In seeking a proper rabbinic response to the shocking events that took place last Tuesday in our nation’s capital, I had to look no further than this week’s parashah, the beginning of the Book of Exodus:
“A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase, otherwise, in the event of war, they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.’” (Exodus 1:8-10)
Let’s consider these questions:
Who exactly were the new king’s “people”?
What was his definition “much too numerous for us”?
What past actions had the new king observed that would lead him to imagine that the Israelites might join his enemies in war against him?
The plain text of Exodus 1:1-7 suggests that the fear was entirely in Pharaoh’s mind. It does seem as if the Israelites were flourishing in Egypt, but there is no indication that they had any intention of taking over the country. Egypt saved Jacob’s family from starvation hundreds of years earlier because of their embrace of Joseph’s wisdom. For at least two centuries they were able to live in safety and comfort until a deranged leader arose who was fearful, heartless and easily threatened.
This king (Pharaoh) instilled in some of his subjects an imaginary scenario that fueled their insecurities and basest instincts to act out of fear and mistrust. No doubt many Egyptians recognized Pharaoh’s paranoia for what it was and rejected his cruel mandates – most prominently Shifra and Puah, the Hebrew midwives who defied his order to kill all the male newborns. But there was clearly a critical mass that went along with his abusive program, either out of fear or affinity.
We know this story in our bones. It is OUR story - one that has been replayed throughout 3000+ years of Jewish history. Who among us does not have a catalogue of murdered ancestors lost to Totalitarian, Dictatorial and/or Fascist brutality?
Those who stormed the Capital on January 6 are tragic victims of a paranoid leader and his enablers (including inexcusably irresponsible television and social media entities) that have cultivated camps of followers shrewdly poised to fuel the deepest insecurities and psychological demons of the more vulnerable parties. I acknowledge that a percentage of supporters exist who understood the validity of the election results and were prepared to move beyond their disappointment. That said, for years I have been wondering what the distinctly different extreme camps of devotees of our current president have in common. In a Morning Edition interview between NPR journalist, Steve Inskeep and Princeton University Professor Eddie Glaud that aired on Thursday, January 7, Professor Glaud named it:
“Supporters of this administration have callously weaponized an insidious feature of American life - the confluence of Greed and Grievance, Racism and Resentment, Hubris and Hate.”
These are the pairings that have fed upon one another in escalating measure since the early 1990s and have come to a head during the reign of this administration. Those in positions of power who have perpetuated countless lies to coopt the minds of the working class and poorly educated are the perpetuators of evil who must be called to task. The millions like me who have been appalled for nearly six years by the bizarre misinformation that has entered the mainstream can no longer afford to scratch our heads as we remain silently in shock by the things we read and hear. And those in positions of power who have stoked this insanity as the advertising dollars pour in must be held accountable.
God does not pay heed to the escalating groans of the Israelites in Egypt until things spiral out of control, and their cries become deafening. The insurgent attack on the US Capital was the culmination of five ugly years during which greed, racism and hubris stoked the flames of deeply rooted and shamefully misdirected grievance, resentment and hate that have been glorified at the expense of tens of millions unable to filter fact from fiction. That, my dear readers, is how those who crave power and have the money to buy innocent minds can undermine a democracy.
At this unprecedented time of introspection, we turn to the daily liturgy in our siddur (prayerbook) for strength and guidance. For years now, millions of Americans have been fed exaggerated, flame-fanned falsehoods placing blame for some of this country’s greatest problems on the wrong perpetrators who don’t even have a voice to defend themselves. In recent months this same group has been pummeled with fabrications that their 2020 votes did not count, that the election was stolen, and that no one in Washington cares about protecting their basic needs and rights. On their behalf I pray:
“May it be Your will, Lord my God and God of my ancestors, to protect them this day and every day from insolence in others and from arrogance in themselves. Save them from vicious people, from evil neighbors and from corrupt companions. Preserve them from misfortune and from power of destruction. Save them from harsh judgements; spare them from ruthless opponents, be they members of the covenant or not.” (Siddur Sim Shalom, 1989 – page 12)
And for those of us reluctant to speak openly and be proactive, remember this: In this week’s parashah, when God taps Moses at the burning bush, imploring him to return to Egypt to go toe to toe with Pharaoh in defense of the oppressed Israelites, he does not want the job either.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
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