In Parashat Matot-Masei we are told that Moses himself takes the time to record the journeys of the Israelites from their days in slavery in Egypt to the steppes of Moab, their last stop before entering the Land of Israel. Moses sets the example for the Jewish People just how essential it is for us to be aware of who we are as a nation. He also sets the example of how we do that: simultaneously remembering from where we came and recognizing where we are.
5784 has been a long, complex year for our people. As we arrive at the end of the book of Numbers, it allows us an opportunity to look back. We must also think about where we are at this critical and tense moment.
In terms of Jewish time we are now in the period referred to as the three weeks. These weeks mark the time between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, from when Jerusalem was besieged to when it fell and was destroyed at the hand of the Romans two millennia ago. Our tradition remembers this period of historical significance and consequence for our ancestors by assigning three of the most withering passages from our prophetic tradition as the haftarah readings on these three Shabbatot.
Why these prophetic voices during this time? What lessons do our prophets teach us that are so significant during these three weeks? They were in their time, after all, entirely powerless. They were not soothsayers nor fortune tellers, in stark contrast to Balaam from two portions prior. Yet what they could do was to use their voice to warn, to raise the cry that if the People of Israel did not change their behavior in the present, the outcome would almost certainly be dire.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z’’l wrote about several aspects of the prophets that make this selection relevant to the three weeks and, I believe, even more prescient in light of the difficult moment that Israel finds itself in more than 300 days into this war. While Rabbi Sacks made several observations, I would like to mention two points.
The first is that the prophets utterly rejected a world view that might equals right, that strength equals victory. We know there are entire schools of philosophy and social science popular in our modern society built on these ideas. But the prophets of Israel saw the world differently. They did not prioritize the power of God, rather the righteousness of God. As Sacks wrote, “Precisely because God loved and had redeemed Israel, Israel owed Him loyalty as their sole ultimate sovereign, and if they were unfaithful to God they would also be unfaithful to their fellow humans.”
Over and over in the prophetic record we see this idea emphasized. In Zachariah it is written “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit—said GOD of Hosts.” (Zachariah 4:6) In First Kings a story is recalled of the Prophet Elijah that flees to take refuge at Mount Sinai in a cave. As he resides there God unleashes on the earth incredible power in the form of an earthquake, winds that rip rocks from the ground, and a storm of fire. But as the story tells Elijah looked upon each of these manifestations of power and in none of them did he see God. Rather, in the wake of these wonders there came “kol d’mama dakah - a still, small voice” in which Elijah immediately recognized the presence of God. (I Kings 19:12)
The message of both sources is clear: that power and force are not the true path to God. When we forget that righteousness of the spirit is the path God wants for us, even if we have and can wield tremendous physical power, we stray away from God and, as a result, our fellow human beings. This seems pertinent as Israel awaits a response from Iran and its axis of terror-proxies spread across Israel’s borders. Over the past week we have been witness to the exceptional power Israel has and the price that it can exact from its enemies when necessary. We also saw this week that Israeli society, at least some parts of it, seems to have forgotten that when we do not all work to further the spirit of righteousness within our own borders, the power we wield beyond them can only take us so far.
The second point Rabbi Sacks presents is that the prophets prioritized ethics over politics. Very little is written about how the Jewish nation in antiquity should be governed. As he wrote in one of his sermons, “Instead we hear a constant insistence that the strength of a nation… is not military or demographic but moral and spiritual. If the people keep faith with God and one another, no force on earth can defeat them. If they do not, no force can save them.”
According to the prophets, and I believe this is true also today, only by staying faithful to God can we stay faithful to one another. When I say faithful to God I do not mean praying three times a day or making sure that meat and milk do not come near one another in your kitchen. To be clear: if these are ways that draw you closer to God and humanity, wonderful, but the methods to me are less significant than the goal. Staying faithful to God means engaging meaningfully with God’s righteousness and walking in that path that God expects from human beings. This faith in the divine and the high expectations of righteous behavior from humanity are a path towards uniting us, bringing us closer together.
Too many times in the Jewish past have we lost sight of this message. Too many times have we become obsessed with other pursuits, namely our own power and influence in this world. Each and every time that has happened to the Jewish people, we have paid a terrible price. Temples were destroyed. Sovereignty was lost. We turned on one another. Innocent people paid with their lives. The prophet’s message during these three weeks is always significant, but in this moment it feels more prescient than ever before. By being faithful to God we learn to be faithful to one another. By pursuing the righteous rather than the powerful path we build towards the future. All of this can only be accomplished if we work - and empower leaders who work - to bring us closer together rather than sowing dissent. Our ancestors failed to heed this prophetic warning, I pray that we will choose a different path.
Comments