I posted this piece last week. At that time, the system which alerts subscribers to a new post was not working. Since then, the problem has been fixed and I am posting it again. I believe it is a critical message during the times we are facing.
Please listen to my podcast at wrestlinganddreaming.podbean.com for a more extensive version of this piece.
The Torah portion of Beshalach begins with the statement that God did not lead the people out of Egypt along the route through the territory of the Philistines “lest the people see war and return to Egypt”
The word “see” is interesting. It could, of course, mean “experience” but, in and of itself, the word “see” carries great meaning.
God’s wish that the people not “see” war could be viewed as meaning not necessarily that God didn’t want the people to be engaged in a war. Rather, it could be viewed as saying that God didn’t want the people to see others at war in that territory where war was common or even to see the ramifications of war, either of which might frighten them for the future. So, God does what was appropriate for a people newly freed from the horrors of slavery: God restricts what the people see so as to avoid fear.
Later in the Torah, we read: “If you see the animal of your fellow lost, you must not hide your eyes, you must return it”.
Now having grown up, the people are commanded to act on what they see. They must not hide from their eyes from what they see.
There was a time when people could honestly say: “We did not know what was happening somewhere else because we did not see it happening”.
That time is long since past.
Through all of the different media available to us, we see what is happening around us, even if it far away.
And when we see, we can not ignore.
And when we see, we can not be convinced that we didn’t see what we know we saw.
We have seen, over and over again, the brutality, lack of compassion and unrestrained actions of ICE agents in Minneapolis. We have seen the completely unjustifiable murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We have seen children being used as pawns. We have seen completely innocent US citizens taken into custody in insensitive, intrusive fashion.
We have seen what we have seen and it becomes our responsibility to raise our voices against these actions.
While our nation definitely needs a sensible, effective immigration policy, this is not the way.
And we can not ignore what we have seen.
Well said, Rabbi! Thank you! In this case, it’s not that people don’t see, it’s that they choose not to, or to see only from their perspective.
Thank you, Rabbi. Important and brave words. I appreciate you speaking up.
Thank you San. Such a critical time for all of us.
Thank you, Rabbi. Yesterday I attended (from home; with a cold) an event honoring and supporting Rabbi Arik Ascherman, who is a fine example of a person who sees evil actions and does not turn away. On the contrary: he intervenes to protect the victims again and again. In Israel, it is very easy for who live in the densely populated and highly developed coastal region to avoid learning about (seeing) the lives of people under Israeli domination. I mention this, because it is perhaps the most troubling thread in the current tapestry of Jewish life in the Diaspora, as well as in Israel. It may be easier for us to see and learn about the experience of Palestinians from our vantage point in Ann Arbor than it is for those living in Tel Aviv.