Dear TBZ community:
The shootings in Atlanta have jolted us and have once again reminded us of the hatred, racism and misogyny that exists in our midst. Eight women were killed, six of them Asian-American. This attack has shaken the Asian-American community in Atlanta and in our country, and has reminded us that hatred can be fueled by those in power.
There is another aspect to this act of hatred that I think we all have to reckon with. Based on what we know, it was a religious belief that fed the alleged killer -- he had been taught, through religious doctrine, to identify women as temptations rather than as human beings, and when he felt he was not living up to the ideals of his church, when he was consumed with guilt and the terror of “falling out of grace,” he made these women the target of his self-hate. He had heard the teachings of his church and he internalized what he had been taught. The killer, Robert Aaron Long, told the police that he needed to get rid of temptation.
As a faith leader, I want to speak about the power of religious teaching. This power resides not only in Robert Aaron Long’s church, so far away from us, but it also resides here, in our midst. Yigal Amir assassinated Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin in the name of religion, of Judaism, of God and Torah. He believed that this murder was a necessary action to fulfill God’s will. His rabbis did not take responsibility for these teachings. Religious teachings can be powerful and meaningful, they can change lives, build bridges and help us live a life of balance and of holiness. Religious teaching can also be dangerous. As a religious leader I take this to heart. I ask myself always -- What is my responsibility? How would the Torah I teach be interpreted and understood and how is going to be taken into action?
In Judaism, and over many centuries, women have been objectified. Traditional Jewish teachings prohibit women and men coming together in prayer, or in private spaces, they forbid women’s singing, and are based on the very same teaching that women are a temptation. In our communities we worked and continue to work on eradicating this taught belief from our thinking, but as we know it is still embedded in our religion, in our culture, in our midst.
The Book of Vayikra which we begin reading this week, is filled with details about sacrifices. Sacrifices are offerings we bring to the Temple of Jerusalem as a response to different things that happen to us in our life. Sacrifices, or offerings, in Hebrew is Korbanot קרבנות, from the root קרב, which means “close.” Vayikra lists different types including a sin offering and a guilt offering, The idea that we bring sacrifices when we sin inadvertently or when we are truly guilty is a powerful teaching in our tradition. It teaches us and asks us to reckon with our actions, to show remorse and to offer something to bring us back when we have done wrong. It teaches us about teshuva, about repentance and turning around. All human sin and we have the opportunity to do teshuva and offer a new gift in this world. Hatred, racism, misogyny have to be fought against and they have to be called out. This fight not only requires calling out the perpetrators but it also means we must look inward, whether we are in a position of influence or we receive influence, we must ask what is our part? What is our responsibility?
My heart has been crying since Tuesday night, when I heard about this terrible act of hatred, racism, misogyny and religious radicalism. My response today is to continue to fight to eradicate hatred, and it is also a response of teshuva, of looking at my own self, and at our own communities to see how we can use our power, how we can use our words and our teachings of Torah to build bridges and a world of love and not to elevate hatred.
May this Shabbat bring renewal and blessings to all of you and your loved ones.
May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing.
May we have a joyful and restful Shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom
