Post by Rabbi Neil on Nov 18, 2018 18:03:35 GMT
Pipe bombs, the shooting of African-Americans and the slaughter of Jews. A frenzy of violence in only one week stoked by inflammatory political rhetoric that now openly echoes the fascism of the 1930s. There is a difference – the references to the Jews are more oblique now than they were back then, and the focus instead is on those who transcend the normative perspective of strictly gendered white people. Gender and colour are now what defines the new norm, according to those who hold by such things. It is morally repugnant, and totally contrary to every teaching of Judaism as we understand it.
And yet, it’s not totally contrary to every teaching of Judaism of the past. There are staggeringly racist texts in our tradition, such as the midrash that says that black people are part of the punishment of one of Noah’s sons or such as Maimonides writing in the famous Guide for the Perplexed that those who are furthest from God are the black people who have the resemblance of apes. But that is not our Judaism. That is part of our tradition which we thoroughly reject as being a reflection of darker times of humanity, and not of the best of our tradition, which says that we are all descended from Adam, so we are all family. We acknowledge, though, that there are still Jews today who hold by such views. We have to acknowledge hatred and violence not just in ourselves, but also in long-held faith traditions, or in the very fabric of society itself, particularly patriarchal societies. Here at Temple Beth Shalom, we reject hatred, we reject racism, we reject objectification of others, we reject the concept of normalcy and that there is one particular way to be a human being, or even one particular way to be an American.
Perhaps what’s so particularly depressing about seeing these claims of normalcy – of Us and Them - returning is the thought that we had got past this. We thought we had gone beyond this kind of society. It was unthinkable for most people that we might regress so strongly and so quickly. In the last two years of sermons, I have twice referred to Martin Luther King’s quotation that “the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” The first time, immediately after the 2016 election, I explained that while Dr King may have meant that it bends towards liberal justice, we have to be aware that there are other definitions of justice that other people hold. I said that liberals don’t have a monopoly over the term justice, and that he may have been right, but not in the way we understand. The second time I referred to that quotation was in August of last year, when I gave a sermon on Moments of Temporary Darkness, to coincide with the solar eclipse. In that sermon, I mentioned that “we may not see the justice ourselves…. We may not see a way out of the darkness, but… we should remain firm in the belief that there will be an end to darkness.” Now, I quote it for a third time, because now I’m no longer sure that it is true. Does human history really point to the moral arc of the universe bending towards justice? Or do human beings just find new and innovative ways to destroy each other, either physically or emotionally?
This week, research published in the journal Nature showed that the Earth’s oceans have retained 60% more heat each year than scientists previously thought, which means that the Earth will warm even faster than predicted. In September, the Trump administration released a 500-page environmental impact statement that included the fact that, if current trends continue, by the year 2100, the Earth’s temperature will rise by seven degrees. Bear in mind that the Paris Accords, which virtually no country is sticking to, are designed to stop global warming before it reaches two degrees. Two degrees is said to be problematic, four degrees is understood to be catastrophic. Seven is beyond catastrophic. If these reports are true, there is no joyous future for the human race and there is no end to the darkness, no light at the end of the tunnel.
These things are all connected. Violence to the self, violence to the other, and violence to the planet are all connected. I am now coming to believe that they are almost an inevitable aspect of humanity. Now I am truly questioning if there is a moral arc to history at all. Most people never considered the possibility that fascism would return, and certainly never for a moment considered that it would rear its head in American government. Brazil’s new President is a far-right extremist known for his homophobia and racism, and he is keen to develop the Amazon for businesses instead of protecting it for the whole of humanity. The far-right is gaining tremendous influence all across Europe. We are not going forwards. We are reverting to form.
