THIS WEEK, JEWS turn their attention to the Torah portion of Vayeira (Genesis 18:1-22-24). This portion is comprised of several dramatic events from which we can glean lessons to help us lead our lives.
Sitting in his tent, Abraham welcomes three visitors who are actually angels and who tell him Sarah, who is in her 90s, will give birth.
Abraham argues with God about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
After Isaac is born, Sarah’s jealousy causes Abraham to banish Hagar and her son, Ishmael, to the desert, where an angel saves them.
Lastly, God instructs Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, thus testing his faith.
As we all process the results of the recent election, I find that the messages in this portion apply — hospitality to strangers (read immigrants), witnessing miracles, speaking up against retribution and revenge to solve problems, learning that treating family members unjustly often backfires and that, ultimately, seeing the importance of having faith in a compassionate God.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union of Reform Judaism, said the morning after the election, “I awoke believing in the same core Jewish commitments that have called generations of our people to use our God-given gifts to shape a world of holiness, dignity, justice and love, even as we face this challenging new day. These are the deeply held Jewish values that undergird our movement’s commitment to civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, caring for the health of our environment, every individual’s right to reproductive and other forms of health care and more.”
Jacobs encourages us to look for opportunities to “advance our vision of justice, based on the knowledge that we are all made more whole when we treat others with the respect every human being deserves.”
Many of the policies being proposed for the next four years violate these deeply held Jewish principles, causing Jews to feel they must speak out.
Standing up for our values and for people who have now become targets for the coming leadership will not be easy and may even be dangerous.
Groups of people and deeply held moral values are now being threatened.
Speaking out for the rights of religious minorities, immigrants, the LBGTQ+ community, the downtrodden, women, the homeless and for the environment will become paramount.
Calling out corruption, disinformation and lies is now more important than ever if we are to maintain a society based on truth and our values.
Many people seem to have become accustomed to accepting misinformation and even outright lies as truth.
The extreme divisiveness in our society today has been amplified by the willingness of some of our leaders to be dishonest, saying anything, including outright lies, to gain and maintain power.
Abraham Lincoln said it well: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Character seems to be lacking in many leaders today.
All faith traditions value honesty as a core value which makes it especially difficult to watch some religious people choose to ignore blatant lies and support leaders regardless of their dishonesty.
We need courage to stand against those who would deceive.
Rabbi Luzzatto taught, “Truth is one of the very foundations upon which the world stands.”
The Kotzker Rebbe, a Hassidic rabbi, teaches, “Where does God appear? Wherever you let God in.”
Rabbi Stacy Rigler says, “We can let God in by cultivating empathy, compassion, understanding and courage. We use our skills to do good in the world. When we generate good in the world, we are more likely to be able to see godliness in the world. When we see godliness, we renew our faith and reignite our hope. With hope and faith come the desire and fuel to work for change.”
As we see in Vayeira, we must take action if we want to see God in our world. Rabbi Rigler points out that “God does not just appear, even in our ancient stories. Our actions create God’s presence all around us. Our actions generate light in the dark.”
In order to find the courage to create a more holy world, “Look to the Lord, be strong and of good, heartfelt courage” (Psalms 27:14).
If we wish for a world where truth and compassion reign, we must find the “ometz lev,” courage of the heart, to stand up for our deeply held religious values, no matter how difficult it may be.
May our actions generate light in the dark, thus bringing God’s presence into the world.
Kein yehi ratzon … may it be God’s will. Shalom.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Suzanne DeBey is a lay leader of the Port Angeles Jewish community. Her email is debeyfam@olympus.net.
