We are not a short-sighted people. Jews have been called many things - stiff-necked, cynical, skeptical, full of
chutzpah, and, of course, many horrible things - but never short-sighted. Ours is a tradition of prophets and predictions, of constant
awareness of past, present, AND future, of repeatedly emphasizing
l'Dor va'Dor, "From Generation to Generation." So here's a thought: Are we therefore more mindful of our own behaviors? That is to say, as a people, a community, of long-term thinkers, who maintain an awareness of what our ancestors did millenia ago, and what we hope and pray our descendants will do millenia hence, are we more likely to retain an awareness of the consequences of our actions? Are we better positioned to say, "Hey, what I do impacts others. My choices today may have ramifications for tomorrow AND for future generations"? Gee, I sure hope so...
This week, I've been thinking a lot about self-perception and the outcomes of our behaviors. At every Jewish holiday, we reference our history AND gaze out into the future. In this week's Haftarah, specific to
the Shabbat that falls in the middle of the festival of Sukkot, the prophet Ezekiel describes a future battle, set on "that distant day" (38:16), when Israel's enemies will fall and peace shall reign. On Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Purim, and on Pesach; at all these services, our liturgy tells us to look back AND look ahead. We constantly refer to ourselves as the children of Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, and Jacob, because our text keeps reminding us that their actions, their faith and loyalty, are the reasons we are still here. And if we want Judaism to remain, we need to provide that same foundation for all future generations.
Look, this can be daunting. We don't envision ourselves as the next matriarchs or patriarchs of all of Judaism. I get it. And yet, too often today, we see examples in media and politics of people with no self-awareness. They have just one
narrative about themselves, and they cannot and will not allow anyone to change their minds. Even as evidence mounts that totally REFUTES that perception, they are indignant. And it is most hurtful when their behaviors cause life-long trauma in others. Not only is it completely unacceptable to say "I don't remember doing that" or "that was never my intention," but it's actually much WORSE, because something that was incredibly damaging and devastating for one person wasn't even significant enough to recall for the other. Looking again at the texts of our tradition, you might argue that the common thread that runs through EVERY prophet's vision, through ALL of Biblical prophecy as a whole, is the impact that one generation has on another. What they did eons ago affects us now, and what we do today will transform those who come after us.
This is a crucial lesson for us all; be aware of how you influence others around you. None of us exists in a vacuum. We are always part of a larger society AND a longer chain of history. At every Jewish holiday, and especially now at Sukkot, our Sages remind us that we are always the weakest link in the chain of Jewish history.
Not because of anything we did (or are doing) wrong, but because we are here RIGHT NOW, and we could break that chain and end our Jewish story TODAY! So please, take this seriously. Be humble enough to know that your self-perception is NOT the only way that you are perceived. Be perhaps a bit more awed (as in fearful...) of how you can build up or tear down others around you. Your speech, your actions, and your physical presence can leave long-lasting impressions, either traumatic or inspiring, and you should hold on to that knowledge EVERY day with the full weight of the gravitas it deserves. Never forget that when we stomp along through life, oblivious to the consequences, we can do ENORMOUS harm. We don't get to just ignore that, or plead ignorance or amnesia. Not ever. It is a permanent standard to which we should hold ourselves, as well as our elected and selected leaders. We simply cannot be short-sighted about these kinds of things; their impact is too great.
Thus endeth my year of commenting on the Haftarah texts instead of the Torah portions. Starting next week, I'm going to change the name of this blog back to "Take on Torah" instead of "... Haftarah." I hope you've enjoyed this year-long departure. I anticipate doing this again in a few years; it was great fun, and a nice change of pace! If you have any feedback/thoughts/comments, either in support or critique of the series, please let me know. Thanks so much!
Images in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of
jim simonson on
Flickr
2. CC image courtesy of
Pexels.com
3. CC image courtesy of
justgrimes on
Flickr
4. CC image courtesy of
pixabay.com
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