Tetzaveh 5775

The Spirit of Amalek is Alive and the American College Campus

In a recently published study of more than 1100 Jewish college students it was found that 54% had experienced an anti-Semitic incident his past year.  Ariella Kasar, who headed the study and teaches at Trinity College, was quoted as saying: “We were surprised how prevalent it is. There are no pockets where it is in specific places, regions or universities. It’s kind of widespread,” Most surprising, perhaps, is that there is virtually no difference in the rates of experiencing anti-Semitism between those who are “never open” about being Jewish on their campus and those who are “always open” about being Jewish. 

The reality of anti-Semitism on college campuses is a clear and present reality around the country.

The Shabbat before Purim is called Shabbat Zachor: the Sabbath of memory.  We will read the passage regarding Amalek at the conclusion of our Torah reading:

Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt -- how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Therefore, when the LORD your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!  (Deuteronomy 26:17-19)

Amalek was a tribal chieftain who attacked the Children of Israel as they marched through the desert directly after the splitting of the sea.   In this passage Moses reminds the people that Amalek attacked the most in the back of the caravan.  Had he wanted to simply fight the Israelites, Amalek would have chosen to focus on the front of the caravan where the fighting men were.  Rather, he chose to slaughter the weakest and most vulnerable element of the Jewish people.  For this cowardly and hateful act Amalek wins the eternal ire of God.  Moreover, Moses teaches us that the war against Amalek will be an eternal one.  Haman, who tries to destroy the Jews of Persia in the time of Mordecai and Esther was a direct descendant of Amalek.  In the eyes of Jewish tradition, Amalek was more than a historical figure, he was the very symbol of anti-Semitism throughout time.

The sad reality of the modern day is that the spirit of Amalek is alive and well throughout the world and as this recent study shows, on college campuses as well.  In the past weeks the students bodies of Stanford University and Northwestern University voted to divest from 6 major companies that do business with Israel.  The claim is that the products from these companies are used by Israel in human rights violations in the Palestinian territories.  The vote on the Northwestern Campus was 24 to 22.  The Jewish students who were involved in the struggle against the divestment experienced both abuse and the worst form of anti-Semitism thinly disguised as anti-Israel rhetoric.  I am proud to say that some of the Jewish leaders at Northwestern and Stanford were from Anshe Emet.

On this Shabbat Zachor Mitchell Caminer will share his experience of this struggle with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Movement on his university campus as well as his encounter with anti-Semitism.   Sadly, the spirit of Amalek is not only present in terrorist acts in places like Paris and Copenhagen but in our halls of higher education as well.  Please plan to be with us this Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Michael Siegel

Mishpatim 5775

What the Death Penalty Teaches Us about a Society

Abraham Joshua Heschel once said that: a society is measured by the way it treats its elderly.   In watching the news this week I came to the conclusion that we can learn a great deal about a society by the way they administer the death penalty. The world had a terrible example of this in the past few days.  ISIS put a Jordanian pilot to death in such a grossly barbaric way that the world cannot pretend there is anything civilized or redeeming in this new Caliphate. Then, yesterday we heard the news that Kayla Mueller, an American aide worker, was put to death despite the pleading of her parents; despite the fact she was not an armed combatant, nor that her sole purpose for being in Syria was to help the innocent.

We can measure a society by the way it values human life—in the manner in which it administers the death penalty.

This week we read Parshat Mishpatim. It contains one of our people’s most ancient law codes. We learn that if one knowingly takes a life they must forfeit their own. Such is the holiness of every person created in the image of God. Even if the perpetrator claims sanctuary they must be removed from the very alter itself so that justice may be done. However, if the murder was unintentional then the Torah makes provisions to have a person live in a city of refuge where they would be safe from the vengeance of the family members of the slain person. While the Torah allows for capital punishment it also takes care to ensure that great care be exercised to ensure that the State not abuse such power. The Rabbis themselves adopted this attitude. It is recorded in the Mishnah: Makkot 1:10 that “A Sanhedrin that puts a man to death once in seven years is called a murderous one.” This attitude regarding the sanctity of life has been carried on by the modern State of Israel, which does not allow for Capital Punishment. In fact, the only recorded case of a person put to death was that of Adolph Eichmann whose Crime against the Jewish People could be punished no other way.

The distinctiveness of our tradition can be seen in the last few sentences of this section on capital crimes. It is a familiar phrase: the penalty shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. It is of interest to us that the Code of Hammurabi, one in existence since during the time of Abraham, contains almost the exact same wording. The difference is that in Mishpatim these laws were administered to everyone equally and, in the Code of Hammurabi, based upon ones class in society. Furthermore, in our tradition it is understood from the start that the Torah was not advocating the simple meaning of the text, but rather monetary compensation. For our people the punishment must always fit the crime. 

To use the death penalty as an opportunity to publicize one’s cause, as ISIS does, is an affront to the very God they purport to worship and honor. Now that the world has had the opportunity to peer into the dark soul of these people, we can only pray that they will be dealt with in a way that is commensurate with their crimes. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Michael Siegel

Yitro 5775

Amongst the many dating websites that are around today, there is one called “Saw You at Sinai.” It serves Jewish singles of various ages, backgrounds, cultures and interests find their match (their bashert). And the origin of this website’s name appears in this week’s Torah portion.

It is in parshat Yitro that we read of God revealing the Torah to the people of Israel at Sinai. What is interesting is how the rabbis interpret this revelation. They claim that (Babylonian Talmud Shevu’ot 39a), that all Jews were present at the Sinai encounter, including those who had not yet been born or who were not yet Jews. Our rabbis assert that this was the greatest gathering of Jewish souls in history. Hence the website name, SawYouatSinai – we all were there.

Every year, I bring the book, “Present at Sinai” or in Hebrew “Atem Re’item” with me to shul on this Shabbat, when we read the Torah portion Yitro. Because in this book, Shai Agnon (Nobel Laureate in Literature) collected thousands of rabbinic interpretations on the Revelation at Sinai. And what is interesting is the title that he chose – atem re’item, which literally means “you yourselves (plural) saw.” Quoting a rabbinic commentary in the book, he emphasized this point that all future generations witnessed the Sinai revelation. This midrash was so important to him that it became the title of his book.

I think about this teaching often around this time of year, as we approach the 2nd largest gathering at Anshe Emet – Purim, and the Purim Carnival. It’s not as big as the rabbis’ vision of Sinai, nor is it the High Holy Days – but it is a time when over a thousand people gather together to celebrate the fun of Purim together. We hope to celebrate with you by reading and listening to the Megillah together (Wednesday night, March 4th and Thursday morning, March 5th), and by being a part of our Purim Carnival. The Carnival this year is on Sunday, March 1st. We would deeply appreciate any volunteers – so please contact Aviva Schnoll at 773-868-5152 or aschnoll@ansheemet.org to help us make this carnival the most exciting one in the Chicago area.

I so look forward standing with all of you, as the future generation that the rabbi envisioned, as we celebrate Jewish life together.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo