I can't believe I am writing these words: This is my 613th blog post. Yup, 613; like the number of
mitzvot that our Jewish tradition says are in the entire Torah. Now sure, some of them were reposts from previous years, some were "guest bloggers" like my brother, Benjamin, Cantor Steve Friedrich, Rabbi Kelilah Miller, and others, and a few were holiday greetings or poems or articles. Nevertheless, 613 times, in 12 years, I have hit the "Publish" button in the top, right-hand corner. That's honestly pretty hard to wrap my head around. I recently said to my *other* sibling, my awesome sister, Nomi, that I don't care for the expression, "It goes without saying." Especially when it's something meaningful, heartfelt, or emotional. I propose, instead, that it should go WITH saying! So even though I've expressed this before, let me again say "thank you" to all of you for reading my blog. What a joy and a privilege it has been to write these Takes on Torah all these years! Six-hundred-and-thirteen posts. Hard to believe. Thank you.
This weekend, we are still celebrating Pesach. We have yet another couple of days of matzah left... hooray. Obviously, we already spoke about the "reason for the season" at our TWO Seder dinners, as well as in services last weekend AND throughout the week. Even so, we continue to remind ourselves that we celebrate Passover because God redeemed us from slavery in Egypt, brought us into the wilderness, gave us the Torah, and led us into Canaan to establish a new nation. Furthermore, the main reason why we keep emphasizing this story, is because it is SUPPOSED TO create in each and every one of us a sense of obligation. God did this incredible, miraculous thing for us... and now it's payback time.
Our texts, prophets, rabbis, and Jewish ethics are pretty clear about this part: The way we repay God is by taking care of the less-fortunate in our own societies. The poor, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger/alien/immigrant in our midst. While it may be a human tendency to praise our own success and only want to look forward once we've "made it," Judaism is insistent that we remember our humble, vulnerable, at-risk beginnings, and step up - emphatically and forcefully - for others who are similarly defenseless. Right now, in the United States in 2021, that means speaking up for Asian-Americans. Recent acts of violence and disgusting rhetoric have targeted Asians and Asian-Americans as the "spreaders" of the Coronavirus, which is just horrific. We have been maligned, vilified, slandered, attacked, and persecuted in ways that are all TOO familiar to what's going on today. We have to speak out. The Torah demands it of us, and specifically *because* of our history as slaves, and as a people who had Someone stick up for us. It's payback time... or rather pay-it-forward time.
I'm going to pause my own writing at this time, and instead share with you a poem written on behalf of the Asian-American community. This piece was written by the Jewish poet and liturgist Alden Solovy:
For the U.S. Asian Community:
Oh people of conscience,
Cry out.
Cry out against hatred and anger.
Cry out against violence and oppression.
Cry out against the rising tide of brutality against
Our Asian American brothers and sisters.
Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre
In Atlanta, Georgia,
Whose lives were cut off by violence
In a rampage of aggression beyond understanding.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.
G-d of justice and mercy,
Remember the survivors and witnesses of this attack,
Witnesses to shock, horror and dismay.
Ease their suffering and release their trauma
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.
Grant them Your shelter and solace,
Blessing and renewal.
Look with favor, G-d of love,
Upon Asian American communities throughout the land,
And all communities targeted for violence.
Grant them Your protection.
Remember them with comfort and consolation.
Bless them with wholeness and healing.
Heavenly Guide,
Put an end to anger, hatred, and fear,
And lead us to a time when
No one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our day.
Amen.
To donate in support of and solidarity for our fellow citizens, the Asian-American community, please check out:
ADL's support for the #StopAsianHate campaign
#StopAsianHate GoFundMe Campaign
https://stopaapihate.org/
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