Wickedness begins when one person is absolutely confident that he is the ultimate arbiter of morality. Yesterday, we all learned that a wicked person had taken it upon himself to murder nine human beings in a church in Charleston, S.C. Gathered for prayer, study and fellowship these people, just like us, never could have anticipated that a savage animal, posing as a human being, would enter their sacred house of worship to terrorize them and ultimately rob them of life.
The wickedness of racism is the most insidious of all forms of wickedness. It takes root in the heart of people and feeds upon close-mindedness, prejudice and emotional myopia. The perpetrator, inferior within his own mind, seeks out “the other" as an object to ridicule, to demean and to hate in order to elevate himself. Racism, built upon insecurity, must be met head on with the only weapons powerful enough to defeat insecurity; confidence in our humanity, mutual respect and commitment to honor others.
When all of us honor each other, regardless of skin color, socio-economic stratum or level of education, we are advancing against racism.
When we set aside fear of somebody who looks or seems different and open our minds and hearts to the possibility that we can learn from him or her, we are advancing against racism.
When each of us LISTENS to an employee, regardless of his or her background, and recognizes his or her value as a contributor to our work and our economy, we advance against racism.
Tomorrow, we read from the Torah portion of Korach, describing the first and only uprising during the wilderness trek. Korach and 253 other "people of great renown and prestige" lambast Moses for assuming leadership and depriving others of opportunities to lead Israel. Korach charges Moses with being motivated by ego instead of a genuine desire to help Israel. The kicker is that Moses and Aaron both fall on their faces, a posture of worship and humility, and then call out for Korach to come to a meeting to discuss grievances and Korach and his cronies refuse to attend. (In the Parshah we read just two weeks ago Moses encouraged others to become leaders and to seek 'prophetic spirit').
What drives Korach and his gang is known only to God.
Perhaps he desires power, but Korach is already identified as a leader. Thirst for prestige? - He is a Levi. I might surmise that he could not accept his own inferiority (actual or perceived) and he therefore directed anger outwardly, towards Moses. What we do know is that Korach's outburst was destructive to human emotions and eventually to human life. Lack of respect for others and a refusal to learn from others will always lead to great loss as we see in this week's Parshah and in the city of Charleston. Torah, God’s own word, and our own modern life perspective intersect in demanding the very best of all behavior for everyone- respect.
**** We remind the shul of the unveiling of the headstone of our long-term friend Melvin (Buddy) Stein on June 28th at 9:30 A.M. at the shul cemetery. ****
**** We also remind the shul of the Memorial service for our long-term friend Helen Small at 2:00 P.M. at the Temple (gathering to offer support from 1:15 PM-2:00 PM and a Shiva Minyan at the Temple at 6:00 PM on June 28th) ****
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Steve Silberman
Next Month Windows 10 and new browser Windows Edge will be released. Codes are being written for the website and there may be a few problems along the way. If you find anything or have a problem please contact me directly: Ahavaschesedmobile@gmail.com
David
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