Maker of Peace,
Source of Hope,
Giver of strength and wisdom,
We need to talk.
Or, once again, I need you to
listen.
I am already exhausted, and
Yom Kippur has just started.
There is too much happening all at once.
Two days ago was the anniversary of 9/11. When I spoke to my congregation on Kol
Nidre night in 2001, I said, “We are still numb and in pain. Recent events have touched us all – and
shocked and awakened people all over the world.”
Little did I know then that
12 years later, I would feel that the only way to express myself on Erev Yom
Kippur would again be through prayer – or, maybe I should call it a
conversation with You on which my congregation can eavesdrop.
In 12 years, we have seen two
wars in which American troops were fighting on the ground, - and we mourn those
who have died. In both countries,
the leadership struggles to maintain stability and opposition to the government
remains significant.
We have seen uprisings in the nations around Israel change
the already complex equation of Middle East politics and diplomacy.
We have seen leaders in certain countries in that
region come and go, with their exit not necessarily leading to greater freedom,
almost as if to render prophetic the words, “meet the new boss, same as the old
boss.” We are left uncertain
whether or not we can truly say that we won’t get fooled again.
Our lives have drastically changed. The price of freedom is emptying our
pockets, removing our belts and shoes, and having a security worker look at a
momentary electronic portrait of us to be sure we will be a cooperative and
peaceful traveler. I never
minded that on trips to Israel…..I guess I don’t mind it now, but it’s a
change. And the awareness we
now have of the privacy we have given up so that someone else’s suspicious
conversation can be caught before a disaster occurs may cause some of us
consternation, whether we sympathize with the whistleblower or not.
And then there is Syria – what to do to assure
that a chemical weapon attack doesn’t happen again, and how to approach either
the punishment or resolution…or both. Rabbis have been all abuzz about whether
or not to change an already written sermon for the High Holy Days to speak
about the Syrian situation. Well,
I said a couple of weeks ago that I wouldn’t – and I kept my word. But, the moment is here….or, at
least, it seems to be.
Before I talk about war, or conscience, which is
what I will still discuss tonight, I need to mark yet another anniversary or
two, one that occurred today on the Jewish calendar and one on the secular
calendar. It is 40 years since the
Yom Kippur War, which was a challenging time for the State of Israel and the
world Jewish community. We mourn
those who died during those difficult days. It was twenty years ago today that a leader of a Middle
Eastern nation spoke these words, “Let me say to you…We
are destined to live together on the same soil, in the same land. We, the
soldiers who have returned from battle stained with blood, we who have seen our
relatives and friends killed before our eyes, we who have attended their
funerals and cannot look into the eyes of their parents, we who have come from
a land where parents bury their children, we who have fought against you….We
say to you today in a loud and a clear voice: Enough of blood and tears.
Enough. We have no desire for revenge. We harbor no hatred towards you. We,
like you, are people who want to build a home, to plant a tree, to love, to
live side by side with you in dignity, in empathy, as human beings, as free
people. We are today giving peace a chance, and saying again to you: Enough.
Let us pray that a day will come when we all will say: Farewell to the arms.
We wish to open a new chapter in the sad book of our lives
together, a chapter of mutual recognition, of good neighborliness, of mutual
respect, of understanding. We hope to embark on a new era in the history of the
Middle East. Today…we will begin a new reckoning in relations between peoples,
between parents tired of war, between children who will not know war.”
Source of Peace, it must have been You who inspired
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to make that bold declaration on the White
House lawn. Even more courageous
was Rabin’s handshake with Yassir Arafat.
I know that there are many, many naysayers worldwide who would decry
that moment as a major mistake.
Even though the Oslo process did not lead to the desired outcome, peace
between Israelis and Palestinians, it did shape a foundation for
possibilities. We don’t know what
is happening today, behind the scenes, in the Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations. We do know that
because of the Oslo accords, the leaders now sitting across the table from each
other in bi-lateral meetings have a history of dialogue. Even if those discussions have been
frustrating and often fruitless, the fact that opposing leaders have been able
to sit at a table, even if only to shout at each other, is, in and of itself,
an ongoing miracle. We continue
to mourn the death of Prime Minister Rabin, a consequence of his attempt at
peace making. We thank You,
Eternal One, for the opportunity to glimpse at least a few moments of
rapprochement 20 years ago. We
know that animosities remain, and that hatreds persist – but we also recognize
that peace may yet have its day.
What was it that led Yitzhak Rabin to stand on
the White House lawn that day?
It was likely much more than an attempt to help members of his government
who initiated the Oslo process save face before their international dialogue
facilitators. Even if Prime
Minister Rabin didn’t trust the adversary with whom he shook hands on September
13, 1993, something made him take steps towards negotiation even though he knew
that they might fail.
I believe that it was Rabin’s conscience that
moved him to make that unexpected decision, based on a sincere desire to end a
state of virtual war.
I asked the children at Temple
Beth-El how they would define “conscience.” They said that “conscience” is a “voice that tells you
what to do and when to do it,” “judgment,” “something in your mind or a natural
feeling that tells you what is right and what is wrong.” “Conscience” may tell you that “what
you did was wrong and you shouldn’t do it again.” It is a “combination of self-control, empathy and
forethought.” We closely
monitor our behavior, taking into account not only our own feelings but also
those of others before we act. We
might carefully think about the results of each possible course of action we
could take, and then decide which will create an outcome that is the most
positive or, perhaps, the least negative.
As we pray to You on this Yom Kippur, Source of
forgiveness, we know that the words we use to characterize our relationship
with You relates to “conscience.”
