I wonder if Gd might have extended his hand for Philadelphia this week:
“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and how I brought you to Me.”
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7:00 PM this evening: “that they may serve me” — this is not a political party nor is it a “political agenda.”
The commandments speak of the relationship of Gd to his people, though a Covenant with us, with the Jewish People . . . .
. . . if you would prefer, you can parse this any way you would like to — but it would be best to understand this within the construct of the Torah itself.
לֹֽ֣א־יִהְיֶ֥͏ֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּני׃
You shall have no other gods before Me
לֹֽ֣א־תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכׇל־תְּמוּנָ֔֡ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֔֡עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתחַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ׃
You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.
לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תׇעׇבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵ֠ד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים
You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I your God יהוה am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children . . .
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From the Torah’s understanding — this particular ‘Chosen People’ is meant to serve Gd — this understanding can help us to better understand an often misunderstood statement of “Let my People go” — a statement that is not to be separated from: “that they may serve me.” — and me alone.
That is to say: not Pharoah, nor despots, nor powerful intoxicated terrorists, nor other nations — instead, “this Particular Nation” is to serve the needs of Gd and his Chosen People. This understanding here is driven not only by a will to survive the vicissitudes of slavery but also by the conditions of theological and cultural degradation, mass rape, emotional and recurrent trauma, along with the mass murders these people will repeatedly re-experience all of this throughout the generations and cycles of time.
The last thing the Jews (especially given our vulnerabilities) would expect would be for our own Jewish co-religionists to turn to “other Nations’ and to “other idolatries” for power or for social and political status — as we have learned from King Saul in Ist Samuel Chapter 15.
And yet, here is this as an Exodus Commandment — before our very eyes, as we see it.
In current times, what is degrading to many of us currently — we will too often see some ‘of our own’ “seeking societal acceptance of the majority culture” or even a desire to experience somewhat of a “kumbaya” experience with people who will betray us when it suits their purposes — this often from the very people with whom we were friends or allied not so long ago. We see this with Civil Rights Movements and their acolytes, with Academics who view the world in terms of occupied and occupiers, award-winning film and literary notables who worry about losing their honored and beloved place in their fields of accomplishment and often identify even themselves as notables and even as “elites”
The example below suggests just this type of “shifting change” within the American Democratic Party side of the American Political Spectrum. To those who see this as a democratic polemic — do not be fooled, especially as it was not so long ago emanating from the Republican side of the aisle. And in light of that, please be aware, that the pendulum swings in both directions and has done so repeatedly over time and even throughout the Jewish generations . . . let us be more aware of the shifting sands of loyalties and perhaps more sensitive to that which continues to intoxicate, even and especially “us.”
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Maybe the leadership from all sides of the American Political Spectrum should begin to pay closer attention to “these new perceptions” of the American Jewish Community.
Here’s a somewhat modern Japanese principle: Genchi genbutsu (現地現物) which literally translates as: “real location, real thing” (or an alternative translation: “the situation onsite”) (for the record, it is a key principle of the Toyota Production System). The principle is sometimes referred to as “go and see.” All of this suggests that to truly understand a situation one needs to observe what is happening at the site where work actually takes place: the Gemba (現場) or . . . “collecting facts and data at the actual site of the work or problem.”
All of which mirrors an ancient Talmudic Principle of the Gemara:”Puk Chazi”: meaning: “Go out and see what the people are saying (and doing)”
In case you missed it, this is not just Gaza any longer or Zioism writ large . . . this is the Jewish experience in history.
As long as the Jewish people continue to serve and worship ‘politicians and despots’ of varied political affiliations — and from all sides of the political spectrum — as we often do — we will then continue to be ‘surprised’ by those who had once been our allies, and those who betray us — and more painfully, even by our own co-religionists who all too often relate more to King Agag of the Amalekites, as Saul once did.
Below this is not an attack on the Democratic Party as much as it is an attack on the worship of Sacred Cows from all shades of the spectrum — here in America and throughout Jewish History. We tend to fail ourselves time and time again when we ally with those who use us and then discard us and ever the worse — with those, even among us who continue to harm us.
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AJC poll: American Jews hold negative views over the Democratic Party’s handling of antisemitism
The poll finds the Jewish community is deeply concerned about heightened antisemitism, though only about one-quarter said they personally faced an antisemitic incident
Excerpt:
A sizable majority of American Jews disapprove of how the Democratic Party is handling antisemitism, according to a new American Jewish Committee survey of Jewish attitudes towards antisemitism. Despite most Jews identifying as Democrats, slightly more viewed the GOP’s handling of antisemitism favorably.
Over three-quarters of Jewish respondents agreed that antisemitism of all types — from the extreme left, the extreme right and in the name of Islam — were serious threats.
“Antisemitism has reached a tipping point in America, threatening the freedoms of American Jews and casting an ominous shadow across our society,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for leaders across the U.S. We must act now to protect Jews – and America – from rising antisemitism. That one-third of American Jews have been the target of antisemitism in the past year should raise red flags for every American and our leaders.”
On college campuses, nearly one-quarter (22%) of Jewish students said they felt they were excluded from a group because of their religion. About 4 in 10 Jewish (43%) students say they have avoided talking about Israel on campus or with classmates. And just under one-third (32%) said they have felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event due to being Jewish.
The poll also found that the American Jewish community’s support for Israel remains broad and deep. Eighty-one percent of American Jews said that caring about Israel was “very important” (51%) or “somewhat important” (30%) to them — in line with polling on the issue in recent years. Among Gen Zers between the ages of 18-29, 40% said Israel was “very important” to them — an 11-point jump over the last year.
Broad dissatisfaction: The survey (link directly below) released on Wednesday and conducted by SSRS between Oct. 8 and Nov. 29, 2024, found broad dissatisfaction in how all institutions were dealing with antisemitism. The poll found 39% of respondents approved of the Democrats’ response to antisemitism, including 41% of Jewish Democrats, while 59% of those surveyed disapproved. Just under half of American Jews (45%) backed the GOP’s handling of antisemitism. Forty percent approved of the federal government’s response, while 42% approved of Congress’ legislative reaction to the issue.
Here, is the Link: AJC American Jewish Survey: https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2024/AmericanJews
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7:00 PM this evening — this is not just a commandment — it is a way of life — and a way of living.
As painful as it is for many others around the world, even for “some of our own,” the People of Israel Live — and here I might add the Torah’s view,
essentially we have no other choice.