With this in mind, the Messianic vision of Judaism seems not just hopeful, but profoundly radical… almost nonsensical. Yes, sure, when fascism last reared its head, millions of people died in a World War and in a campaign of deliberate extermination. That’s not going to happen now. Does that suggest that the world is moving towards morality, towards justice? I don’t know any more. What most of us once thought was inconceivable no longer is. Who knows where the rise of xenophobia and racism leads this time? What I can say is that fifteen years ago, I read an environmental text that warned that as global resources became more scarce due to climate change, the number of global refugees would increase, which in turn would lead to the rise of the extreme right-wing, which in turn would lead to increased xenophobia, racism, and nationalism, ultimately leading to the shutting of borders and a permanent state of anxiety over foreigners. Fifteen years ago that was predicted by one environmentalist. Because the violence to the planet, the violence to each other and the violence to the self are all connected. Their prediction is clearly coming true, and they do not predict a return to liberal values of justice.
The worst anti-Semitic attack in American history was rooted not in the violence of one individual, but of an entire society. Until America can come to terms with its violence in all its forms, this kind of attack will return. The moral arc of this country, and therefore of the world, does not currently bend toward justice. It bends towards violence. But it could bend toward justice. Even in the face of likely failure, even despite the violent values that we bring into the present that shape our current society, even with the global challenges that we face today, in the face of all these things, we are faced with two choices – nihilistic self-defeat, or the acceptance of the ridiculous notion that, with immense effort, we can bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice. And it is ridiculous, but it is no more ridiculous than the acceptance of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism as normal aspects of the human psyche.
So, it is possible that, with immense social change, we could bend the arc toward justice. But it would involve overcoming every aspect of violence, blatant and hidden, that forms the bedrock of this society. And that is why I believe the world profoundly needs religion, needs Reform Judaism, and particularly needs our community - because we will not sit idly by affirming every violent choice of society...because we are committed to a society where all forms of violence are erased. Because we know that the way is long, inconceivably long, and yet we are committed to taking humanity in that direction regardless. The moral arc of the universe does not naturally bend toward justice. We have to bend it. So, in the face of repeated violence, we mourn, but we refuse to give into despair. We pray, despite all evidence to the contrary, that God may still spread over us the shelter of Divine peace. Not just us here tonight, but the whole world. So, we pray, Eternal God, that we may help bring about peace in this world. We pray for an end to violence. We pray that we may continually find the strength to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice. And we pray that, through that work, You will spread over us the shelter of Your peace. ufros aleinu succat sh’lomeicha. V’nomar, Amen.
And yet, it’s not totally contrary to every teaching of Judaism of the past. There are staggeringly racist texts in our tradition, such as the midrash that says that black people are part of the punishment of one of Noah’s sons or such as Maimonides writing in the famous Guide for the Perplexed that those who are furthest from God are the black people who have the resemblance of apes. But that is not our Judaism. That is part of our tradition which we thoroughly reject as being a reflection of darker times of humanity, and not of the best of our tradition, which says that we are all descended from Adam, so we are all family. We acknowledge, though, that there are still Jews today who hold by such views. We have to acknowledge hatred and violence not just in ourselves, but also in long-held faith traditions, or in the very fabric of society itself, particularly patriarchal societies. Here at Temple Beth Shalom, we reject hatred, we reject racism, we reject objectification of others, we reject the concept of normalcy and that there is one particular way to be a human being, or even one particular way to be an American.
Perhaps what’s so particularly depressing about seeing these claims of normalcy – of Us and Them - returning is the thought that we had got past this. We thought we had gone beyond this kind of society. It was unthinkable for most people that we might regress so strongly and so quickly. In the last two years of sermons, I have twice referred to Martin Luther King’s quotation that “the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” The first time, immediately after the 2016 election, I explained that while Dr King may have meant that it bends towards liberal justice, we have to be aware that there are other definitions of justice that other people hold. I said that liberals don’t have a monopoly over the term justice, and that he may have been right, but not in the way we understand. The second time I referred to that quotation was in August of last year, when I gave a sermon on Moments of Temporary Darkness, to coincide with the solar eclipse. In that sermon, I mentioned that “we may not see the justice ourselves…. We may not see a way out of the darkness, but… we should remain firm in the belief that there will be an end to darkness.” Now, I quote it for a third time, because now I’m no longer sure that it is true. Does human history really point to the moral arc of the universe bending towards justice? Or do human beings just find new and innovative ways to destroy each other, either physically or emotionally?
