Dear TBZ community:
Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer. He lies paralized in a hospital bed. His father, having visited him, reported that Jacob Blake is handcuffed to his bed.
Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people, killing two. He was carrying a AR-15-style rifle — on the streets of Kenosha during the protests. He was not shot by police, in fact he walked by police officers carrying this gun and was let pass.
This is the story of this week, and we know this is the story of many weeks. This is the story of systemic racism in this country.
Julia Blake, Jacob’s mother said this week:
“We need healing. As I pray for my son’s healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually, I also have been praying even before this for the healing of our country. God has placed each and every one of us in this country because he wanted us to be here. Clearly, you can see by now that I have beautiful brown skin, but take a look at your hand and whatever shade it is, it is beautiful as well. How dare we hate what we are? We are humans. God did not make one type of tree or flower or fish or horse or grass or rock. How dare you ask him to make one type of human that looks just like you?. I’m not talking to just Caucasian people, I am talking to everyone. White, black, Japanese, Chinese, red, brown, no one is superior to the other. No one is superior to the other. The only supreme being is God himself. Please let’s begin to pray for healing for our nation. We are the United States. Have we been united? Do you understand what’s going to happen when we fall? Because a house that is against each other can not stand. To all of the police officers, I’m praying for you and your families. To all of the citizens, my black and brown sisters and brothers, I’m praying for you. I believe that you are an intelligent being just like the rest of us. Every body, let’s use our hearts, our love, and our intelligence to work together, to show the rest of the world how humans are supposed to treat each other. America is great when we behave greatly. Thank you”
The Torah teaches us this week in Parshat Ki Tetze the mitzvah of Hashavat Aveda- Returning a lost object (Deuteronomy 22:1-4):
לֹֽא־תִרְאֶה֩ אֶת־שׁ֨וֹר אָחִ֜יךָ א֤וֹ אֶת־שֵׂיוֹ֙ נִדָּחִ֔ים
וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ מֵהֶ֑ם
הָשֵׁ֥ב תְּשִׁיבֵ֖ם לְאָחִֽיךָ
If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray,
do not ignore it;
you must take it back to your fellow.
וְאִם־לֹ֨א קָר֥וֹב אָחִ֛יךָ אֵלֶ֖יךָ וְלֹ֣א יְדַעְתּ֑וֹ
וַאֲסַפְתּוֹ֙ אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ בֵּיתֶ֔ךָ וְהָיָ֣ה עִמְּךָ֗ עַ֣ד דְּרֹ֤שׁ אָחִ֙יךָ֙ אֹת֔וֹ וַהֲשֵׁבֹת֖וֹ לֽוֹ
If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who he is,
you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it;
then you shall give it back to him.
וְכֵ֧ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַחֲמֹר֗וֹ וְכֵ֣ן תַּעֲשֶׂה֮ לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ֒ וְכֵ֣ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֜ה לְכָל־אֲבֵדַ֥ת אָחִ֛יךָ
אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאבַ֥ד מִמֶּ֖נּוּ וּמְצָאתָ֑הּ לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לְהִתְעַלֵּֽם
You shall do the same with his ass; you shall do the same with his garment;
and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find:
you must not remain indifferent.
לֹא־תִרְאֶה֩ אֶת־חֲמ֨וֹר אָחִ֜יךָ א֤וֹ שׁוֹרוֹ֙ נֹפְלִ֣ים בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ מֵהֶ֑ם
הָקֵ֥ם תָּקִ֖ים עִמּֽוֹ
If you see your fellow’s ass or ox fallen on the road,
do not ignore it; you must help him raise it.
These verses teach us the mitzvah of returning lost objects to their owner. Torah uses the word Le’hitalem -- do not ignore or do not remain indifferent -- recognizing that it is our human nature to look the other way, to choose not to see what is in front of us and by not seeing, we can avoid the work of returning that which has been lost.
Rashi explains it by saying:
לא תוכל להתעלם. לִכְבֹּשׁ עֵינְךָ כְּאִלּוּ אֵינְךָ רוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ
You must not cover your eyes, pretending not to see it.
The act of covering our eyes when something is lost is not permitted. By covering our eyes, we are guilty of choosing ignorance and remaining indifferent to our responsibilities.
The commentator Kli Yakar explains the words ‘you must take it back’ from verse 1 saying:
“Certainly, when the verse says, ‘you must take it back,’ it is teaching us that if you have the means to take them back, if they are not so completely astray, but rather it is possible for you to return that which has wandered away, then you shall return them to your fellow; you are obligated to try to see, in order to rescue them”
Something is lost in this country. Humanity is lost, dignity is lost, and it is our obligation not to cover our eyes; it is our obligation to do everything in our power, everything we can, to bring it back.
Senator Kamala Harris said last week:
“There is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work.
For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For the lives of too many others to name. For our children. For all of us.
We’ve gotta do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law. Because none of us are free … until all of us are free …”.
Our community continues the commitment of working towards being an antiracist synagogue. The Racial Justice Working Group, together with Rav Tiferet and myself, are in the process of bringing an anti-racism consultant to TBZ.
It is our hope that with sustained training and guidance the TBZ community will be able to truly acknowledge the structures of systemic racism on which our country was founded, built, and is maintained. .
It is our hope that through a course of sustained training and guidance, the TBZ community will help atone for the sins of our country's past as well as our present sins of complicity in racial injustice.
It is our hope that we will develop into competent allies and active co-conspirators to articulately and effectively address all types of racist comments, actions and policies.
It is our hope that we will become a more culturally competent, welcoming, and inclusive antiracist community: offering sage multi-generational programming that affords all of the TBZ community ongoing opportunities to be challenged and to grow.
On this 57th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the words of Martin Luther King Junior still ring true.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I invite you to take upon yourself the mitzvah of returning that which has been seriously lost: the dignity of human kind, the justice and care for all human lives, especially the lives of People of Color. Let us not cover our eyes, let us open our eyes to the dream of what is possible and let us go out and do the work.
We pray for the healing of Jacob Blake.
May this Shabbat bring blessings to all of you and your loved ones.
May we find strength, courage, patience and open our heart with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing.
May we have a joyful and restful Shabbat!
Rav Claudia
