Be Smart in 5786

Some of you know that I spend way too much time on social media. Much of it is a waste of time, but much of it also has connected me to smart people who share thinking with me. So, one year, I went to my online friends on social media, specifically X (back when it was Twitter) and Facebook and asked the following:

As we near Rosh Hashana, the conclusion of the Jewish New Year, what image summarizes the year for you? The images that came in, were those of bafflement, shock, exhaustion, and, probably my favorite: a digital gift box that when opened, led to a response that was basically:  What the…? (fill in the blank as you wish). Looking back at the past year, I’d summarize all the responses as: How in the heck did we get here and how are we supposed to get out of this, and progress?

Now according to Bereshit / Genesis, we’re created in the likeness of God, ate from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, were given insights, inspired, or even given directly by a benevolent God. So how, in the year just past, did we collectively get stupid?

Never in the history of the U.S., or for that matter, throughout much of the world, have we been better educated. More people than ever graduate high school, attend university and even get graduate degrees. More books are written and read, we have more access to genuine information and facts in a handheld phone than earlier generations had in the Library of Congress. We have the best physicians and medical researchers working to cure every illness known to humanity. So it’s pretty obvious what we should do: use the knowledge God gave us and work to heal our world.

After all, every day we praise God:

אַתָּה חוֹנֵן לְאָדָם דַּֽעַת וּמְלַמֵּד לֶאֱנוֹשׁ בִּינָה: חָנֵּֽנוּ מֵאִתְּ֒ךָ דֵּעָה בִּינָה וְהַשְׂכֵּל: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה חוֹנֵן הַדָּֽעַת

You favor humanity with knowledge and give mankind understanding. Grant us knowledge, understanding and enlightenment from You. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Grantor of knowledge.

But somehow we, collectively as a society, have lost our way. Instead of recognizing that the medical scientists who have worked 24/7 to make sure we stay safe, as we did in past generations, we see many political, religious, and community leaders recommending that we specifically, do not follow what science and knowledge tell us as fact.  Rather than demonstrating humility towards worldwide scientists that said: we are destroying the world and we need to change our behavior in order to save it, we haughtily declare: We know more than scientists, we don’t believe what scientists are saying. Keep on doing what we’re doing. We know better, because we took high school science courses.

We Jews have an interesting relationship with science and medicine. Trust me, to her dying day, my mother was embarrassed that I did not become a doctor. To be sure, we recite mi sheberach prayers for those who are ill, but we don’t believe in faith healing. Reciting the mi sheberach goes hand-in-hand with seeking the best medical care possible. One of the most interesting Hasidic groups in America are the so-called Bostoner Chasidim. They’re very serious Hasidim. And their movement and their rebbe are known for, among other things, interceding with some of the top physicians and hospitals in the country to make sure that people who ask for their help get the medical attention of those experts. Do they pray for ill individuals? Absolutely. Do they make sure those individuals get the best medical care, darn right.

Same thing with an organization I have the privilege of working with – Jewish Fertility Foundation. Sure, they encourage praying for those who, like our ancestor Sarah, faced fertility challenges. But they also provide thousands of dollars to anyone who needs medical interventions so that they can have Jewish children of their own.

Just listen to some of the words of Tehillim/Psalm 107, talking about how God helps us and the difference between the wise person and the fool:

Praise the LORD, for He is good; His steadfast love is eternal!… Let them praise the LORD for His steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for mankind…There were fools who suffered for their sinful way, and for their iniquities. All food was loathsome to them; they reached the gates of death. In their adversity they cried to the LORD and He saved them from their troubles. He gave an order and healed them; He delivered them from the pits…The wise person will take note of these things; he will consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

That’s the Judaism we believe in. The one that says: Yes, God will protect and heal you. Not because we checked our mezuzot or uttered the right psalms. Those are all fine. But mostly, God heals us because it was God who gave the doctors and scientists of the world the wisdom and knowledge to create vaccines and cures, it was God that gave the scientists of the U.N. and of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the insight to say: people, we need to act now to avoid climate and planetary disaster.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, shortly before his death wrote a final book, Morality. He criticized the populism that has taken root across the world. A populism in which a charismatic leader will say:  Don’t believe anyone other than me. Everyone else, scientists, other politicians, the free press, even many of the clergy, are all lying to you. Only believe me and what I tell you is true. That, according toRabbi Sacks, is dangerous populism. At the same time, Rabbi Sacks criticized the demagoguery of social media, the way in which unexamined opinions and feelings become magnified and take on ridiculous dimensions. Indeed, what do we call people on social media? Influencers. Not scientists, not experts. Influencers. Judged by how many followers or how amplified voices become, no matter how inane the opinions expressed.

Check it out: The Torah has Abraham, a widely recognized prophet in his own generation, disturbed by Sarah insisting that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out from their home. It would have been well within Abraham’s right to say: Sarah, I know you’re to be the first of the Matriarchs. I know that in the future, Jewish tradition will say that you were an even greater prophet than me. But hey, I know best.  And he may have been going down that path when God intervenes and says “Do whatever Sarah tells you”.  So, yes, Abraham is a great man. He’s recognized as a social influencer, he has strong opinions, he’s even a great prophet. But, God points out:  Sir: you do not have all the answers.  I’ve given Sarah specialized knowledge in this. Follow her wisdom.

The year we begin holds great opportunities and great threats. May we make the commitments over these holidays to commit ourselves to maximizing the opportunities to live lives guided by emet, by truths, and to opposing the threats posed by falsehoods. May we bless those around us – in our families, our communities, our worlds, with the blessings of deah binah v’haskel, God’s blessings of true knowledge, insights and enlightenment. Wishing you a shana tova, a happy, healthy, sweet, and smart New Year.