Haftarat Behar-Bechukotai: Swear and Pray... But Also DO!

If you've ever been in a courtroom (or even seen one recreated on TV...), you may be familiar with a particular image. It is a powerful moment - occurring every time a witness is called up - yet it often passes by without much fanfare.

Before anyone can give testimony, they have to put their right hand on the Bible/Tanach/Koran, and "swear" to speak truthfully on the stand. I'm sure you're all aware of this ritual, but I want to note it for a particular reason. Essentially, what we are saying to the person is, "I can't FORCE you to be honest... but please do so anyway. Why? Because Someone (up above) knows what's in your heart." Sure, we have perjury laws, and some amount of social pressure to be a trustworthy, reputable person. But in the end, we cannot compel another human being, so that the words coming out of their mouth MUST be the truth, like some Jim Carrey movie. Even a polygraph test isn't fool-proof. So we do the Bible-thing. We remind people that even if we humans don't know the objective truth, a Higher Power does know... and is ALWAYS watching! Which, of course, means that no one lies on the stand, right? RIGHT???

Sadly, we know that isn't the case, and our ancestors had to face the same reality as well. They too did everything they could to cajole honesty, but it didn't always work. This week - in both the Torah reading AND the Haftarah - we read about

some of their methods. Their techniques, and ours as well, remind us that free will is a VERY powerful force. God pleads, we yell, the prophets rebuke; but in the end, people still get to decide for themselves. Amazingly, this seems to perplex the prophets of old... and even God! They know they will be punished, and yet they sin nonetheless. WHY??? God makes it abundantly clear, relayed by the prophet Jeremiah, that: "Most devious is the heart; it is perverse - who can fathom it? I, Adonai, probe the heart, search the mind, to repay individuals according to their ways, with the proper fruit of their deeds." (Jeremiah, 17:9) So what happens if that isn't your theology? If you don't believe God has that power, or perhaps don't even believe in a God at all???

This isn't just a modern, contemporary fear; even our ancient forebears worried about this blasphemous concept! Like speech, you can't MAKE someone believe. Certainly today, we see examples of people blatantly disregarding laws, morals, and even social norms. Celebrities, producers, politicians, Attorneys General; one after another they are revealed to be hypocrites,

thieves, abusers, and yes, liars (even under oath). I am especially dumbfounded by the sanctimonious duplicity of public figures who can support a cause or issue outwardly, while violating that very same subject behind closed doors. I could give an example or two, but it's hard to highlight the worst one(s). There are simply too many top (or bottom) candidates. I also want to emphasize the importance of these deceptions being exposed publicly. Because clearly it is not enough to keep reiterating the laws, and the hand-on-holy-book rule isn't galvanizing enough hearts. But there is still us. We, as a community and a society, can drag into the light these horrific behaviors, and demand justice for all these transgressions. Personally, I DO still believe that God will judge each person in the end as well... but right now we've got to mold our society to fit our values. The responsibility is ours here on earth!

A colleague and friend of mine, Zakiya Islam, recently articulated an interesting point about theology to my monthly Lunch n' Learn group. The question was raised, why does God "need" all this praise, worship, and loyalty? Her response was (and I'm paraphrasing), it isn't really God who needs all of this. But when we dedicate

ourselves to something, when we focus our energies and our prayers, when we live by a certain code and abide by it; all these things make US better people. I thought about this a lot, and I wholeheartedly agree. Look at another quote from Jeremiah, also from our Haftarah: "All who forsake You shall be put to shame. Those in the land who turn from You shall be doomed, for they have forsaken Adonai" (17:13). It is certainly possible that Jeremiah means God will punish and shame these violators. But their offenses affect us - all of us - and not just God. We all need to take responsibility for our shared society, and hold those who behave immorally and with evil intent accountable. I hope that some day, in some place beyond, God will also bring a reckoning to those who deserve it. But in this moment, we must do our part. The prayers we direct heaven-ward should compel our own hearts and spur us to action; they aren't just for God. In that way, our prayers can be SO powerful; they can urge us to be more vigilant, just, and protective of those who need our help. They really can; hand on the Bible, I swear to God!


Photos in this blog post:

1. CC image of a movie poster for the film "Liar, Liar," starring Jim Carrey

2. CC image courtesy of Shawn Rossi on Flickr

3. CC image courtesy of James N. Mattis on Flickr

4. CC image courtesy of O'Dea on Wikimedia Commons (uh oh...)