Ed Koch and the Lost Arc

I imagine many of us took the opportunity to watch portions of the funeral of Ed Koch, the outspoken, good-hearted, former mayor of New York.

Mayor Bloomberg made a number of insightful comments in his eulogy.

He pointed to Koch’s advice to him when he first started out in politics.  Say what you think and don’t worry about what others think.

He observed that Koch had the confidence and courage to believe that problems could be solved.

And he said that Ed Koch restored the arc of our city’s history, commenting on how he began to rescue the city from decline.

Former President Clinton admired how Koch continued, until the very end, to concern himself with the public good.

One thing he said in particular struck me, and I want to expand upon it.

Clinton said of Koch that he always concerned himself with the impact that government would have on real people’s lives.

Koch worried how a particular law or policy would affect actual people, and he was especially concerned about how it would affect the most vulnerable people.

In this sense Koch restored the arc of our people’s history, not just the history of the city of New York.

Here’s what I mean.  The children of Israel way back in our history were encouraged to think of laws and policies as they impact real people.

“If you lend money to a poor person and take the person’s garment as a pledge, you have to return it before sunset.”

כי היא כסותו לבדה היא שמלתו לערו במה ישכב

Ki hee k’suto l’vada; hee simlato l’oro.  Bameh yishkav? 

"It’s his only clothing, the only covering for his skin; what else will he sleep in?" (Exodus 22:25-26) 

The law takes into account the possible effect on a real person, the person who will be cold if he has to go to sleep without his garment.  And it’s not good enough to wait ‘til tomorrow.  He needs his garment tonight.

This law dramatically illustrates that you need to create and enforce laws with an awareness of the impact they will have on real people.

I want to give a few examples for us to think about.

My wife works as the learning specialist at a Jewish school in Manhattan.  Periodically, she needs to advocate before the New York Board of Ed for the unique learning needs of her students.

There is a web of policy issues that pertain to instruction and sometimes the policies get in the way of what’s best for the children.  At such times, a careful and sensitive conversation is necessary to ensure the best possible outcome.

Occasionally someone sitting around the table needs to remind everyone that the purpose of educational policy should be to maximize educational success for all students, not to obstruct in any way.

When as parents we establish certain family rules and policies, it’s important for us, on occasion, to step back and ask whether such rules and policies are sensible, given the variety of issues that come up in families and the unique needs and sensibilities of each family member.

Sometimes, exceptions need to be made and different approaches need to be applied, in keeping with diverse personalities and situations.

The goal in raising a family, it seems to me, is to maximize the accomplishment and compassion of each member. 

I say that Ed Koch restored the arc of our people’s history because often, we have gotten stuck in the letter of the law at the expense of the spirit; often we have not been sufficiently mindful of the impact of the law on actual people.

His application of that sensitivity to the running of New York City, I consider an example of kiddush hashem, a sanctification of God’s name, a good thing for Jews and for all humanity.

Implicit in that thinking – that government should act with the needs of its constituents in mind – is that everyone deserves to have their basic needs met and that we have an obligation to make positive changes to make sure that people’s basic needs – food, clothing, education – are being met.

The laws in the Torah aim to create a community where those in positions of power take seriously the needs of those who are vulnerable.

And they should inspire us, in each generation, to support governments, local and national, that consider the effects of government on real people.

Curiously, Jewish tradition is not overly concerned that being too mindful of the needs of the vulnerable will overturn the status quo.  To the contrary, a status quo that keeps people’s needs unmet needs to be overturned.  Moreover, Jewish tradition is not afraid of a slippery slope that will lead to anarchy if justice is accorded even the most marginalized.

It’s possible that Aaron Sorkin learned that lesson when he wrote the following scene for the TV series, West Wing.  As described in one episode, it seems that one of the president’s advisors discovered a homeless man who, it turned out, was also a Vietnam veteran.  Often on his way to work he would offer the man some food and engage him in conversation.

Eventually, he heard from the man’s son that he had passed away.  Without consulting with the president, he arranged for a proper military burial, complete with an honor guard and a 21 gun salute.

The president heard about it after the fact and said to his advisor, what happens if every homeless veteran’s family comes forward and asks for a proper military burial and his advisor said, “If only, sir.”

Our arc of history is illuminated by the Torah from Sinai to the present, strengthening the influence we can bring to bear on religious and secular governance.  If only everyone were to have enough clothing to sleep in at night.  If only every child were to receive an education compatible with his or her abilities and sensibilities.  If only every family would discover how best to ignite the spark of accomplishment and compassion in each of its members.

It was very entertaining to hear “New York, New York” played as the former mayor’s casket was carried out of the sanctuary.  But Ed Koch understood, and so should we, that “king of the hill, top of the heap,” isn’t really the overarching goal, not for someone who wrote on his tombstone the words uttered by Daniel Pearl:  I am a Jew.  My mother was a Jew.  My father was a Jew.

The goal is to try to make it so that people on the bottom of the heap don’t stay there permanently or, better yet, that there is no bottom of the heap. כי לא יחדל אביון מקרב הארץ Ki lo yechdal evyon mikerev ha’aretz.  "Poverty will not cease from the land." (Deuteronomy 15:11)  Therefore, God says, I command you to open your hands to your needy brothers and sisters.

Thanks to Ed Koch for helping to restore the lost arc.  

Originally delivered at Temple Israel of Great Neck on February 9, 2012, Parashat Mishpatim