Elul: Fixing ourselves, repairing the world The powerful have rallies, the oppressed have protests. Ever wonder why that is? Centuries ago, Nehemiah, the rebuilder of the ancient second Temple led a mixed band of Israelites back to Israel to resettle the land. Some were wealthy, even called nobles, others were poor farmers. Within a short time, the farmers found themselves beholden to those with money. They were immersed in debt, forced (says the Bible) to offer their sons and daughters as slaves to protect what little sources of sustenance they had. So they protested—they marched right up to Nehemiah and shouted their complaints. (Click here for the full story.) Nehemiah didn’t discount their pleas. He didn’t accuse them of being subversives. Quite the contrary, this ancient Jewish leader said: “It angered me very much to hear their outcry.” He turned to the nobles and challenged their unfair practices; he even raised [...]

Elul: Fixing ourselves, repairing the world We speak of the prophet Isaiah as if “he” is only one person. The truth is that the book we call Isaiah reflects many prophets speaking over decades or more. The words of these multiple unknown sources were woven together by an unknown editor, revealing that person’s understanding that the many utterances belonged under the heading “Isaiah.” One of these “Isaiahs” spoke to the Jews languishing in Babylon after the exile and while on one hand he offered comfort (click here for an example) on the other hand, he was pretty generous with his rebuke. We read Isaiah’s word on Yom Kippur: “Is this the fast I desire!?” The prophet ridicules the overt piety of the Jews, chastising them for fasting without compassion, afflicting their souls without mercy. Speaking to the collective, Isaiah says “the fast I desire is for you to let the [...]

Elul: Fixing ourselves, repairing the world צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה וְיָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ׃ Justice, justice shall you (singular) pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that Adonai your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:20) The first thing you notice about the familiar exhortation above if you’re a Hebrew speaker is that it’s singular. The Bible is very particular about its use of second or third person, plural or singular. It’s no accident that this sentence is directed at “you.” That is, each of us. While the Bible imagines a vast Israelite/Jewish empire spanning territory from the Euphrates to the Nile, historians tell us that was never realized. Sure, the Israelite nation had autonomy, but for most of Jewish existence (from the days of David to our own times) Jews were either dominated by foreign powers or existed as minorities in a larger nation. There were, [...]

Elul: Fixing ourselves, repairing the world Appropriately, the focus during the month of Elul and on the actual High Holy Days begins internally. We are instructed and guided to focus on ourselves. How have we conducted ourselves over the past year? Who have we wronged? How might we have lived up to our own potential more fully? What insights can we gain into our engagement with the world that will allow us to become the people we are yet to be in the year ahead? And...and...and: is that enough? It is important to right our relationships. It is important to undertake deep self-reflection. It is important to realign our character so that we more fully reflect the self we aspire to be in our actions. That is a good start, for sure. The corresponding journey into ourselves and through Elul doesn’t end at the self. It continues into the broader world [...]