Who reads the JC here?
Sermon for Sidra Shelach Lecho
June 2008
by Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman
Well after doing my Friday morning rabbinical duty of reading the JC, I
was left rather emotionally crippled. I felt a deep sense of despair and I
was gripped by immense sadness - I wanted to cry. And let me tell you
why.
Well it was a cheerful start – the Chamas/Israeli ceasefire – that’s good
for however long it lasts – may be not – we’ll have to leave that to our
Israeli political leaders. But then talking of political leaders and
scandals, a new one - the UK head of Bank Leumi – well let’s hope it’s not
true. So - so far, not too bad? May be bad enough! Ah but then on to Rabbi
Romain’s entry, attacking the article by Charles Golding in last weeks
JC – six of one and half a dozen of the other, as my father O’H, used to
say. On to the letters page, and oh, a full page attacking Charles Golding
on his article. Not good. Then a letter from Rabbi Brawer, Rabbi of
Borehamwood US, defending his view against Rabbi Ginsbury, Hendon US, who
wrote an article disagreeing with his article published the previous week
all about the Israeli conversions issue. Then on to Geoffrey Alderman’s
column - further controversy on the matter. I was totally exhausted,
physically and mentally, and to tell you the truth I was totally sickened
by it all.
But if that’s how I felt as a committed Jew, then what about those who
don’t care for their Judaism – I was worried that it would put them off
religion. But then I realised no, they don’t even read the JC, and if they
do, they were put off along time ago!!!
So arriving at my office emotionally limping, I thought I would seek
solace from my dear rabbinical colleagues on a forum, so I posted my
anxieties about the divisions that riddle our people and posed the
question whether or not we should debate together on issues using the JC.
And, alas no comfort was forthcoming. So finally humiliated, hounded and
wounded I thought it was time to get on with preparing today’s sermon.
And so here it is:
Most of the Sidra of Shelach Lecha is taken up with the story of the 10
spies. They went to scout out the Promised Land and report back to Moses.
But they returned with a devastatingly negative report about the Land of
Canaan – “… Eretz ocheles yoshveha …” – “It’s a land that eats its
inhabitants”; “vezeh peryah” – “…look even its fruit is odd…”. This in
turn led to the mutiny in the desert, which resulted in the punishment
that they were to remain for another 40 years in the Wilderness before
entering the land that would become Eretz Yisrael. So was life so much
better in Egypt? Did they have an alternative? So what was the point of
the negative report – did it improve their lot? No it ended up in them
wandering around the wilderness for another 40 years, during which time
the old generation died off – and what was it all from? It all came from
the plague of divisiveness.
But do you know what? After 40 years they did go into the Land of Canaan
under the leadership of Joshua, Moses’ disciple. They settled the land and
built a country slowly but surely. Yes, there were more divisions which
continued; alas it became all part of the Jewish make-up. Some say ok
let’s have a fight and then role up their sleeves – we just have to open
our mouths. And so it was over the centuries they continued to argue –
some called it debating - but they survived!!! And here we are over 3000
years later – still surviving and still quarrelling - now back with Eretz
Yisrael our promised land and still debating.
We were chosen because of “Am kesheh oreph” – as G-d Himself told us,
“You’re a stiff-necked people”. So tell me then? Being what we are, can
we expect otherwise? Join the debate!!!
A gutten Shabbos.
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