Some commentators have suggested that “conscience” is expressed in the
Hebrew term YIR’AT ADONAI, reverence for You – or fear of You.” I wonder, do You want to be
feared – or revered? It’s
like asking a parent – or perhaps a leader of a business, an organization, or a
nation – would you rather have people respect you or be afraid of you? I almost always say that
YIR’AH means reverence, but the word AWE may help us understand as well what
YIR’AH truly means. Making a moral
decision can be taxing and overwhelming, and the inspiration that leads us to
our final choice may feel like it came from somewhere else. It is, at least in part, from
inside of us, but some people believe that “conscience” is where heaven and
earth touch, maybe even embrace.
Reaching that concluding ethical insight can be, for some of us, a
moment of awe and amazement, because human life is so emotionally challenging.
Guidance for our moral decisions comes
from inside of us – and from outside as well. Eternal Wellspring of Wisdom, You know better than I
do what Sigmund Freud had to say about that. Judaism would recast “superego” with the word Torah in
its broadest sense, encompassing biblical and rabbinic teachings and all of
their later interpretations.
Jewish philosopher Martin Buber noted, Eternal One, that when it came to
choosing between You and the Bible – or any other text – we should choose You. Better put, we should choose to be like
You in applying justice balanced with a heavy dose of compassion.
When it comes to war, we know that every life is
precious, but we know that our heritage has given us standards that can help us
determine when to wage war and when to choose peaceful negotiation. These are some of the questions
that Judaism requires us to address:
Was our nation or an ally
attacked directly?
Is there a moral imperative
that would justify the use of force?
Will a military action
achieve the moral goals for which it is being used?
Should any nation take such an action alone?
Could an attack in response
to a violation of international rules result in loss of life?
Will any type of diplomatic
approach through negotiation uphold the moral imperative and accomplish the
goal of preventing a future violation?
After any action that is
taken – military or not – will there be a possibility for future cooperation
or, at least, an end to hostilities?
These are the questions that I hope are on the minds of at
least some of the people in the United States and in other nations attempting
to determine how to deal with the Syrian government. Eternal One, we have faith that your Oneness pervades
all creation. But there are those
who refuse to recognize the interconnection in our world and in the
universe. They see only their own
position and power as important.
They lack genuine concern for the people living in the nation they rule,
or that they hope to rule. They
are unable to balance their own interests with a moral approach that could win
them even greater support and respect. Their focus on their own survival eclipses any regard
for the lives of civilians.
Once they have determined that their enemies or opponents are no longer
human, there is nothing to stop them from using an arsenal of chemical weapons
– or for that matter, any weapon – to cause even more death and
destruction.
The entire force of Jewish tradition teaches
that war should be a last resort – that it is an aberration in human life that
results all too often from fear or from broken relationships between
neighboring or even distant nations. Even one limited military act to make a moral point
should not be taken lightly. Nor
should parties to a conflict enter diplomatic discussions and negotiations with
the hope or assumption that they will fail.
Eternal God, You have taught us to seek peace
and pursue it, to be grateful for the gift of life, and to hope that we can “repair
the world” as a place where people understand that they are members of one
human family. If we see Your image
in every human being, then we should always first choose to offer peace and
assume that even an enemy doesn’t really want war.
In his book SAYING NO AND LETTING
GO, Rabbi Edwin Goldberg wrote of an incident during the Cuban Missile Crisis
in 1962. On October 22 of that
year, President John F. Kennedy had announced a blockade against Cuba and had
threatened to attack if Soviet nuclear missiles that had been placed on that
island country were not removed.
Several days later, President Kennedy received two separate messages
from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
The first was a message to stop the drift to bloodshed, with an offer to
remove the missiles if Kennedy promised not to invade Cuba. The second message contained hostile
language that would have forced President Kennedy to declare war. The President didn’t know which message
reflected Khrushchev’s actual perspective. But the President’s brother Bobby Kennedy suggested that the
United States ignore the second message and focus on the first that offered a
compromise. That was a
moment of decision, but it was, especially, a choice that was made based on
conscience. In that case, we
know that what was wrong and unwise was taking the world to the brink of
nuclear war. What was right and
wise for both nations – and the world - was compromise.
So, Gracious Giver of Wisdom, who forgives our
failings on this Day of Atonement, this Yom Kippur, there are paths being
forged for the future by leaders of our country and other nations. We cannot make their decisions
for them. We cannot ignore when
your children deny the humanity of others and seek to deprive them of their lives
with impunity. Perhaps any
solution that will clearly hold Bashar al Assad accountable for his regime’s
actions might bring some broader resolution to the strife in Syria, much of it
due to Assad’s attempt to hold on to power at all costs. You know, Eternal One, what is in
his heart, and in the heart of Russian President Vladimir Putin. You know, as well, what is in our
hearts – a hope for an end to conflicts that have affected so many innocent people,
and a desire to see that there is some level of morality left in this world.
Eternal One, I prayed the following words 12
year ago, and I repeat them now: “I
believe that You are here with us to help us face the evil that we human beings
perpetrate on one another. You are here to help us make the right choices – to
cry divine tears when we don’t choose wisely – and to help us steer ourselves
back onto the right road when we are ready.”
So help us, O God, to stir the conscience of
humanity to forge a new path to cooperation and
compromise and to guide our leaders in their deliberations by turning their
hearts one to the other. Inscribe
us, O God of mercy, for a year of lives preserved, ever-increasing blessing,
and abundant peace. And let
us say Amen.
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