We Are Different (1956)

/ We Are Different (1956)

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April 21, 1956

We Are Different (1956)

Kedoshim

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Challenge and Response (1955)

The theme of this morning’s Sidra, kedushah, is the keynote and goal of all of Torah. It is a hard doctrine to preach. Kedushah is so out of place in twentieth-century America. In the contemporary context of the Space Age, holiness seems an almost hopelessly outmoded ideal. We often wonder: is not holiness more indigenous to the life of the semi-hermit, confined to his little Paradise where, in tranquil isolation, he can meditate and achieve the saintliness of the high-minded recluse? Is not the ideal of kedushah irrelevant to an age of missiles and a life crowded with inventories and taxes, commuting and socializing?The answer is that the Torah’s command “ye shall be holy” was specifically directed to ordinary men and women engaged in trade and business, medicine and law, administration and caring for children. Our Rabbis pointed out that when Daniel speaks of the angels, he mentions kedushah only once, whereas the Torah, speaking of the here-and-now (tachtonim) mentions kedushah twice.ר' אבין אמר משל למלך שהיה לו מרתף של יין והושיב בו המלך שומרים מהן נזירים ומהן שכורים. לעת ערב בא ליתן להם שכרם נתן לשכורים שני חלקים ולנזירין חלק אחד. א"ל אדונינו המלך לא שמרנו כאחת מפני מה אתה נותן לאלו שני חלקים ולנו חלק אחד. אמר לו אלו שכורין הן ודרכן לשתות יין אבל אתם נזירין ואין דרככם לשתות יין לפיכך אני נותן לאלו שני חלקים ולאלו חלק אחד. כך העליונים שאין יצר הרע מצוי ביניהם קדושה אחת להם שנאמר ובמאמר קדישין שאלתא אבל התחתונים לפי שיצר הרע מצוי בהן הלואי יועל שתי קדושות הדא הוא דכתיב והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים.-ילקוט שמעוני על התורה תר"גOn earth and in the midst of life, where we are faced with the challenge of yetzer ha-ra, that of temptation and ambition, profit and greed, secularism and profanity, that is where true holiness can be forged – in double measure, for here is the fiery test of kedushah growing out of the encounter with real life. Not only is kedushah needed as a weapon to do battle with the yetzer ha-ra, but the evil in life is the very challenge which elicits the r…

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Out of Respect (1975)

One of the most memorable commandments in this Sidra is that concerning respect for the aged: מפני שיבת תקום והדרת פני זקן ויראת מאלוקיך אני ה. “You shall rise before the hoary head and honor the presence of the old man, and you shall fear your God; I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:32). Society has not done too well by this commandment. It is not easy to do so, especially in a time and country where the elderly population is increasing rapidly, creating problems in proportions unknown before. Moreover, part of the heritage left to us by the recently deceased Counter-Culture is an infectious stridency in which the young shout at the old as an act of political morality.We Jews have done exceedingly well by this norm historically, but far less well, often to the point of disgrace, in our own days.But my theme for the present is not the institutionalized aspects of כבוד זקנים (honor for the aged), but our personal relationships to the elderly and to the scholarly; for tradition has conventionally assigned to each half of this parallelism – rising before the “hoary head” and honoring the presence of the “elderly” – two different definitions, declaring “the hoary head” to refer to those who are chronologically old, and defining Zaken as one who is old in wisdom even though young in years. To both categories, the elderly and the wise, we must act out of respect.That respect is somewhat lacking nowadays is evident from the experience of all of us. Permit me to share with you a few scenes. A few weeks ago here at The Jewish Center, some youngsters – they were not our own youngsters – came down in an elevator filled with elderly folk. When the elevator came to the landing, the young people pushed past the elderly ones with such force, that they left the old people dazed and frightened.Another scene, a bit less troubling but also not encouraging: several years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I walked into the lobby of The Jewish Center together with an elderly gentleman. Around the tabl…

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We Are Different - editor's title (1956)

Both beg. 2nd portion (Kedoshim) & Haftarah emphasize same idea – differentness Jew, that concept one of most maligned, misunderstood, misinterpreted: A) Non-Jewish world: If enlightened, as founding fathers this country, knew that there are similarities, also differences; must respect... Also, that is what makes each human unique and supremely valuable, irreplaceable. If bigoted, if insensitive, used it as weapon to ridicule us and persecute – Haman, Cicero down to modern day tyrants and bigots... “Alien”, “foreigner”... no toleration differences. B) Reaction obsequious Jew: Because fear anti-semitism, also denied differences... thought would save him... so copied, mimicked, imitated, cut self off from own roots, imagined his act would be taken seriously... thus came to deny own faith, religion, history, very identity – all because denied differentness. Result? Discovered that instead of becoming acceptable, sustained double loss: lost his identity and contact with spiritual, historical and cultural roots – and gentile ridiculed him even more for his sycophantic, sniveling, self-degrading attitude. Beadle metaphor: tried to get under a goose on home-plate even thru sacrifice, discovered he had hit into a double-play. Letter to editor Nat’l J Post from a Christian who enlightened, intelligent, insightful: “I feel that one of the major causes of Jew-baiting and anti-s is the apologetic inferiority complex of many Jews & unfortunately their own elected leaders which manifests itself in the distasteful sacrilegious burlesque of their most sacred rites in an attempt to sheepishly assimilate with the many.”