My Dvar Torah
I delivered the dvar torah at last night's DC Reform Chavurah. Below you will find a transcript of my remarks:
As we near the end of counting the Omer, we begin reading Numbers as the portion describes the census of the people of Israel. Bamidbar tells of God\x82\xC4\xF4s counting of the tribes and the assigned structure given to each of the tribes as they protect the Ark on its journey to the Promised Land. It is at this point in the story that they believe their journey will soon end. We as readers know better and anticipate the 36 years left in their journey. The count itself is problematic in many ways but more interesting is the complexity of the site around which the narrative develops.
The literal translation of what is commonly called the Book of Numbers, referring to the counting of Israel as it grows into a nation, is \x82\xC4\xFAIn the Wilderness.\x82\xC4\xF9 It is in a barren desert that we watch the generation that emerged from slavery struggle with physical and spiritual hardship as they raise the generation that will eventually enter the Promised Land. It is in this story that the people of Israel are most physically proximate to God. Israel follows God this way and that wandering endlessly over the desert being brutally punished for transgressions and rewarded with teachings of laws and practices. This stern test of character takes the place of the anticipated quick transition to a nation. Israel must be made ready. A quick set of miracles is not enough. The Commandments are not enough. In the desolation of the Sinai a rebirth, regeneration, will take place. This time of incredible proximity to God is also a time of deep physical suffering and can be read almost as a way to understand the struggle of the soul to get closer to God through Torah.
The Haftorah portion elevates this theme in the Torah portion. God reminds us of the bounty of Israel before decrying its transgressions as those of an errant wife who seeks solace in the arms of lovers. This image of Israel as harlot, or prostitute, is deeply troubling when compared to the positive images of Shekinah and to our modern feminism. The text has God harass the wife, humiliating her until he permits her return and restores the covenant. God promises to take Israel as a spouse and again lead her through the wilderness.
As disturbing as this metaphor is in the level of physical degradation to the errant spouse, the metaphor can offer a key to struggling with a lover that is lost. Simply put, the Haftorah asks the reader to see God\x82\xC4\xF4s rebuke of Israel as coming out of love and not out of spite. This is tenuous in the text because of the brutality but poignant with respect to recent headlines.
Over the past few weeks, especially in today\x82\xC4\xF4s Washington Post, we have read about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers. We have also been confronted with the brutality of the policies of the current Israeli government as its agents fired a rocket into a crowd of unarmed protestors. The struggle of Israel with political idolatry in the Prophets and the challenges of wandering in the desert speak to the struggles that all of us face in grappling with policies and positions taken in our name that we reject. As Jews and as Americans we cannot help but be horrified by what has run on front pages for the last few weeks. But rather than distancing ourselves from these acts we must engage with our relationship to them. The state of Israel is in many ways an errant lover. The Bush administration has made a prostitute of our beloved Constitution and the political system built on it. But we must rebuke out of affection. We must work to redeem Judaism, Israel, and America to repay the debt incurred by transgression. Redemption is possible at a price.
Wandering in what feels like a political desert is an incredible weight to bear but it is in solidarity with our ancestors and future generations that we make the best of our time and our struggles. As Susan Sontag says in an article to run in this Sunday\x82\xC4\xF4s New York Times magazine, the photographs are us. If we are to rebuke Israel and our government we must do so out of our desire to make them better. God\x82\xC4\xF4s relationship to Israel in Numbers and in Prophets is foreign to our modern sensibilities but speaks to this basic dilemma for all of us. If we are to redeem a corrupted lover, Judaism, America, or Israel then we must challenge ourselves to remember what we love about them and renew that piece to restore beauty to the whole.
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Who is this guy?
Nice work, Sam. This is excellent.
I can only hope it was well received; it deserves to be.