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Sunday, August 9, 2015

Parashat Re’eh Non-Prophets


Echoes of Eden
 Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parashat Reeh
Non-Prophets

It seems as if the dearth of leadership is, and always has been, a perpetual problem. We have a tendency to search for people who can inspire and lead us; unfortunately, the role models we choose are rarely vetted in any systematic or rigorous way, and we tend to choose charisma over substance. Since the very dawn of human history, as far back as the Garden of Eden, we have been seduced by charismatic hucksters who offer slick sound-bytes that obfuscate truth and lead us astray.

Spiritual leaders are even harder to evaluate. By definition, the spiritual leader has knowledge, skills, and a particular type of power that his or her followers lack. The gap that divides the leader and the neophyte often makes the leader appear inscrutable, beyond our limited ability to judge or evaluate.

In Parashat Re’eh, as Moshe’s reign as leader winds down, attention is turned to establishing the next generation of leadership. Various positions must be filled, leadership roles must be defined and appointments made. In subsequent chapters, the Torah will outline the respective mandates of kings, judges and other public servants, but first and foremost, Moshe lays out the parameters for a very peculiar sort of religious leader: the prophet, and not just any prophet, but a man or woman who produces “signs and wonders.”  This person is capable of bending the laws of nature, of suspending the physical rules of the universe, and foretelling the future with stunning accuracy. What, we may ask, could possibly be better than having a bona fide prophet as a spiritual leader?

Remarkably, the Torah warns us to reserve judgment. Miraculous abilities are not necessarily a sign of authenticity; knowledge of the future is not an indication that this person should be followed blindly. Unlike so much of modern communication, the medium is not necessarily the message; the question should always be one of substance over form. What is this person advising, commanding or instructing us to do? Are the “prophet’s” words consonant with the words of Moshe, or does this person simply possess strange, unexplained talents and charisma?  

If, for example, the prophet - after performing wondrous acts - advocates worship of an alien deity, we are commanded to reject their leadership. Despite his or her unique, unexplainable abilities, this “prophet” is regarded as the most dangerous of all leaders. If the message is corrupt, self-serving, exploitive, this person is not one God or Moshe would encourage us to follow.

Throughout history, we have failed in this area time and time again. Sincere people have been, and continue to be deceived by charlatans. We have had our share of impressive false prophets and messiahs, yet we do not seem to learn. Despite our sophistication and worldliness, despite the bitter experience we have accrued, we lack the discernment that should prevent us from falling prey to snake oil salesmen and bogus prophets. We still want shortcuts to spirituality, and would rather stand in line to receive the blessings and bogus insights of false spiritual gurus than take the time and make the effort to seek out truth. Charismatic individuals will always be able to satisfy their base desires for adulation and obedience at the expense of those who choose form over substance in their quest for a quick spiritual fix.

Moshe’s warning is clear, and it is as relevant today as ever: It all comes down to substance. When a charismatic leader arises, if he (or she) does not unequivocally advocate adherence to the Torah, he must be regarded as a false prophet.

Apparently, the essential role of the prophet was to serve as the leader against idolatry, the spiritual counter to idolatry. Even true prophets, who stood strong against false and counterfeit spirituality, stood the risk of being sucked into the world of the occult, of becoming part of the problem rather than the solution. When the desire to worship idols was banished, prophecy, too, became a thing of the past; it was no longer needed, no longer possible. When there was no longer a rapacious hunger for idolatry, had prophecy been allowed to continue without its counter-balance, it would have upset the delicate balance and destroyed the spiritual ecosystem.

Today, we have neither the overpowering urge to worship other gods nor access to prophecy. And yet, even in today’s world, rife as it is with scandals involving religious and secular leaders, a system of spiritual checks and balances is just as important. Recent events are no different than they have ever been in this sphere, and it behooves us to take a moment to question our own judgment, to oversee our “leaders”, and to educate ourselves and those around us. We must not to be impressed by “signs and wonders,” by those with the gifts of charisma or clairvoyance. We must ask ourselves, “Is this leader the solution, or just another aspect of the problem?”

The genuine article, a real spiritual leader, brings us closer to God. That is ultimately the litmus test; anything else is fraudulent. If a prophet is “for profit,” he or she is no prophet. If a spiritual leader is exploitive - financially, emotionally or sexually - he or she is not the leader we are looking for. If, on the other hand, he or she educates, inspires, and brings us closer to God, we have found someone to learn from and be inspired by. We have found a true leader.

