Racism is an issue in Canada and Israel, too, and God wants us to remember that even though others may not be made in our image, they are created in His image.
Rabbi Yael Splansky
Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto
Rabbi Mark Fishman
Congregation Beth Tikvah, Montreal
Rabbi Splansky: In one of his last sermons before the tragic shootings at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, S.C., Rev. Clementa Pinckney said: “The Lord teaches us to love all, and we pray that over time, justice will be done.”
Rev. Pinckney was a man of justice and faith who saw that a religious life requires activism in the public sphere. Prophetic Judaism demands the same of us.
Do you think Jews today prefer to restrict religious life to the areas of ritual, prayer and sacred study? Or are we still descendants of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah, called upon by God to be public activists and agents of change?
Rabbi Fishman: I believe that one of the great tragedies of our time is how Judaism has become so bifurcated between what is referred to as “religious” behaviour versus what we consider the “lesser” value of social justice and public activism.
For me there is really no difference between a person keeping the laws of kashrut and lobbying for workers’ rights, between putting up a mezuzah and campaigning against human trafficking, between keeping Shabbat and supporting environmental concerns.
Where did we lose our way?
Rabbi Splansky: At a bail hearing two days after Dylann Roof’s murderous rage, the families of the victims had an opportunity to address him. One mother said, “Every fiber in my body hurts, and I’ll never be the same… May God have mercy on you.” A grandson said, “We would like you to take this opportunity to repent. Repent. Confess. Give your life to the One who matters the most…so that He can change it.” A daughter told Roof that he “took something very precious away from me… But I forgive you.” A granddaughter said, “Everyone’s plea for your soul is proof that they lived in love… Hate won’t win.”
I was awed by such expansive expressions of forgiveness, even in the shadow of such pain. Judaism calls us to be forgiving, too, of course, but not unconditionally.
Rabbi Fishman: I sense that you, too, struggle with what I call “throw-away forgiveness,” notwithstanding your admiration for the strength these sentiments elicit.
One of the sharpest differences between Judaism and Christianity is their unique approaches to forgiveness. Judaism demands a person fully repent from his evil ways, make a commitment not to repeat his behaviour and ask for forgiveness from those he has wronged before he can be granted forgiveness.
To say “I forgive you” to a murderer just hours after such slaughter is not a Jewish inclination. I actually find it cruel to the memory of those slain, and while I realize this is a strong statement to make and mean no disrespect to the families, such forgiveness is not right, nor is it righteous.
Rabbi Splansky: Canadians read about American gun violence and racism with sincere concern, but sometimes forget to hold up the mirror. We tend to say, “Over there. Someone else.”
Not another moment should pass before recognizing that racial discrimination rears its ugly head every day in this good country of Canada. Police profiling, inequality in the workplace and unequal resources in school districts must be checked.
Moreover, as painful as it is to admit, racism is also found in our beloved Israel. Just a few short weeks ago, Israelis took to the streets in protest of racial discrimination against Jews of Ethiopian decent. As Diaspora Jews, we don’t have a vote, but we do have a voice to speak to the Jewish character of the Jewish State.
Rabbi Fishman: As the Baal Shem Tov explains, the sad truism of our lives is that when we see a blemish in others, it is usually reflective of something we see in ourselves.
So many centuries after the Torah radically commanded us to love those not in our image, we still struggle with accepting, and even wanting to communicate with, others not like us. But behind every racist remark and brazen stereotype is the voice of God continuing to cry out to us that even though the stranger is not made in our image, they are nonetheless created in His image. That alone demands our respect – even our love.
