The classic story goes something like this…The new Rabbi starts at the synagogue and during Shabbat services notices something strange. During the chanting of the Shema, half of the congregants in the sanctuary are standing and half of them are sitting down. During the kiddush after the service the ones who stood during the Shema were arguing with the ones who did not. Waving this off as a fluke, he is surprised to see the same thing happen the following week. After Shabbat he visits the Emeritus Rabbi and says, “I noticed half the congregation stands for the Shema and half sits.” “Yes, that’s correct.” “ So, is the tradition to stand for Shema?” “No, that’s not the tradition.” “Is the tradition to sit for the Shema?” “No, that’s not the tradition.” “So what’s the tradition?” The new Rabbi said, exasperated. The Emeritus Rabbi responded, “The tradition is to argue about it after services.”
The two sides of this debate are not so far apart in their thoughts and practice. They both agree the Shema is an important prayer, and both sides belong to the same synagogue.
This week we’ll be reading from the Torah portion Shofetim, all about judges, and law enforcement officers. Another name for this portion could be Law and Order.
Our Torah portion includes one of the most prominent and memorable statements Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof – Justice, justice, you shall pursue it! Twice the word justice calls out to us, emphasizing that while justice cannot solve all conflicts between us, the justice system, also imperfect, is the way we can strive to bring God’s hope for a just society into being.
But the only way we can have a justice system in the first place is if we all agree to live by that system, to recognize the law as binding, in other words, we have to be unified or else the justice system will have no authority.
The Shema argument story is a good example of how we can have unity without having uniformity. We don’t have to agree, we don’t have to dress the same, talk the same, like the same food or art. In fact, God has been wary of uniformity since the beginning of time. This wariness about uniformity is the reason God destroys the Tower of Babbel in the days after the great flood. At that time, everyone speaks the same language, thought the same way, and they are all consumed by fear. After God topples the tower, we all start speaking the different languages of the world, all of us with a different sound and look, but all of us from one line, one family, unity but not uniformity.
Still, unity is no easy goal for us to reach. It can be elusive. Despite video chats and social media, many people feel lonelier and more isolated, even more so during the pandemic, and stress, anxiety, depression and other related conditions are everywhere.
When we read Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof, Justice, Justice you shall pursue it, we hear a lesson pointing toward hope. Tirdof is in the singular, and so it sounds like the Torah is speaking to each of us as individuals. But I think during these times we need to read it differently. When the Torah says ‘you’ shall pursue it, I believe it’s the communal you, all of us together. We’re one whole, and by looking out for each other, and seeing each other as part of our extended family, means we stand up for each other especially at the times when we may not have the strength to stand up for ourselves. And our help may not be about legal issues, it may me enough to cheer someone up, to do a small act of recognition and kindness to spring us from the shells we may build around ourselves during these difficult times. And if anyone wants to debate standing or sitting for the Shema, see you after services!
Shabbat Shalom.
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