For a more in-depth analysis see:
http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2015/08/essays-and-audio-parashat-reeh.html


Echoes of Eden

Essays and Audio Parashat Re’eh

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Parashat Ekev 5775 Rain


Echoes of Eden
Rabbi Ari Kahn
Parashat Ekev 5775
Rain

This past week was a difficult one here in Israel. There were two separate incidents of murder and attempted murder: First, a man who, based on his external dress, could be called an orthodox, or even ultra- orthodox Jew, attacked other Jews in the center of Jerusalem. Second, an Arab family was attacked, resulting in the death of their youngest child, a toddler named Ali; although the investigation is still underway, the evidence appears to indicate that the perpetrator or perpetrators are, again, “observant” Jews. In both cases, the victims of this unthinkable violence were the very members of society who often feel most persecuted and vulnerable: the gay community on the one hand, and the Arab community on the other.

For two thousand years, Jews have endured one particular challenge in almost every corner of the globe: They have lived as a persecuted minority. With the establishment of the State of Israel, a new challenge emerged: Suddenly, for the first time in millennia, we have been forced to grapple with the challenge of being in charge, of being the majority. So many long-forgotten issues arose with the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty: How will minority groups be treated in the Jewish State? How will those who are “different” be made to feel? Will we protect those “others” – the disenfranchised, the outsiders, or will we make them feel vulnerable?

Although this week’s parashah does not address this topic directly, we may gain insight into the Jewish approach to communal life through Moshe’s final lessons to the Jews as they prepare to enter the Land. Moshe speaks about the need to obey the word of God, to obey the commandments. The consequence of disobedience, he warns them, is lack of rain. (Dvarim 11:16,17) Conversely, if the people follow the will of God, we are assured that rain will fall in the proper quantity and season; economic success is insured. (Dvarim 11:13-15)

What is clear from this section is that the resulting prosperity is collective, and not individual. The rain will not fall only on my crops while my neighbor’s field suffers from drought. The experience of living in a country – especially our country, the Land of Israel, which has a particularly sensitive spiritual constitution - is one of collective economic destiny. Famine, as well as plenty, is a shared reality, and is the result of the behavior of the collective.

There are those who would argue that precisely because of this shared destiny, the religiously sensitive person must step up, take the law into his or her own hands, and insure that the Torah’s commandments are obeyed and enforced. This approach leads to vigilantism of the type we have been subjected to this past week, and it is anathema to Judaism.

From the dawn of our history, Judaism has abhorred murder. The seven Noachide laws (Bereishit 9:5,6) applied to Jews before the covenant at Sinai, and the Ten Commandments include the prohibition of murder (Sh’mot 20:13). Rambam (Maimonides) describes why the taking of a life is considered so severe:

Although there are other sins that are more serious than murder, they do not present as serious a danger to society as murder does. Even idol worship - and needless to say, sexual sins or the violation of the  Sabbath - are not considered as severe as murder, for these other sins involve man's relationship with God, while murder also involves man's relationship with his fellow man.
Whoever commits this sin is an utterly wicked person. All the mitzvot that he performs throughout his lifetime cannot outweigh this sin or save him from judgment. (Laws of Murder and Preservation of Live chapter 4 law 9)

The sin of murder eclipses any good deeds the murderer has done or will do in the future. Thus, a person dressed in “religious garb” who commits murder – is simply a murderer in religious garb, no more and no less. Neither the choice of clothing nor any other religious behavior or affectation will save him or her when the time comes to stand before God and be judged. A murderer may clothe himself in any fashion he chooses, but he is naked in terms of spirituality.

According to Rambam, murder is the most terrible sin precisely because it poses the gravest threat to human society. Taking another person’s life (other than cases of self- defense) - no matter who they are or what you believe them to be guilty of - causes the delicate fabric of society to unravel.[1] Murder pollutes the collective, undermines society at its most basic level – and makes prosperity impossible for each and every individual as well as for society as a whole.  
   

For a more in-depth analysis see:


Echoes of Eden

[1] Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843-1926), in his commentary to the Torah Meshech Chochma(Shmot 21:14), opines that the killing of a non-Jew is even worse than the killing of a Jew.

Essays and Audio Parashat Ekev


Essays and Audio Parashat Ekev

The Echoes of Eden Project
Parashat Ekev 5775 -Rain

Essays:
With All Your Hearts and All Your Souls

The Little Things
with Hebrew notes –
http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2010/07/parshat-ekev-5770-little-things.html
Walking Together With God
with Hebrew notes –
http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2009/08/parshat-ekev-5769.html

Reward and Punishment

Audio
Parshat Ekev / God Consciousness