Finding our holy, persuasive voices

Dvar Torah:  Parshat Vayera

5774/2013

In late June of 1863, Isidor Bush, Jewish leader of the German-American community in St. Louis Missouri, spoke his mind that emancipation of slaves was absolutely necessary in the face of a state government that favored 1876 as the year for emancipation of slaves.

Here are some of his concluding words:

“I pray you have pity for yourselves, not for them.  Slavery demoralizes, slavery fanaticism binds you; it has arrayed brother against brother, son against father; it has destroyed God’s noblest work-a free and happy people…”

A lone, strong voice, calling out to the chamber, to think again, to persuade them.  What was the message?  It is the leadership that should be ashamed of its actions, having been twisted by enslaving others, eventually causing the implosion of self and country, an offense against the Creator.

Eloquent.  Powerful.  Courageous.

How do we convince anyone of anything?  Do we put together the best information?  Do we speak softly and gently from the heart?  Do we stand on the desk and shout the truth to the world?

I am partial to the first two methods.  Solid information and the passion from a person’s well-informed and positive convictions tend to convince me.  I tend to shut down when there is shouting, bullying, and standing on principle to the last like Butch Cassidy and his partner shooting out their last bullets with the army closing in outside.

Abraham tries methods one and two, information and heartfelt words, to try and save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He also shows his humility, “I am just dust and ashes,” he is not arrogant.  God listens to his entire line of thinking, all the way until he argues that these cities, however wicked their people overall may be, deserve to be saved on account of at minimum 10 righteous people that may be found in these places.  After all, God saved Noah and his family from the Flood amongst the countless inhabitants of the world at the time, so it would make sense that if there were 10 good people in just one or two cities, they would merit being saved.

Think of a time that we convinced someone else of something for the better.  What was the “tipping point” and how did we get there? 

Abraham, unfortunately, is unsuccessful in the end.  Even his strategy of starting big and ending with a minimum number of good people to be found, reducing expectations, does not work out.

Is there still a victory here?  Has Abraham taught us something of value?

The Shinever Rav teaches that once God destroys the cities, and Abraham ‘returns to his place’, Shav limkomo, he keeps up his strong level of faith in God, does not question God’s justice.  Difficult as it can be to watch any project of ours fail, or to see others in crisis, worse still is the possibility that we might lose faith altogether, that me might lose all motivation to help ourselves and others, that we might give up hope, turn inward, and in doing so become more like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than the righteous and good people who Abraham had hoped to find.

After all, the Rabbis teach us that the way the people of Sodom think is “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours.”  We’ll stay apart, not share, and instead of being like a community we’ll just tolerate each other like two ships who pass by each other as they both use the ocean but don’t share supplies and information with each other about the waves and weather from they directions they both came from.

Now, we cannot live this way if amongst ourselves we are meant to teach the messages of the Torah.  We need to summon the courage of Isidor Bush and Abraham, to stand before people and God to proclaim with judgment, gentleness, but with full conviction of our souls the truths and teachings we want to pass on.  We need not be proselytizers or zealots in this work.  We simply need to let the message fill us up and it will overflow in our words and actions.  And this energy that will radiate from within will be longer lasting than the best cup of Joe, the strongest energy drink, or the push from the best workout at the gym.

If Abraham’s story (either our ancestor or the President who pushed through the Emancipation Proclamation) is an indication, when we advocate in this way, God is listening.

Shabbat Shalom.