Mishpatim: The Wait is Over (Sort Of...)!

It's hard to wait. When you want something very, very badly, it's hard to accept that it can take time, or that you need to be patient. In our Torah portion this week, we see the Israelites standing at the foot of Mount Sinai. In last week's reading,
they received the Ten Commandments, and now they are basking in the Glory of God, and looking forward to receiving more laws and Instruction (in Hebrew, "Torah") from On High. The people famously shout out "Na'aseh v'Nishmah," "We will observe [the mitzvot] and understand," meaning essentially that they will faithfully commit to these laws, even before they comprehend their meaning. And we also see a beautiful scene at the end of our parashah, where Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, and seventy elders eat and drink before God, and (according to the text) literally "behold God" while they feast. Truly the relationship is strong and filled with holiness in this moment. So what went wrong?

As our Torah portion closes, Moses ascends the mountain to receive more laws, and he is gone for 40 days. The people grow impatient and antsy; they assume he must be missing or dead, and they eventually turn to idols and create the infamous Golden Calf. The waiting was

too hard. It was too painful. They wanted more, and they wanted it RIGHT AWAY, and the reward for patience was outweighed by the clamor for immediate gratification. We can relate. These days, we often feel that our struggle for equality and fairness - in religion as well as society at large - is too slow. Change must happen NOW! Inequality has festered for too long already, we simply cannot wait any longer. And yet, if and when we are able to be more patient, all the while maintaining our resolve and firm dedication to our convictions, it is amazing what can actually be achieved.

This past week, there was a significant breakthrough in religious equality in Israel. An agreement was reached that I sincerely hope will lead to redefining the relationship between religion and state. For the first time in Israel's history, in the holiest of places of the Jewish people - the Western Wall - the non-orthodox denominations triumphed in attaining formal status.

It was not a complete victory; it was an acknowledgment of Robinson's Arch, a prayer space further down the southern end of the Western Wall, as a formal and legitimate part of the Kotel site. Perhaps somewhat more significant, this will allow for more change to happen in the future. Solutions to issues of religion and state will be able to rely upon a new legal anchor. As the Masorti (Conservative) movement writes on their website: "From today, every solution to every dispute must give expression to the simple, basic and natural fact that there is more than one way to be Jewish. We did not achieve everything that we wanted, but this day is a day of celebration for Jewish pluralism in Israel. Conversion. Marriage and Kashrut."

At the same time, Phyllis Chesler, one of the founding members of Women of the Wall, recently wrote a passionate article about how this "victory" is entirely a compromise. It IS frustrating to still feel bullied in a place that SHOULD be open to all. As many of you know (in part

because I've written about it extensively here on the blog), my mother was heavily involved with Women of the Wall when it began in 1988, so I have a strong personal connection. I hear, and feel, their disappointment. And yet, this is also a significant step in the right direction. Ultimate goals cannot be achieved without small victories along the way. I still remain hopeful. Just as we all stood together as one at Sinai and shouted "Na'aseh v'Nishmah," some day we will again be able to speak in one, united, Jewish voice. But it won't be because all denominations have been stamped out, or differing opinions quieted. Our diversity is undeniable. Judaism is a coat of MANY colors! Our struggle for equality continues, but let us also celebrate the milestone that will allow us to forge ahead stronger, more resolute, and with hope for the future. We will win this battle in the end. I have faith.

Pictures in this blog post come from our Gerber family archive -
Photos of Women of the Wall from 1988.
1) Opening a Torah scroll by the Western Wall. An illegal practice (for a woman) in Israel today.
2) Waiting to pray (My mother is in the white-gray jacket, on the right in the front)
3) What it USED to be like; police officers dragging Women of the Wall participants off to jail.
4) An ultra-Orthodox woman attacking my mother, and specifically trying to throw her ("unclean") prayerbook to the ground.