Be Holy for the World’s Sake
I am more and more convinced that this covenant relationship with Adonai has nothing to do with “me”. Instead it is all about Adonai and my brother (sister mom dad son daughter neighbor stranger... 😊) To be sure – following His mitzvot, partaking in His moedim, and remaining in His community leads me to purity and holiness and blesses me immensely. But, it isn’t about me. It seems a lot we have been learning lately is establishing and confirming this new (to me) reality. Please forgive me for being a bumbling bugger, but I can’t remember if I learned this or that from Rabbi or Lord Rabbi (that is so cool, House of Lords and all), the red book, or the blue book, or the other blue book under that one… but I am trying to collect and order my thoughts.
Torah is all about gmilut chasadim… loving acts of kindness, charity and grace to others. We are to love the L-rd our G-d with all our heart…. By loving our mishpacha, our family… And when we are done with that… love our neighbor as our self. Love is a verb, not a noun (or a spiritually or chemically connected feeling). It is an action of word or deed or charity that we run to do to bring light and love to someone else’s day. Ok, so , duh, we already knew that, right?...
In the 613 mitzvot class Bayli brought up a point about wearing the tzitzits so our brother would see them. My first thought was well… it’s so I won’t follow my eyes and desires to something else, right? Thinking on it some more… yes, wearing tzitzit, kippot, tichels (tichlot?), reminds us of who is above us and H-s mitzvot AND identifies us to our brother and sisters. It’s very nice to not feel lonely or that I’m sticking out like a sore thumb; like there is a family around who also know why we do, or don’t do, this or that. So, I am doing these things to confirm and encourage my brother and sister!
Peace in the community is more highly valued than what is Right or Wrong. I’ve learned about this from two places- 1. Jethro suggesting mediators and 2. The Sotah. (I can look up these lessons if I need to – with David’s help – so if these sources need to be explored further, let me know.)
1. Moses was judging all the cases between the people of Israel. Yep, that should eventually burn everyone out. So, let’s have some lower courts, and only the hard cases need to come to Moses to take to Adonai. But there was a little more to this than that. These lower courts did not have the same prophetic abilities as Moses. In other words, they didn’t know who the villain was before the case was even heard out. If they could find a way to mediate and compromise and bring peace to the situation without condemning anyone, that is preferable. BUT if the culprit is already known, then that would be a subversion of justice.
2. The Sotah… this gets talmudy, but an amazing piece. The Sotah is accused of adultery, but not confirmed or condemned - just bringing strife between husband and wife. So, she drinks a glass of living water, mixed with dust of the temple, and ink from a parchment where the curse of the Sotah has been written. Oh… Rabbi Siegel was talking about this one, ‘cuz he was talking about how things can be erased from parchment – but everyone knows we do not erase the Name – except here, in this instance. Because here, the resulting blessing and peace in this household when she drank the water and was innocent was worth even erasing H-s Name.
My brother’s or sister’s dignity is to be highly valued, even more than my own?! Well, in the case of Tamar and Judah it is. Yeps - he was in the wrong, no question about it. So, she quietly sent his identifying items back to him without making it public. And he, thankfully, did the right thing after that. We are told that to make our brother flush in embarrassment (degrading) or anger is to murder him. We are told not to do anything that will make our brother stumble. I’m having some personal problems with Paul right now, but here still seems a solidish teaching – even where otherwise it is not a sin, if it would cause our brother to stumble, now it is a sin. We had only grape juice in the house one night for Pesach, because a neighbor was coming over and he had had a problem with alcohol. We are also not to remind someone of their past, or that they are a convert, or or, or…
I am getting this feeling that in Judaism is the long-lost rules of social graces or conduct. My dear hubby has run across a story that once upon a time people actually sent their children to the local Jewish lady to teach them table manners, etc. (Oy! Really?!) So, once again trying to referee the children the other day, there was the inevitable “But he”. UUUUUHHHHgh ach! Yep, and you are both getting yelled at and both wrong. If our actions cause our brother trouble – knock everything out of his hands, stub his toe; you know, the real zingers – it’s on us!! No, that doesn’t excuse “him”, but nor can we wander around with an attitude that “you should watch your manners.”
Another thought that I can’t quite solidify - Public praying is not about me, it is about a much bigger picture; Like a universally sized picture that includes me and my brother. Spoken words have power – of life or death. Oh, that sounds so melodramatic. Well… but our words can poison the air around us, or…. Bring light and love.
The world is going nuts! It’s bee nutsy in my own home and my own heart. So not the time, but when I think we are stuck in a rut, it gets worse?! Then a teacher, or a probation officer, or someone else comes around with another story that absolutely confirms the world has gone absolutely nuts! Remember when our parents used to talk about how bad the world is becoming? Yeah, well, I don’t think they could even imagine what we see now. Oh L-rd, please have mercy, it has gotten worse, hasn’t it? Well, who in the world, or what combination of great teachers, has said the world gets like this when the Jewish people are not doing their job – not just our charity and attempts to repair the world – but our work hidden from the world – tefillin and prayers, our Shabbat. Something like – the world doesn’t even know what it is we are not doing, just that we aren’t who we should be. This is no excuse for the world’s atrocities, but it is a point we need to pay close attention to. And falls somewhere in the realm of be Holy, for your brother.
There is not much more that I want right now than to just be in a community who knows what Chanukah (how in the world do you spell this?) and Pesach and Purim are, and a place on Shabbat to fellowship and a place for the kids to fellowship. And learning! So much to learn that I thought I understood. After all, I went to Christian elementary, high school, college! Church… And then I struggle with what I am trying to learn. I’ve always told my children that “learning” is the hardest thing you will ever do. I can’t imagine how my reading a prayer out of a book 3 times a day… Or why this nitty gritty rule or that one matters one iota on Shabbat. BUT I am realizing that saying that prayer or that Shabbat detail might not be about me, might be about my brother, or the world, or in some way be imperative even if I never understand.
Another book concept… History is full of people who believed in G-d, and they usually have some form of what is right and what is wrong based on those beliefs. The only set of ethics and conduct that does not lead to human atrocities – is the Torah, is Judaism…. Those that came from Moses, to the judges, to the Anshe Knesset HaGedolah, held by the Pharisees…. And is still here for us today – to be holy for the sake of the world.