You and I will Change the World - Noam Choveret 5782

Genesis 18 is a story from the Torah about Abraham standing up to God and arguing that God isn't being fair.

-God plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but checks in with Abraham first.

-Abraham stands up to God and demands that God live up to God's own standards.

-Do you think Abraham went far enough?

Exodus 1 tells the story of the heroic midwives who, before Moses was born, refused to carry out Pharaoh's immoral instructions to kill the baby boys.

-Pharaoh plans to control the Israelite population by ordering the midwives to kill the newborn babies. The midwives don't obey and instead tell Pharaoh that the Israelites give birth before they even arrive.

-How do the midwives deal with being given immoral instructions by Pharaoh?

-Why don't they tell Pharaoh the truth?

-How are the midwives rewarded?

-The Hebrew is somewhat ambiguous, and the midwives could be "Hebrew midwives" or "[Egyptian] midwives to the Hebrews". What difference does it make to the story if they are Israelite or Egyptian?

Shifra and Puah were Egyptian by Rabbi Mira Beth Wasserman PhD 2021

Today, new historical realities enlarge our imagination. We can imagine the righteous Shifrah and Puah as Egyptians, because we have learned that care and trust and friendship and love cross all lines of separation. We have seen allies take risks for us, some because of principles of justice and truth, others because of bonds of caring and connection. The story of the Egyptian midwives is a story for anyone who could recede into self-protection, but instead chooses to step outside of their own comfort and safety, and to take risks for others.

Moses intervenes in multiple conflicts. He saves the life of an Israelite slave by killing the taskmaster, he tries to stop two Israelites from fighting, and when he arrives in Midian he immediately steps up to help a group of women in distress.

-Why do you think Moses stepped up in these situations?

-What might be comparable situations today?

-When, if ever, should you risk your life to intervene in a dangerous situation?

The Mitzvah of Allyship by Rabbi Rick Jacobs 2021

To ally means to embody the spirit of Moshe Rabeinu (Moses our Teacher), who witnessed shepherds driving off the seven daughters of the Midianite priest who were trying to water their father’s flock. Instead of shying away because it was someone else’s problem, or because these women belonged to a different faith community, Moses “rose to their defense” (Exodus 2:17). In that moment, he didn’t see the distinction between Jew and Midianite; he saw men harassing women and he stepped in. He allied because it was the right thing to do.

If Moses experienced a similar encounter with these women today, I imagine he should ask them, “How do you need me to act? Do I step forward on your behalf? Do I stand nearby while you assert your right to draw from the well?” As Jewish leaders, if we seek to emulate our greatest teacher, we should not assume that allying always means leading up front...

Esther 4 is part of the Purim story and shows Mordechai and Esther discussing if Esther can use her position as queen to save the Jewish people.

-Esther is in a unique position, and has the chance to influence Ahasuerus and save the Jews, but to do so will risk her life.

-How does Mordechai persuade her?

-What does Esther ask for to help her?

Proverbs 31 is part of the Hebrew Bible, and is made up of pithy advice of how to live a good life.

-Who are the speechless that we should speak up for?

-What's the connection between justice and speaking up?

Bereishit Rabbah is a collection of Midrash (rabbinic stories). This is a very famous story of Abraham standing up to authority and revealing that the idols that everyone worships are powerless.

-Abraham demonstrates the futility of idol worship and stands up for what he believes in, even when no one else around him agrees.

-What's the significance of setting the story in an idol shop?

-What is the message about the death of Haran?

This saying is from the Babylonian Talmud and teaches about how we are held responsible for things we could have protested but did not.

-The Talmud teaches us that we are held responsible for the sins we know about, that we could protest, and we do not.

-Why is protest important?

-Do we have to protest everything?

The Babylonian Talmud is discussing fast days that used to be called in times of communal distress. The rabbis discuss the person who ignores the plight of the community, thinking that since they are okay themselves, they don't need to get involved.

-Why do you think the rabbis tell a story about angels putting their hands on the person's head instead of just saying that it is forbidden?

-Is there a difference between 'the Jewish people' in the first part and 'the community' in the second part?

-If it's forbidden to separate yourself off, what actions should you do instead?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (19th C):

Your mission, however, is not limited by the walls of your house; beyond their limits you must assist with every particle of your strength wherever it is necessary to save the life, the property, or the happiness of a human being, to assist the enterprise of a fellow man with your strength or fortune, or to help suffering creatures of the lower order wherever you can, by the use of your wealth, your physical or intellectual strength, or your word, support the needy, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, console the mourning, heal the sick, care for the unprovided, advise those in need of counsel, teach the ignorant, reconcile those sundered by anger and quarrel — in a word, to be a blessing whenever and wherever you can.

Pirkei Avot are short ethical teachings and advice from the rabbis.

-What kinds of 'work' do you have to keep doing, even if the end is nowhere in sight?

-How do you keep working on tasks that seem huge and insurmountable?

Susannah Heschel's father was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a leading rabbi and teacher in the American Conservative movement (equivalent to Masorti) in the 20th Century. Here Susannah reflects on her father's experience on the Selma march for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr in 1965.

Susannah Heschel, Intro to The Prophets

The greatness of that Selma march continues to reverberate because it was not simply a political event, but an extraordinary moral and religious event as well. For my father, the march was a deeply spiritual occasion. When he came home, he said, "I felt my legs were praying." His only regret, he later wrote, was that "Jewish religious institutions have again missed a great opportunity, namely, to interpret a Civil Rights movement in terms of Judaism. The vast number of Jews participating actively in it are totally unaware of what the movement means in terms of the prophetic traditions."