A Response to the Riots in our Nation's Capital - January 6, 2021

This is a letter that I sent to my congregation this afternoon:

My Dear Friends,

As we watched the scenes of pandemonium unfolding in Washington, DC this afternoon, we were justifiably horrified by the violence and chaos unleashed by mob violence. The fact that our nation’s capital was desecrated on this day when our elected officials gathered to perform the sacred act of ritually formalizing the results of a presidential election imbues these horrific events with additional gravity. I, along with many of you, am very concerned about how this riot will impact the future of our Republic.

This week, we begin a new book of Torah. We read the first Chapter of Exodus where we find the words: “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.”(Exodus 1:8)  Immediately following this statement, we learn of the dangers involved in governmental transition. The new Pharaoh upends Egyptian society by undoing the policies of his predecessor, enslaving the Israelites, and instituting a brutal campaign of genocide.

While we would hope that the laws, norms, and behaviors that define, defend, and protect a nation from chaos would be upheld for the sake of stability and continuity, ultimately, the character and values of a nation are refracted and projected by its leader. Just as Pharaoh’s cruelty, insecurities and fears resulted in our ancestor’s enslavement, so too, our outgoing president, by his lack of clear and timely condemnation, and tacit encouragement of the rioters, has the potential to gravely injure the foundations of Democracy that created the very buildings that were ransacked by his unruly mob.

Times of transition are often fraught with instability. It is for this reason that our Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances that revolve around the expectation that our leaders will demonstrate restraint, gravitas, and humility when elections are decided. That our current president has refused to acknowledge his loss, promoted false narratives of conspiracy, and has actively encouraged resistance is cause for alarm and condemnation.

Regardless of our political leanings, we must not remain silent when our leaders abdicate their responsibility to lead by example. Silence in the face of violence can never be tolerated. I pray that justice will prevail and the transition to the new administration will be peaceful and bring us the healing that we so desperately need. If you feel called to do so, please reach out to our Senators and Congressional representatives to express your feelings in this matter.

In every service we read the words:  Oseh Shalom Bimromav, He Yaaseh Shalom Aleynu…”  “May the One who makes peace on high, make peace for us as well.”

Let us take this prayer to heart as we move forward into a new beginning.

L’Shalom (In Peace),

 

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

 

The Alchemist

I wrote these lyrics after Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017. 

The Alchemist 

© Joe Black- January 28, 2017

He doesn't have any standards

He's immune to other's cries

He only listens when he's pandered to

He can't decipher his own lies  

His world's completely golden plated

From floor to gaudy chandelier

He likes to keep himself sedated

Not from pleasure, but from fear

He has a mighty disposition 

To keep the losers out of touch

But with each greasy acquisition 

There never ever is enough

CHORUS:

He's lashing out again 

Fighting all his demons

Only he knows all the reasons for

His real time fantasy

He's cashing in to spend 

The riches he's been saving

On the potions he's been craving  

For his hateful alchemy

He craves wealth and he craves power

No matter how it comes his way

But grows more troubled every hour

When he hears what others' say

He wants every one to fear him

For love’s  beyond his scope

He must own everyone who's near him

Lest they try to find some hope

 

CHORUS

There's a gaping hole inside him

That no doctor's care can ever fill

As it grows it will divide him

From the walls he tries to build

He issues edicts aimed to stifle

All resistance and dissent

But with each lying accusation

He increases our contempt

CHORUS

Reflections on the Eve of a Contentious Election

 

Dear Friends,

Yesterday afternoon, I was driving in downtown Denver and I saw that many businesses were boarded up in anticipation of the aftermath of today’s election. Seeing this, I was overcome by a mixture of sadness, fear, anger and despair. The idea that we, as a nation, have come to the point where we are anticipating a violent reaction to the sacred of act of voting is a powerful symbol of the dysfunction that is plaguing our society. It is clear that we are facing more than one deadly illness. Unlike COVID-19, the diseases spawned by political polarization cannot be controlled by social distancing, mask-wearing, or vaccines. We have walled ourselves off and erected barriers that keep us from connecting with one another. The distrust, demonization and rancor that is plaguing our nation could very well have a longer-lasting impact than any pandemic.

I write this message on the afternoon of November 3rd – before polling places have reported any results. Regardless of the outcome of the election, the chasm of conflicts that have led up to this day will not be bridged by electoral victories and defeats. We have a great deal of work ahead of us to heal the wounds that have festered in our country. This will require introspection, innovation and deep reflection on the part of every segment of our society. We are a divided nation. If we are to find a sense of Shalom (wholeness) and Tikkun (repair) we will need to look deep within ourselves, our souls and one another to find the holiness that God has implanted within each human being – regardless of political affiliation or partisan prognostication. My prayer is that we will work to find pathways of hope that will help us to come together – instead of inflaming the deep divides that consume us.

I pray that we will work to appreciate the promise that is implicit in the values of our nation and our Jewish tradition. To state that we are all created in the image of God is to reinforce the promises of Equality and Democracy upon which the United States of America were founded. We are well aware of our weaknesses. But let us also remember that we are fortunate to live in a country that celebrates freedom and that our greatest strength lies in our ability to live with difference and work to find compromise. May this election pave the way to a new era of understanding, hope and sacred partnership. May the barricades we have erected be torn down and replaced with bridges of understanding and collaboration.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

A Prayer for Shabbat Lech Lecha - Before the Election

Our God and God of all people:  God of the Right and God of the Left. God of the Democrats and God of the Republicans; God of the undecided and the underwhelmed. On this Shabbat of Lech Lecha- where we retell the story our ancestors’ journey of discovery, we as a nation stand at the precipice of an election fraught with divisiveness, rancor and tension.  As Abram and Sarai ventured forth into unknown territory, we too are navigating a perilous course. We see the demonization and de-humanization that these past months, weeks and days of fevered campaigning have brought forth.

We cannot remember a time when we have seen such division. We are exhausted and fearful of the ugliness that surrounds us.

God - help us to see the beauty in one another. May our partisanship turn to partnership as we work to rebuild our trust in our nation and in ourselves – regardless of the outcome of the Polls.

Help us to keep faith in both our electoral process and in You – the source of hope and good in the world.

May this election help to heal the wounds that our nation has experienced. May Hubris give way to Holiness. And let us say, AMEN.

Reflections on being an Alternate Delegate to the World Zionist Congress

Dear Friends,

Over the last couple of days, I have served as an alternate to the Reform Movement's delegation to the World Zionist Congress (WZC). The WZC meets every 5 years and is made up of Zionist organizations from around the world and across the wide political and ideological spectrum of modern Zionism. The WZC is not part of the Israeli political landscape per-se, but it does include representation from members of the Israeli Government and helps to lead and direct the direction and policy of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and other important institutions that both represent and proliferate the Zionist movement. One of the main reasons that the WZC has become so important is that delegates to the Congress not only determine the leadership of the Zionist movement for the next 5 years, they also vote on how hundreds of millions of dollars will be distributed. The very first Congress was convened before in Basel, Switzerland in 1897 – prior to the establishment of the State of Israel - by Theodor Herzl. This year marked the 38th Congress.

While the WZC ideally represents the totality of the Zionist movement among the Jewish people, it also, in recent years, has become a lightning rod for the divisions among us as well. The tensions between the Secular, Ultra-Orthodox and Progressive Jewish movements have played out in back room negotiations and floor fights. In recent years, world Progressive Jewry - in particular the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements - have been very successful in mobilizing our constituencies to vote for their slates so that we could have a powerful role in the deliberations. This year, we were very successful and had a robust coalition- thereby giving us an important seat at the table. But we were not alone. At the beginning of the congress, there was an attempt by Far-Right Wing and Ultra-Orthodox movements to hijack the leadership of the WJC with a hostile takeover. It almost succeeded. But, thanks to the involvement of several "legacy" Zionist organizations (that traditionally have not exercised their right to vote on contentious issues of leadership) such as B'nai Brith, Hadassah and The Federation movement, cooler heads prevailed.

As American Jews, we do not (and should not) have a role to play in the Governmental elections in the State of Israel.  Most of us are not Israeli Citizens. We can, however, allow our voices to be heard in the arena of Zionist ideology and organization. This is why the WJC is so important. The attempts to sideline progressive Jewish voices is alarming and disturbing. While the Far-Right groups failed this time, they did gain a strong foothold.

I want to thank everyone who voted for the Progressive Jewish slate in this year’s congress. Because of your efforts, we were able to maintain the essential balances of power that represent the reality of world Jewry. Our fight is far from over, however. I am attaching a statement by Rabbi Rick Jacobs  - president of the Union For Reform Judaism and leader of our delegation – that gives additional perspective.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

--------------------------------------------

Reform Movement Statement Following the 2020 World Zionist Congress

We remain committed to fight on behalf of an inclusive Zionism and our values

October 22, 2020 - Following today’s compromise agreement by the World Zionist Congress reflecting more inclusive representation, the leadership of the organizations of the Reform Movement issued the following statement: 

The Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative Movements, along with our partners in our international and progressive Zionist organizations, have successfully mobilized our Movements in Israel and around the world to prevent the marginalization of progressive voices at the WZC. That effort toward marginalization, reflected in the dangerous “Agreement on Principles” by leaders of the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties, would have weakened the World Zionist Organization and the Israeli National Institutions (WZO, KKL, JAFI, Keren HaYesod). This new agreement specifies the important roles our Reform leaders will hold in the Zionist institutions and will continue funding for our Movement’s critical work in Israel and around the world.

The broad coalition we helped assemble proved to be the decisive difference in turning a disastrous agreement into one that we can affirm. We are proud that through our collective efforts we defended the long-standing principle that these institutions serve as the roundtable in which all Jewish Zionist viewpoints are recognized and respected.

There is no question that the current agreement, which reflects the current Israeli political reality, grants significant power to the right-wing parties. However as a result of our negotiations, there will be more pluralistic leadership that will enable important checks and balances and help enforce the critical need for transparency and accountability.

We are enormously proud of our global Reform Movement’s efforts over the past year to turn out the vote in the WZC election and over these last days for standing up for an Israel that respects and includes all of our people and all of her citizens.

In 1897 Theodore Herzl hoped that the World Zionist Congress would be the “Parliament of the Jewish People” with a wide cross section of Jews and Zionists joined in common cause for the Jewish People and the Jewish State. We are committed to continuing our efforts to fight on behalf of that vision and the Israel we love. Thanks to our Movement, all voices that believe in gender equality, inclusion, pluralism, tolerance, and Jewish unity will continue to be represented in the World Zionist Organization. 

 

https://urj.org/press-room/reform-movement-statement-following-2020-world-zionist-congress?fbclid=IwAR3mEI71_NSmx6mOi-xFwHlgQSSCLtXUZkYcMFb03vI1jvYmIiC1NYvxEHg

Bereshit: Holiness and Helplessness

 

Why do we have a story of creation at all?  What purpose does it serve?

I suppose we could say that it needs to be included in order for us to know from whence we came…but I believe that there is much more to the story than the fact that we had to start someplace.

Our task, as Jews - as careful readers of our sacred scriptures - is to see the world  from the perspective that all we experience must be filtered through the prism of the promise that we are created in the image of God – that we are to be a blessing – and we need to live out that blessing. 

We can go on with our lives oblivious to that message and charge, but if we do, we lose a basic existential understanding of what it means to be Human – to be created in the image of a benevolent and Divine sacred being.

If we look at all the stories that follow Bereshit, they can be understood on their own, but if we place them in the context of God’s creation, they show us a radically different perspective.

In addition, each story builds upon the one that preceded it:

·        God calls Abram and Sarai and tells them Lech Lecha – go forth – and be a blessing

·        God tells them that through their offspring, goodness and blessing will flow throughout the world

·        Through trial and error – the messages of God’s presence and the demands that God makes upon us become manifest.

·        Our forefathers and Mothers were imperfect beings – they make mistakes, and yet, they grow and ultimately learn that they – and we who are their offspring - have an obligation to be a blessing – to build upon the lessons learned in previous generations; to avoid making the mistakes of those who came before us– to see the holiness in all of God’s creation.

You see, the function of Bereshit is to teach us three basic ideas

1.     Life is a gift

2.     We are imbued with a capacity for experiencing and expanding holiness in the world

3.     Because we see life as a gift and experience the holiness that is a consequence of our creation, we must work to increase the good in our world.

In Pirke Avot 3:14  we find words that encapsulate these three ideas: 

“Beloved is humanity for we were created in the image [of God]. Especially beloved is humanity because we were made aware of the fact that we were created in the image [of God]…”

This awareness is a key component of both our humanity and the holiness within us. As we both observe and participate in the world, Judaism teaches that the decisions we make – about ourselves, our communities – even our elected officials – must reflect these basic ideas and values.

God’s Creation is in turmoil right now. We who have inherited the legacy of Bereshit face multiple threats – here in American and around the globe:

• The Pandemic that has radically reshaped our world shows now signs of slowing and, as we have learned today from both our Governor and Mayor, the dangers of infection are exponentially increasing.  Our healthcare system is stretched to the limit and our ability to help those impacted by COVID-19 is increasingly being tested.

• In addition to those who are ill, so many others have been hit hard by economic turmoil.  Each day that we are unable to resume “normal” life increases the pressure on our livelihoods.
• The economic divide between the wealthy and poor is growing. While a select few are enjoying enormous success, the vast majority of our society is languishing. 
• Racial tension increases every day. 
• Our climate is threatened. The Wildfires that ate raging in our State of Colorado and around the world are stark warnings of the hubris and harm that we have inherited.
• The political and ideological divides that face our nation are widening. These toxic tensions are eating away at civility and I fear for the repercussions of our post-election society.

Now, more than ever, we need to focus on finding the holy in our lives-wherever and whenever we can.  This does not mean that we avoid the problems that we are facing.  The other day, I had a conversation with a friend who shared with me that he is uncomfortable when issues that he deems to be “political” enter into our worship experiences. “I come to services as an escape, Rabbi.  I don’t want to hear about current events!” he said.

I shared with him that I agree that politics have no place on the pulpit (or zoom screen as the case may be…), but prayer must never serve as a means to avoid the tensions that surround us. A central purpose of worship is to acknowledge both the holiness that exists in the world, as well as opening a portal to perspective.  As I am fond of saying, Rav Kook – the first Chief Rabbi of the modern State of Israel taught that one should never pray in a room without windows. In order for prayer to be meaningful, we need to see God’s creation Spread out before us – warts and all.  If worship – if prayer - merely serves as an escape, then it is not real. If our liturgy does not reflect the reality of what is occurring around us, then it is merely words – with no efficacy, meaning or purpose.

To be created in the Divine Image is to accept the radical and life-changing awareness that we are partners with God. Like the flaws in our ancestors; like the prophets that God sent to chastise the people for their inability to see the ugliness in society and in themselves, our partnership with our Creator is not only efficacious when times are good – no – our awareness of the potential for holiness within us calls us to strive to perfect this all too imperfect world every day.

This week, we have begun a new chapter of Torah. Let us pray that other new beginnings will soon be upon us – replete with opportunities to make real change.

AMEN  Shabbat Shalom.

 

The Presence Of The Past

This past January, I officiated at the tragic unveiling of a young man taken too soon. After the service, I wrote this poem. Given the state of our nation today, it is important to remember how decisions made in places of power do not only have political implications - they impact families and individuals on a deeply personal level - whether about healthcare, national security,  the Supreme Court or a myriad of other topics. 

As Castanada taught: Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

Here’s a YouTube link to the song:  https://youtu.be/zYdRFg_-PjI

The Presence Of The Past 

Rabbi Joe Black 

(C) January 20, 2020 

A sunny day in January 

A mother’s hand caressed a stone 

The cruel wind in that cemetery 

Blew harshly as it moaned 

The Diamond ring upon her finger 

Cast rays of prism’d ancient light 

A teardrop on her cheek did linger 

As though frozen, holding tight 

The Winter grass was almost golden 

Against the wind it stood steadfast 

No clouds above to hold the cold in 

We felt the presence of the past 

In halls of power, men are meeting  

Charting out our nation’s course 

You can hear the war drums beating 

As they scheme with no remorse 

Their arguments are taut and twisted  

Biting like the winter wind 

Their pockets full, their spirits lifted 

 Last year’s hope, they now rescind 

And as soldiers wait their orders 

There’s a question no one’s asked: 

Before we trample all the borders 

Where’s the presence of the past? 

Each time we fail to raise our voices 

Each time we sit and acquiesce 

Each time we watch as fatal choices 

Push us deeper in the mess 

The die are cast with every lesson 

Whenever good folks fail to ask 

The one important, vital question:  

Where’s the presence of the past? 

In solemn fields, the headstones glisten 

In rows so straight and long and vast  

When will those in power listen 

To the presence of the past?