October 20, 2017

Dear Friends,

            

What do Sarah, Dina and Bathsheba have in common?

Well, yes, they are all women characters who are mentioned in the Bible.  Familiar female characters.  Female characters known for their beauty and attractiveness.

But there's more to it than that. 

These three are all women who, if they lived today, and had Facebook or Twitter accounts, would be posting or tweeting the message, "#MeToo."

Each one of these women was not only objectified, but sexually assaulted as well.  (For Sarah, see Genesis 12:10-20; for Dina, see Genesis 34; for Bathsheba, see 2 Samuel 11.)

Unfortunately, there are plenty of other examples.  I am sure, for example, that if Vashti were alive today, she too would be posting #MeToo.

*          *          *          *          *

So the objectification of women's bodies is not a new phenomenon.  Nor is the vulnerability of girls and women (or, for that matter, some boys and men) to predatory behavior.  So long as there is a power hierarchy, there is the potential for abuse.

So the recent revelations coming out of Hollywood certainly shouldn't have surprised us.  But many of us were surprised -- and disgusted -- by what we learned. Perhaps we had thought that the infamous casting couch had disappeared with the rise of feminism. Perhaps we had considered the repulsive "Access Hollywood" tape an aberration. 

But whether we were surprised or not by the news coming out of Hollywood, the sheer number of women who have responded to the #MeToo campaign is a startling and upsetting reminder that the objectification, assault and abuse of women is not an isolated scourge confined to celebrities; it is a pervasive societal problem. 

We owe a great deal of credit and gratitude to the many, many women who have come forth and acknowledged publicly what they have endured.  It should disturb and chasten all of us.  As Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, "In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible."  We have to ask ourselves: in our own personal lives, among our friends and family, and within our communities: have we done enough to maintain decency and protect the vulnerable?

What do we do with these revelations of the deep injustices lurking beneath the surface of our society?  How might we channel our collective distress or shame in a positive direction?

I believe that this is a process that will take time. I sympathize with the mothers and fathers of school-age children who may be coming home from school with uncomfortable questions.  It will take time to formulate thoughtful responses.

Witness what recently occurred when Mayim Bialik, the actress, neuroscientist and author of the book, Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, wrote an op-ed article in The Times in response to the Weinstein revelations.  (See here.)  She was criticized, and eventually apologized and retracted some of what she had written.  (See here.) This is not surprising -- and is perhaps inevitable given the shocking, troubling nature of the revelations and the pervasiveness of the problem.  On the other hand, I must say that I found Bialik's six-minute Youtube video, entitled, "Will I raise a son like Harvey Weinstein?" spot-on, and I encourage you to watch it  here:

There are several illuminating traditional texts, written long before Youtube came into existence, that I believe would be helpful to reflect upon at this time, in order better to understand the nature of the challenges that lie before us.  That's what I'd like to do next week.

After services next Shabbat morning (October 28 ^th), please join me for a Kiddush Conversation in which we will discuss these texts, which explore temptation, desire, objectification and abuse.

In the meantime, let's remember a few basic teachings that come out of our tradition (reinforced, coincidentally, in this week's Torah reading):  None of us is wholly good or wholly evil.  We each carry within us an inclination to do good (a yetzer tov) and an inclination to do evil (a yetzer ha-ra). Our challenge is to strengthen the former and resist the latter.  It isn't easy.  Indeed, we pray each morning that God should "strengthen our desire to do good deeds" and help us resist our evil impulse.  (See Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, page 65.)

Ultimately, though, each of us is responsible for our actions.  And that includes doing our best to influence those around us to behave properly as well. As a colleague of mine, Rabbi Sami Barth, recently wrote, "Let us heighten our awareness of what happens around us; let us not be quiet when we witness callousness or cruelty; violent or degrading behavior.  [Let us, if necessary,] critique members of our family, colleagues, and members of communities that are dear to us."   

The women who have contributed to the #MeToo campaign have led the way for all of us.  Let us not let them down.

           

Shabbat shalom.