Back to the sources… back to the future
I recently attended a healthcare conference in Washington, DC. It was the first time back in my hometown in many years. No surprise, much has changed. But perhaps more unexpectedly, I was both surprised and inspired by how much had remained the same, and how much of our Jewish history and teachings formed the fabric of the USA. It is worth repeating Ben Shapiro’s famous admonition to Bill Maher (and I am paraphrasing): before you congratulate yourself on hitting a triple of enlightenment, freedom, and democracy, you should acknowledge that “you were born on third base.” Like his rhetorical style and political leanings or not, I don’t think anyone can deny the quick wit and sharp skills that have made Ben Shapiro one of the most skilled and perceptive debaters of our time.
I was reminded of that exchange this weekend as I was asked to give a dvar Torah for this past Shabbat’s parashah. A request I find myself frequently humbled by, especially in the presence of others who are infinitely more qualified with rabbinical and formal biblical training than I am. Nevertheless, in my own tiny fragment of the world, I have taken to making this a regular part of my weekly routine and providing what small contribution I can as a “modern thinker” with a background in science, medicine, and, more recently, the world of high-tech/healthtech. My contributions to the discussion as part of the weekly shiur we have in my small community drive me to a renewed source of inspiration and motivation as I prepare for my contribution to the discussion.
I make no secret of the fact that I draw much of my discussion from the brilliant works of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. His writing is always timeless, and I believe with the divine connection that he no doubt had in his view of the world, often miraculously timely. There is always something that he wrote, perhaps sometimes decades ago, that relates directly to the very moment in time I am living through personally, or that the world is experiencing at large.
And so it was, as I prepared for this week, I was reminded of the many inscriptions I saw in so many places, on so many documents and memorials in Washington, that I had forgotten about, that came directly from what is colloquially referred to in many US history books as “The Old Testament.” I was very much a tourist in my own hometown…something I fear we have all become in a metaphorical sense these days. And as I turned to my reliable source I found in the opening line of one of the chapters Rabbi Sacks had written in relation to the parasha, the following quote from George Washington’s farewell address:
“Let us, with caution, indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
And so it is, as we are called to observe a National Shabbat, I find myself almost miraculously applauding and unequivocally celebrating President Trump for reminding us that our nation was founded on the principle of freedom OF religion, not freedom from it. Whatever the motivation for his pronouncement, as much as I disapprove of his political style, rhetoric, and many of his domestic policies, if I am intellectually honest, I must simply acknowledge and express gratitude for this most significant and timely call to a moment of national reflection.
In that spirit, I submit the following excerpt from my discussion that I shared with my community this week, inspired as always by the writings of the brilliant Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. As we read this past week about the blessings that come through adherence to our laws, our commandments, and our moral code, and the consequences for not doing so, the distinction between freedom and liberty, and fate versus hope are made clear.
Freedom and liberty are not the same thing. A society can only have liberty when freedom is rooted in a moral code that distinguishes between responsibility and reward, justice and punishment. Without it, freedom simply becomes an exercise in self-indulgence and a loss of perspective. The common cause, a common good by which we are all bound, whether we like it or not, is no longer a goal, but an obstacle to peace in exchange for an artificial “peace of mind.” We may “feel” better, but in reality, we have only soothed our hunger with a diet of junk food, rather than honest, intellectual nutrition.
When we lurch towards a desired outcome, without regard for the consequences along the way, we end up with a mob mentality driven only by immediate gratification. “This leads to self-worship on a national scale, a permissive and fertile environment for greed, corruption, and ultimately totalitarianism and the extinction of liberty itself,” says Rabbi Sacks. It doesn’t matter if you are on the right or the left. No one is immune. This is our current pandemic. The consequences of a society where the ultimate prize is “going viral.” We are living it today in the US, in Israel, and indeed globally.
The cure is not more empathy or more self-care, the popular tonics of the day. Both are important ingredients to a functioning society. After all, we can not take care of others if we don’t take care of ourselves. But when it comes at the expense of everything else, it is no longer part of the solution. It has become the problem itself.
What is needed is a return to the basics. A simple pause to reflect and learn. What is needed is a sincere curiosity and a desire to understand. This requires a shift from a society that idolizes affluence and influence to one that prioritizes learning and reflection, and worships something greater than itself. It begins by abandoning the question “why is this happening to us?” which is a symptom of a victim mentality that is without a moral compass. This leads to resentment and a desire for vengeance. Instead, we need to begin asking, “What can I learn and apply in a way that will be an example to others?” When we learn, truly learn, we can correct course. History does repeat itself. But we are a nation of hope. If the Jews have kept hope alive, as is often said, it is hope that has kept the Jewish people alive, despite the most unlikely and adverse circumstances. We do not believe in fate. That is the true nature of our freedom. Fate would condemn us to a mindset that it is inescapable. But hope assures us that despite our backslidings, when we return to the sources, we rediscover the map that guides us home and guides us forward. We are a nation of hope. It is no accident that this is our anthem. The only question remains: can we still read the map in time to find our way home?
