Today’s skies were blue. On a day as glorious as this one, it is difficult to remember that two weeks ago we were in the midst of a great storm. Our friends and family throughout the states of Texas and Florida and our neighbors in Puerto Rico suffered greatly from terrifying hurricanes. There is no evidence in our daily Mobile lives of the extremes of water and wind. In fact, we need to actively engage our memories in order to remind ourselves of the exceptional damage done by the storms.
We marshaled our prayers and we shared Tzedakah. We all called our loved ones and prayed together, reassuring one another that we are ‘all in this together.’
Today a great storm is threatening the state of Florida and the state of our nation. Richard Spencer, acclaimed as a leader of the ‘alt-right,' spoke on the campus of the University of Florida just a few hours ago. Cloaked in the protective garment of ‘Freedom of speech,' he promotes a message of glorification of people based only upon the happenstance of skin color and the denigration of people because of skin color and place of origin. More frightening than his presence on a college campus is the vocal upswell of support by people affirming the validity of his vulgar and racist chauvinism. Thousands of university students removed themselves from campus today out of fear of potential violence arising from the collapse of social order. Purporting that the broadcast of racist propaganda is one of our most cherished ideals, the expression of free speech, Spencer champions hate and close-mindedness as opposed to openness of thought which majestically arises from the free exchange of constructive ideas.
In this week's Parshah we read of a society brought to extinction’s edge by a spread of lawlessness and corruption. Hamas, the Hebrew word for lawlessness, was the the last straw. If murder by a brother, theft of God’s own property ( the fruit from Eden’s tree), lying and shifting of blame did not warrant global destruction then we are left to wonder which types of behavior must have been so wicked that God decided to extinguish the world's population. I can only imagine that the conduct, so reprehensible, must have violated God's expectations of dignity and humanity for all. Despising people merely because of their appearance does come to mind.
In this day we, too, are threatened with the most corrupt and vile of all human endeavor;racism and prejudice. Unlike Noah, who was the sole possible lifeline for a beleaguered and threatened humanity, each of us bears the power and responsibility to save humanity by speaking and living properly. We must all passionately reassure each other that we are in this constructive effort together, to build a world and not to tear it apart.
Shalom,
Rabbi Steve Silberman
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