today's Parsha, which I referred to in blogs I wrote this past week. The first narrative appears at the very end of today's portion. Miriam speaks against Moses to her brother Aaron. This story underscores the perils of Lashon Ha'ra - slander, gossip, malicious speech. Commentaries vary as to what Miriam's purpose was. Maybe she was protecting the integrity of Moses' wife, whom Moses had neglected in his service to the Jewish people. Maybe she was prejudiced that Moses' wife was a Cushite, from a part of Midian, with a different culture and ethnicity. Who knows for sure? Regardless, Miriam sought to degrade and bring down Moses by smearing him falsely to their sibling, Aaron. Fortunately, in this vignette, Moses is unharmed because of his modesty. Miriam is critiqued and punished right away. Moses even prays for her wellbeing.

Our entire history has been filled with slander, gossip, and malicious speech perpetrated against our people. Every generation knows of it. During the Israel-Hamas war and in its aftermath,  Lashon Ha'ra directed against Israel and the Jewish people has filled almost every part of the globe. The words and expressions are just so graphic. How ridiculous it is when certain  politicians vilify Israel with the worst of lies one day and then speak against Anti-Semitism to their local Jewish community the next day. 

One year ago this week, the expression, "Black lives matter" became well known. From Torah times to today, we Jews have been taught to be empathetic when any group feels oppressed. As an example, many American Jews walked along side their Black neighbors during the civil rights marches of the 1960's. 

In the last two weeks, we have heard: Death to Jews; a Jewish diner assaulted in Los Angeles; A New York Jew wearing a Kippah beaten up in Times Square; the hashtag - Hitler was right; or, Covid 1948 - implying that Israel is a virus that needs the cure of Hamas's rockets as a vaccine; an elderly Jew beaten up last weekend near Nathan Phillips Square; Jews in Thornhill afraid to display Walk with Israel signs on their lawns; and this list of verbal and physical acts derived from Lashon Ha'ra goes on and on.

Unlike the Miriam story, slander left unchecked leads to the obscene horrors we have seen, heard, and read  happening all over the world in recent days.

Jewish lives matter! Jewish lives matter! What corporate executive, academic institution, or recognized political leader has denounced the Anti-Semitism of the last two weeks???? Here in Canada, I did read a statement against Anti-Semitism which also included being against Islamophobia, racism, and more. On the one hand, these words are welcome. However, it is not enough. Such words equate Anti-Semitism with other evils. Over the last two weeks, only Jews are being targeted everywhere. Where is the singular definitive stand against Anti-Semitism? period!

The second text is well known to us all because we say it every time the Ark is opened and closed in the Torah service. The origin of these words appears in two verses in today's Parsha, surrounded by two inverted Nuns. In Aramaic, a Nun means a fish. The inverted Nun refers to the Kosher fish and its ability to swim against the current. Has this not been our history? Having to swim against the current in every generation? In antiquity, the Torah tells us,  "When the portable Ark moved forward, Moses would say, Advance O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered." In this instance, we may know the Hebrew better than the English, "Vayehi Binsoah Ha'Aron, Vayomer Moshe, Kumah Adonai V'Yafutzu Oyvecha."

In the Midrash known as the Sifrei, the question is asked, "Can there be enemies of the One who spoke and the world came into being? The verse informs us that whoever hates Israel is as if he hates the Omnipresent." The ancient commentary suggests that those bent on the destruction of the Jewish people regard us as the standard bearers of truth, justice, and the representation of God's Torah. For this reason, they persecute us and hate us. In line with this Midrash, the 19th century scholar, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote, "Moses was aware that enemies would rise up against the Torah from the moment it was given. Its demands for justice and altruism were bound to antagonize aggressors and tyrants and stand in the way of their designs. The Torah's call to holiness would not only arouse hatred, but also active persecution."

Who are the enemies that we want scattered?  My colleague, Rabbi Michael Gold, writes: "The enemies are all those who would subtract from human dignity. The enemies are the Anti-Semites, the racists, the bigots, the haters of the world. The enemy is anyone who fails to see the dignity of other human beings. It is those who would follow in the steps of the Nazis by seeing some people as less than human, as mere vermin. The enemy is those who think hate speech is alright. If the Torah is about loving your neighbor, then the enemies are those who hate their neighbour."

So what is the message at the center of our Torah service when we recite, "Kumah Adonai V'Yafutzu Oyvecha - Advance O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered?" Rabbi Gold adds, "Let those who practice hate be scattered and let love pour out. Let love overcome hate. The message when we take out the Torah is not to kill the enemy, but to transform the enemy. It is to take a message of hate and overpower it with a message of love. Ideally, we would want to make our enemy into our friend. A lesser ideal is to live in a peaceful co-existence." At the very least, may haters of the Jewish people be scattered from being a threat to our very existence.

In his famous statement, now a well known song, Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav wrote, "Kol Ha'Olam Kulo Gesher Tzar M'od, V'Ha'Ikar Lo L'Fached Klal - The entire world is a narrow bridge, but the main thing is not to fear."

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison