From Dream To Reality: Shoftim.20

From Dream To Reality: Shoftim

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

September 21, 2020

As the Jewish year comes to a close (Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is just about a month away) so does our cycle of weekly Torah readings. This cycle starts anew every fall, reminding us not only of the beginning of the year, but also of our origins and obligations as a people.

Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah, is thus both a summary of the first four books and a distillation of how we view ourselves and our relationship with God.

Deuteronomy is structured as a series of sermons delivered by Moses as the Israelites, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, finally reach their goal and destination, the Promised Land. It’s a look back, a recounting of the hardships endured and lessons learned along the journey. But at the same time it also offers insight into the future, a foretelling of historical events to come—the battles that will be fought as the Israelites settle in Canaan and the social, religious and political dilemmas that they will be facing.

Most of all, however, Deuteronomy is a collection of laws. About one-third of the Torah’s 613 Commandments are found in this book.

Why so many?

Laws are not necessary where the population is sparse. Where there is little traffic and few intersections, there is no need for stop signs. The number of laws in Deuteronomy—and the many different situations these cover—reflect the time and place in which they were legislated.  There are laws about warfare—a sure sign that the Middle East never was and probably never will be a haven of peace. Rules limiting the power and wealth of a king likewise indicate a political and social reality. The focus in this week’s portion (Shoftim, “Judges,” Deut. 16:18—21:9), is on the need to establish a judicial system, necessary for any civilization and culture to exist and prosper. First steps are also taken toward the centralization of religious practice and authority, enabling the nascent Jewish religion to survive in the Middle East, a place where the world’s major trade routes intersect—and with them, the cultural and religious influences of many lands and peoples.

Some of the laws in Shoftim strive to control human passions such as sexual lust, hunger for power, and the brutal urge for blood vengeance.

As the last of the Five Books of Moses, we would expect Deuteronomy to offer denouement, a satisfying conclusion tying together all the loose ends, all the storylines that interweave and leave us wanting more. As a work of theology, one could expect some answers about God, God’s nature, and the nature of God’s relationship with humanity. We could be pardoned for wanting to know more about our role and place in the universe, to see the larger picture, with all the whys and wherefores answered.

Yet exactly the opposite happens. No explanations, no sweet resolutions.  Ironically, even though it is part of a religious text, Deuteronomy says little about the nature of God’s divinity and is actually a roadmap into the human soul. Rather than explain why God or the Universe are the way they are, Deuteronomy actually helps us understand ourselves, the complex entity that we human beings are—that I am, that you are, that each individual is, in his/her/their own and unique way.

Deuteronomy isn’t about God at all. Rather, it’s about you and me. Every law in Shoftim is addressed to the individual, taking the form of the singular “you,” the “thou.” That’s what it all comes down to. There is no grand finale, no revelation of things or days to come. Everything is up to you.

Maybe that’s why Deuteronomy is read during Elul, the last month of the Jewish year. As we begin to reflect on the year that is now ending and as we begin to look, with hopes and expectations, toward the new year, we are reminded that so much depends on what our choices are going to be.

Yes, prayer is good. Prayer expresses the deepest longings in our hearts and souls—for peace, for health, for satisfaction, for a good job, for love. But prayer by itself is no more than wishful thinking. It’s what we do that complements and completes prayer.

If we want peace, we must work towards it, and not strive for destruction.

If we want to be treated with dignity and kindness, we have to treat others in exactly the same way.

If we want to live in a just world, then we need look no further than to the words that open this week’s portion: “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” The doubling of the word justice has been taught as a reminder that we must judge others as we judge ourselves, no more and no less.

And lastly, if we want to live in a world where all people—regardless of race, color, creed or gender—are treated equally, then we must tear down walls of prejudice, fear and hatred and replace them instead with fair and equitable systems and practices. No one, no matter how rich or powerful, is above the law; we are all—president or ordinary citizen, rich or poor, subject to a higher power, a higher authority, a higher and ultimate Judge.

Deuteronomy is set in the days immediately prior to the People of Israel’s crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. As we read it now, facing a new year, new opportunities and new challenges, these chapters remind us to see ourselves as our ancestors must have: Our fear mingled with faith, our doubts replaced with resolve. Our dreams of a Promised Land remain unfulfilled until we—you and I—take action to make them real.

© 2020 by Boaz D. Heilman

The Abraham Accord: Peace Agreement Between Israel and UAE

The Abraham Accord: Peace Agreement Between Israel and UAE

Opinion by Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

August 14, 2020

The announcement of a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates couldn’t come at a better time.

These days, as the COVID pandemic continues to rage unabated, when politics, social unrest, the economy, jobs and other divisive issues leave all of us afraid to listen to the news for fear of what else could be going wrong, the words “peace agreement” sound a little like a Disney fantasy. Our cynical minds turn immediately to thinking, Why? What’s going on? Who is gaining from this agreement—and what is being gained by it?

And the answer is simple: Everyone and everything.

