Things Went Down We Don't Understand But I Think In Time We Will (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "New Speedway Boogie")

          I should be upbeat, perhaps even happy. Baseball has returned this week. Something that suggests “normal”, something that suggests a seasonal means by keeping track of time (a schedule, box scores to check in the morning, or a big weekend series). Yet, I am deeply troubled. We have been watching what has been happening in Portland. We have watched as federal troops, who are not part of the U.S. armed forces but rather from other Federal agencies such as Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security, etc., in unmarked battle, fatigues have fired upon non-violent protesters, who have arrested non-violent protesters. My family and I have watched, I have welled up in tears. I pity the United States and I am proud to be living in Canada. I am disgusted that this “President” behaves like a South American dictator of the 1970s and 1980s, I am disgusted that this “President” behaves like an Eastern European Communist Dictator during the Cold War. I am disgusted that this “President” behaves like those European fascist dictators in Europe during the 1920s and ’30s. I am repulsed by this “President” behaving like dictators in Russia, Hungary, Turkey, and Syria. In Tom Friedman’s op-ed July 21 piece entitled “Trump’s Wag The Dog War”, enumerates the troubling and even treasonous response of responding to the most sacred and American right as explicitly written in the United States Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Leadership, or at least, the leadership that used to exist prior to this “President” respected the Constitution, and peaceful assembly is a sacred American right to be defended. Also, if the leader is really smart and forward-thinking, he/ she will listen to those protesters and make the effort to understand the reason for the grievance and protest and try to fix it.

          This week’s Parshah is Devarim, which is the first Parshah of the Book of Deuteronomy or Sefer Devarim. Moshe recounts in very wide brushstrokes, the experience of the generation that fled Egypt. Very few details are given. In fact, Moshe begins the story at the foot of Sinai; however, the name is changed from Sinai to Horev. In his recounting, Moshe speaks as a participant in this national experience, not in the third person. This is quite different from the Moshe we have seen. Until now he spoke as a prophet. God told him and he told B'nai Yisroel. Now Moshe displays a certain amount of freedom. When Moshe speaks, he places himself in the center of the story. Moshe speaks using words such as “I”, “we”, and “you”. Now God has become the third party. Perhaps this is best expressed when Moshe begins his "telling" by gently rebuking B'nai Yisroel. The language is in terms of what B'nai Yisroel did to him as well as God. "V'Omar Aleichem Ba'Eit HaHi Leimor Lo Uchal L'vadi Se'Eit Etchem: "I said to you at the time, saying, 'I cannot carry you alone…How can I carry your contentiousness your burdens and your quarrels" (Deut. 1:9,12). Moshe subtly and gently begins to point out how rebellious their parents behaved during the past forty years. He reminds this generation how the first generation rebelled while God provided, and cared for them. The message to this new generation is clear. Our parents may have made mistakes, but God never abandoned us. This generation learns that they too will make mistakes and will know that God won't abandon them. God will always work with them.

          We know that God wanted to destroy and abandon his people on occasion (Ex. 32:10 and Num. 11:1-3), yet he did not. The subtlety and the gentility of Moshe's rebuke lies in the fact that he did not mention this. Neither does Moshe go into any type of detail concerning Bnai Yisroel’s rebellious behavior. Rashi, the 11th-century Northern French commentator, asked the same question that you are asking right now.  What was the nature of "Eilu HaD'varim-These Words"? Why did Moshe purposefully leave out the embarrassing details and instead shade his language so gently? Rashi explains L'fi Sh'hein Divrei Tochachat Umanah Kaan Kol Hamkomot Sh'hichisu Lifnei HaMakom Bahen, Lefichach Satam Et Ha'Devarim…Mipnei Chevodecha Shel Yisroel - Since these are words of reproof, and he enumerates here all the places in which they provoked the Omnipresent, therefore he conceals the matters (in which they sinned and mentions them by allusion) contained in the names of these places out of respect for Israel."  Rashi is of the opinion that Moshe's intent was to teach. He wanted to explain to this new generation what had happened. Embarrassment and humiliation would have no purpose. No matter what their parents had done, God maintained his covenant. No matter what their parents had done, God would not visit their sins upon this generation. Besides, B'nai Yisroel was designated in the book of Leviticus as a holy nation, a nation of priests. Therefore Moshe must show this generation the appropriate respect. He cannot be ill-tempered and rebuke them for what their parents had done.

          Moshe understood that God instills this holiness in all of us. So whether or not our predecessors behaved inappropriately at particular times, whether or not our predecessors behaved wrongly, we are foolish if we don't try to learn from that example. Learning will be effective when we are empowered rather than embarrassed or humiliated. Even if a rebuke is required, it can be done in a way that neither demeans, embarrasses the person, or violates such sacred Constitutional rights. History is full of leaders who behaved otherwise and failed, including all those fascist dictators in Europe prior to and during WWII, all those Cold War Eastern European dictators, all those failed Communist and right-wing Fascist dictators in South America, and the long list of Middle East brutal dictators in the 20th and 21st century from Libya, Iraq, to Iran and Syria. Indeed, it will be nice to watch baseball and return to “normal”. It will be even nicer when there is a President who can resume the noble experiment of democracy.

Peace,
Rav Yitz