Jerusalem From Afar and Up Close

After a six-month hiatus, I'm back with a wonderful cohort of rabbis participating in the Hartman Institute's Rabbinic Leadership Initiative.  It has been a real blessing to reconnect with colleagues in person and to hear about personal and professional developments over the past half-year.  On our first day, we also took some long walks to reacquaint ourselves with certain neighborhoods in Jerusalem.  

Jerusalem in winter has a different feel and pace than Jerusalem during the summer.  The air is crisper and the crowds are much thinner.  Our first official session featured a conversation with Rabbi Donniel Hartman, President of the Institute.  He spoke to us about a project designed to engage adults in conversation regarding Israel's approach to the "two-state solution."  The visionaries behind the project were challenged to identify what values underscore their attitudes toward the establishment of two states for Israelis and Palestinians, respectively.  Rabbi Hartman shared that his support for a two-state solution is grounded in three basic values.

First, our sources from Genesis on urge us to be "part of the world," to be mindful of what those whose opinions we value are thinking.  In this case, argues Hartman, that means recognition of the widespread view that Israel's relationship with the West Bank is one of occupation.  Second, the Kantian imperative of acting in a way that we would want to see become the universal norm compels us to accord the sort of recognition of the national aspiration of others that we would want accorded to our own aspirations.   Finally, the Jewish penchant for justice, which he claims to have an exceptional quality, urges us to go "above and beyond" when it comes to pursuing justice.

He asked us for initial feedback, which a number of us provided. I wondered aloud, for example, if the Institute had considered including Palestinian leaders in their visioning process.  We briefly discussed that, as well as other feedback, with the promise that this conversation would continue and be expanded. 

Our week here will be devoted to the exploration of various aspects of Jewish ethics, including ethical issues implicit in Jewish holidays and in various dilemmas facing contemporary Israel.

Below is a picture that I took today from the Haas Promenade in Talpiyot, a destination of one of our walks.  It features the Old City and the Arab village of Silwan.  From far away, Jerusalem looks so peaceful.  In the coming week, we're going to take a closer look. 

God Can Wait

I believe this is what God wants. 

How many times have we heard some variation on that claim in support of a particular action? How often do we hear individuals, communities and nations invoke Divine support for something they’ve done or intend to do? 

This may sound strange coming from a rabbi, but I think we would often do well to back away from that claim, at least until we have carefully weighed the ethical implications of our actions or action plans.

Better that we carefully consider, before we invoke God, whether or not our intentions are ethical.  Though there are many criteria that one can use to determine that, I’m hard-pressed to think of a more compelling litmus test than the one-liner that Hillel the Elder delivered to a heathen who asked the sage to teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot:  “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” 

Imagine if we used that measure to help us consider a variety of questions, including:  Whether or not to wage a particular war.  Whether to allow full rights to people regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.  Whether to advocate for a livable minimum wage and accessible health care for everyone.  How to respond to environmental disasters wherever they might occur.

The Power of Small Gestures

Our family visited in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this past Monday.  It’s a very interesting place, the sight of rocket and shuttle launches for the last half a century and the repository of parts of the actual aircraft and detailed pictures and explanations about space exploration.

It’s extraordinary in so many ways.  For example, when you consider how rudimentary computer technology was when the Apollo rocket was launched, it’s especially remarkable that all of the calculations necessary for a successful launch and landing added up.   

We saw an IMAX movie about the Atlantis shuttle, which was launched on a mission to repair the Hubble space telescope in May of 2009. As I think I’ve shared, I have some discomfort with heights such that I would not be considered as, say, the resident chaplain for a shuttle flight crew.

But I found it amazing to watch as the crew of the Atlantis left the shuttle and, while tethered to it, emerged into the weightlessness of space to repair the telescope, which had, among other things, been photographing the births of stars on galaxies millions of light years away.

One of the astronauts on that mission described how he refastened a portion of the telescope, which required him, suspended in space by a tether, to remove multiple small screws and then refasten them.

He said that in order to be successful, he just focused with zen-like precision on the task at hand.

I thought about the paradox here, that someone surrounded by the enormous cosmic grandeur of space would focus on such tiny gestures. 

And it seemed worth a few moments for me to encourage us all to consider the significance of small gestures in light of realities that can seem overwhelming right here on earth.  In this regard, I want to consider the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and, in a more contemporary vein, a recent book about the State of Israel by noted journalist, Ari Shavit.