When the UAE first became an independent country in 1971 its first president termed Israel, “the enemy.” By 2015, however, Israel opened a diplomatic office in the Emirates. But even before that, mostly under cover, cooperation in trade, security, technology and other areas had already been going on for several years.

The normalization of relations between the two countries is a major achievement for which President Trump, Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Pompeo deserve much credit and thanks. For, despite long-standing cooperation between Israel and the UAE, there have been roadblocks too. Sports events in which Israeli athletes participated were boycotted by the UAE. Travel restrictions existed. Recognition of the Jewish State was adamantly rejected.

Now, however, with what is being called “The Abraham Accord” (named after the common ancestor of the Jewish and Muslim faiths), a new stage in the relationship between Israel and the Arab world has begun.

Prior to the Israel/UAE agreement, only two other Arab countries had signed peace agreements with the Jewish State: Egypt and Jordan. Ending the state of war that had existed since 1948 was important, but these proved isolated developments. The accord with the UAE is part of a new game plan, a wider and more encompassing maneuver for a new time and a new world.

For Israel, recognition by an Arab state is an old dream come true. The process has been long and complicated. At times it seemed more science fiction than possible reality.

So what has changed?

In a word: Iran.

The world’s largest exporter of terror and violence, Iran has long been aiming for domination of the Middle East. The failed Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has meant that Iran now plays a major role there, establishing military bases and a regular supply route to Hezbollah—the armed militia that runs Lebanon (and is responsible for the horrific ammonium nitrate explosion in Beirut earlier this month). Iran also arms and supplies the Houthis, who have been waging war against Saudi Arabia and wreaking havoc and disaster in neighboring Yemen. Iran has been menacing the United States, jeopardizing oil shipping in the Persian Gulf, and threatening Israel as well as Western European countries with its development of nuclear capabilities and the ability to deliver nuclear warheads on ICBM’s.

Iran’s crumbling economy hasn’t stopped any of its expansionist plans. Despite economic and diplomatic pressure from the United States and elsewhere, Iran is persistent in furthering its militaristic aims. The upcoming elections in the United States and the uncertainty of a second term for President Trump have bolstered Iran’s determination to make its move now, with the hope that a new, more favorable, Democratic administration might prove more forgiving of any consequences tomorrow to such a move today.

Other countries in the region are similarly fearful of a change in administration. In their view, a return to a deal with Iran such as the one carved out by Obama would mean one thing only: a more powerful and threatening Iran.

A defensive wall is thus being built, with the UAE-Israel peace agreement as the first in what will hopefully be a chain reaction. In a major speech announcing the accord, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, intimated as much, without naming any names.

But for all its benefits, any such treaty must also come with a price. The United Arab Emirates has to face the rage not only of Iran, but also of other hardline Islamist countries and governments. Not surprisingly, the Palestinian Authority has denounced the agreement. Turkey has called it hypocrisy and a betrayal.

For Netanyahu, he now has to face a large part of his power base—the extreme right-wing Settler Movement. In making the deal, Netanyahu has suspended his plans to annex parts of what the world calls “the West Bank,” a promise he reiterated as recently as last month. On the other hand, one could ask if—at this point in his career—the loss of this segment of his base is so damaging. More than half of Israel’s population has stated and proven—many times over—its willingness to trade land for peace. For the many vocal and fierce opponents of Bibi and his administration, this move is seen as a move in the right direction.

Still, despite the expected opposition, the Abraham Accord is a huge step forward.

For the United States and President Trump, the Accord is a major accomplishment, one that every President has hoped for since 1948. For Israel, it is a step toward the realization of a long-sought dream. For those Arab countries that would like to see progress into the 21^st century—technologically, economically, ideologically—this is also a positive step.

Some will say that this agreement will lead to stabilization in one of the world’s most volatile regions. Others, more skeptical, will undoubtedly see it as a hardening of positions, the formation of new power blocks and an alliance that would lead to world-wide conflagration.

For a world weary of war and terror, however, this show of solidarity means greater determination and strength in fighting evil. In the larger scope of things, it doesn’t do much to alleviate hunger, pollution, preservation of water and other natural resources. However, if it does lead to greater cooperation in health, technology and education, the Abraham Accord will prove an important stepping-stone towards a safer, saner world.

Let’s hope that this is the case.

© 2020 by Boaz D. Heilman

To Merit A Mitzvah: Eikev.20

To Merit A Mitzvah

D’var Torah for Parashat Eikev

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

August 7, 2020

It probably didn’t take human beings, even those at the beginning of our evolution, too long to figure out the law of cause and effect. After all, other species learned pretty quickly that patience has its rewards: Ants learned that hard and consistent work results in a thriving colony; and bees, in order to ensure a healthy hive, have been known to cast out useless drones and even queens that are less than adequate. Likewise, at the dawn of our evolution, even the earliest original humanoids must have realized that certain behaviors would lead to desirable outcomes more frequently than other, less efficient means. 

But it wasn’t until Moses that the principle of cause and effect was put into law form.

