A Vajue is Only a Value When Tested
My teacher, David Hartman, z”l, taught that “A value is only a value when it is tested.”
There are many Jewish values are many – but I would submit that perhaps the two best known are, “All Israel is responsible for each other,” and “You are not required to finish task, but you cannot desist from it.” These are powerful mission statements that have guided our history and destiny.
Ironically, they encapsulated the foundational values of my childhood.
Growing up, early November was always a time of high stress in our family as we faced a Thanksgiving with relatives
Whether guesting or hosting, we rarely had a holiday gathering without tension: we were just too different. Around the table sat “2nd generation, blue collar workers, businessmen and petty thieves.
My father was only one of two college graduates on both sides; and we were a yeshiva family. We were the outliers. The dynamic was combustible, only waiting for a spark.
But my parents’ values were clear: family breeds responsibility. Like them or not, we were loyal. It was a foundational experience for my life to come.
Are we not experiencing similar issues today – only on a much larger scale?
The recent Israeli elections have shown that we remain (hopelessly) politically divided. The events of October 7th bred a rare unity among us. However, the passage of time and inability to reach adequate resolution have only served to enlarge the schisms temporarily closed. Our internal divisions are now exploited by our external enemies as the entire Jewish world struggles with the aftermath and collateral damage worldwide.
If there was ever a time when our mission statement, the rabbinic phrase “You are not required to finish the task, but you cannot desist from trying” was more appropriate. The problem is that everyone interprets the task and when it is time to desist differently.
While there have always been exceptions – members of our greater community who do not play well with others in general – we have come together in common purpose: the Jews of Yemen, Ethiopia sand the former Soviet Union are just a few of the many public examples available to us.
We have come to recognize that Jews do not conform to one ethnic, color or even culture group.
And now, the most difficult part: we must recognize that political differences cannot disjoin us. We all must have a place at the Thanksgiving table.
Our history has shown that we are at our most vulnerable when we break into conflicting political camps; when our distrust and disgust with each other allows external enemies to exploit our weakness.
If the phrase, “All Israel are responsible for one another” is to have any real meaning, it must always have meaning. We cannot pick and choose who we support and how we do so.
To return to my family’s Thanksgiving table, my favorite aunts always made a sweet potato/marshmallow combination and mandelbread which I had to eat – they were made with love and I loved them (but not their cooking).
If we truly believe that “all Jews are responsible for another,” we must transcend our distrust and find common ground.