This week, research published in the journal Nature showed that the Earth’s oceans have retained 60% more heat each year than scientists previously thought, which means that the Earth will warm even faster than predicted. In September, the Trump administration released a 500-page environmental impact statement that included the fact that, if current trends continue, by the year 2100, the Earth’s temperature will rise by seven degrees. Bear in mind that the Paris Accords, which virtually no country is sticking to, are designed to stop global warming before it reaches two degrees. Two degrees is said to be problematic, four degrees is understood to be catastrophic. Seven is beyond catastrophic. If these reports are true, there is no joyous future for the human race and there is no end to the darkness, no light at the end of the tunnel.
These things are all connected. Violence to the self, violence to the other, and violence to the planet are all connected. I am now coming to believe that they are almost an inevitable aspect of humanity. Now I am truly questioning if there is a moral arc to history at all. Most people never considered the possibility that fascism would return, and certainly never for a moment considered that it would rear its head in American government. Brazil’s new President is a far-right extremist known for his homophobia and racism, and he is keen to develop the Amazon for businesses instead of protecting it for the whole of humanity. The far-right is gaining tremendous influence all across Europe. We are not going forwards. We are reverting to form.
With this in mind, the Messianic vision of Judaism seems not just hopeful, but profoundly radical… almost nonsensical. Yes, sure, when fascism last reared its head, millions of people died in a World War and in a campaign of deliberate extermination. That’s not going to happen now. Does that suggest that the world is moving towards morality, towards justice? I don’t know any more. What most of us once thought was inconceivable no longer is. Who knows where the rise of xenophobia and racism leads this time? What I can say is that fifteen years ago, I read an environmental text that warned that as global resources became more scarce due to climate change, the number of global refugees would increase, which in turn would lead to the rise of the extreme right-wing, which in turn would lead to increased xenophobia, racism, and nationalism, ultimately leading to the shutting of borders and a permanent state of anxiety over foreigners. Fifteen years ago that was predicted by one environmentalist. Because the violence to the planet, the violence to each other and the violence to the self are all connected. Their prediction is clearly coming true, and they do not predict a return to liberal values of justice.
The worst anti-Semitic attack in American history was rooted not in the violence of one individual, but of an entire society. Until America can come to terms with its violence in all its forms, this kind of attack will return. The moral arc of this country, and therefore of the world, does not currently bend toward justice. It bends towards violence. But it could bend toward justice. Even in the face of likely failure, even despite the violent values that we bring into the present that shape our current society, even with the global challenges that we face today, in the face of all these things, we are faced with two choices – nihilistic self-defeat, or the acceptance of the ridiculous notion that, with immense effort, we can bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice. And it is ridiculous, but it is no more ridiculous than the acceptance of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism as normal aspects of the human psyche.
So, it is possible that, with immense social change, we could bend the arc toward justice. But it would involve overcoming every aspect of violence, blatant and hidden, that forms the bedrock of this society. And that is why I believe the world profoundly needs religion, needs Reform Judaism, and particularly needs our community - because we will not sit idly by affirming every violent choice of society...because we are committed to a society where all forms of violence are erased. Because we know that the way is long, inconceivably long, and yet we are committed to taking humanity in that direction regardless. The moral arc of the universe does not naturally bend toward justice. We have to bend it. So, in the face of repeated violence, we mourn, but we refuse to give into despair. We pray, despite all evidence to the contrary, that God may still spread over us the shelter of Divine peace. Not just us here tonight, but the whole world. So, we pray, Eternal God, that we may help bring about peace in this world. We pray for an end to violence. We pray that we may continually find the strength to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice. And we pray that, through that work, You will spread over us the shelter of Your peace. ufros aleinu succat sh’lomeicha. V’nomar, Amen.