In this week’s Torah portion, Eikev (“Consequences,” Deuteronomy 7:12—11:25), we find the foundations of a system of foolproof behavior: Do what God deems right, and you shall be rewarded amply; do that which God disapproves, and the punishments will be just as quick and inevitable.

Thousands of years have passed since the words of the Torah were written and codified. We have since learned that things aren’t quite so simple. We have seen good and innocent folks suffer while evil and arrogant individuals seem to prosper. Sometimes, even our best intentions fall apart for reasons beyond our understanding. We have learned that other people’s actions and behavior can affect our work in negative ways. Success is not a given—at least not always in the short run. It may take a while; it may mean trying again and again until all conditions are favorable. It may mean starting all over, seeking a different path.

In the Torah, what seemed at first to be a short route from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land turned out to be an arduous journey. A path north by north-east, along the Mediterranean seacoast, would have taken a week, maybe two, to complete. Instead, we found ourselves wandering and often lost for forty years in the harsh Sinai wilderness.

Certainly questions came up: Was all this roving necessary? Did it not lead to even more rebellions against Moses, Aaron, and God? Could no one foresee the plagues, fires and warfare that this grueling journey would entail?

Deuteronomy answers all that, by restating the Law of Cause and Effect: Because we rebelled against God and Moses, we were punished, and we suffered. Because we lost faith, we had to learn it from scratch. We now know the truth that faith is easily broken, but repair is not so simple. It may take years, perhaps a lifetime, and sometimes even more.

Still, this week’s portion gives us a most beautiful vision of the Promised Land: “A good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to Adonai your God for the good land which God has given you” (Deut. 8:7-10).

But this wistful vision is tarnished by reality. The Land of Israel—then or today—has rarely known a time without war. The promise of abundance for all, of justice and compassion for the poor, of housing for the homeless, of health and peace for all its inhabitants seems as far from us today as it was when Moses first described it to the weary Israelites in the harsh wilderness.

While the author of Deuteronomy must have been certain why that was so, we are not. And while we constantly repeat these words, and every day look up toward the marvelous vision of the Promised Land, nagging doubts continue to undermine our faith in this blessed outcome.

While Deuteronomy provides certainty, real life brings up doubt.

Questions come up with every disaster, with every plague and every drought. What have we done wrong?

Fortunately, Jewish philosophy doesn’t stop with the Torah. The Prophets of ancient days tried to offer their own reasons; Jewish mysticism—the Zohar and Kabbalah—offers yet another theory, the one that teaches that the universe itself is broken, and that it is our task to repair it. Tikkun Olam, they called it.

But perhaps the reasons for the broken state of the world today are much simpler than the explanations offered by prophets and mystics. Maybe it’s because Creation emerges out of Destruction, because we live in an eternal cycle of day and night, of life and death. Or maybe it’s as simple as the fact that we live in a world that is always on the verge of chaos. We can begin to understand the weather, but we can’t predict the course of a hurricane. We know why volcanoes exist, why earthquakes happen, but we can’t foresee when or where the next disaster will take place. We know about viruses, but obviously we don’t have the cures for all—or even most—of them.

And we know that some people, knowingly or not, intentionally or not, will cause harm. Free choice is part of the human soul, and that means that evil—the bad, the wrong choice—is always there, “crouching at the door,” like a beast just waiting to pounce.

Jewish thought is not fatalistic. It never was and never will be. If only things happened exactly as predicted, as prophesied, as foretold! But they don’t, and so Faith plays an important part in Jewish thinking. In the Jewish view of the world, miracles do happen, and good deeds do lead to good consequences, as surely as mischief leads to evil.

There are times when evil overpowers righteousness, and when that happens, bad things happen, even to good people.

And that’s why it’s important to do good deeds—mitzvahs, mitzvot—to balance the effects of evil on the world around us.

The rewards of a mitzvah, the rabbis teach, is yet another mitzvah. One good deed leads to another as surely as a wicked deed leads to more wickedness. It’s the cumulative effect of all our deeds of kindness and compassion that will lead to a better world. And that’s why we sometimes hear the words, tizkeh l’mitzvot—“may you merit mitzvahs”—as a thank you to a good deed. It’s a blessing that we merit not a perfect world, but a world that runs well because we do our best to make it so, because we do not grow weary or discouraged, because we do not despair or lose faith or hope.

The vision of the Torah and our Prophets may be a dream, but as long as we perform mitzvot, we are not lost in the wilderness. Rather, mitzvot are the way we work towards making that dream real. May we never lose sight of that prophecy; may our hands never tire, may our heart and soul never grow faint. There will be challenges, but with belief and faith in ourselves and in God we will overcome them.

That is why we still repeat the words of this week’s portion, thousands of years after they were first put down on parchment. The promise of the Promised Land is still before our eyes; the Torah and the teachings of the Rabbis are our roadmap there. As long as these are there, we remain strong, we endure and persevere through every storm, wind or fire.

May the holiness of this teaching strengthen us and keeps our feet steady on our path from day to day, from one mitzvah to the next.

© 2020 by Boaz D. Heilman