Praying with our Feet – Behar-Behukotai 5785

Photo credit: Beth Whitman

This week, I got to see my two favorite teams: the Mets and the Red Sox play. Monday night was Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway, and a wonderful group from Emunah braved the cold, wore their Hebrew Red Sox jerseys, and passed out “Be Like Mike” stickers.

Thank you to Terri Swartz Russell for organizing and helping us honor Mike Rosenberg, who loved the Red Sox and threw out the first pitch two years ago on Jewish Heritage Night. May his memory be for a blessing.

Photo credit: Rabbi David Lerner

Walking around the concourse that night, it felt like Israel—kippot, tzitzit, so many familiar faces from our community. There was even a kosher food stand! (The 40-minute wait, less exciting…)

But what was clear: this was a space where we could be publicly Jewish—and not be afraid.

And yet, that’s not how many Jews—or many Americans—are feeling right now.

We are feeling threatened. The recent attack in DC has only heightened that. May Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim’s memory be for a blessing. Since October 7th, antisemitism has surged. And it has made people afraid—afraid to speak out, afraid to call out injustice.

Photo credit: Israeli Embassy in Washington

Fear is what our enemies want. Fear is what the enemies of democracy want. Fear feeds hate.

But this Shabbat, I want to ask you: don’t be afraid. Stand with me—because this moment in history demands it.

I never thought I’d say this, I really could never have imagined saying this, but I’m genuinely concerned for the future of American democracy.

Right now, people are being detained and deported without due process.

• A Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was deported to El Salvador despite a judge granting him protection. The government admitted it was an “administrative error”—but has refused to bring him back, against the Supreme Court!
• US-born children have been deported alongside their foreign-born parents.
• A Wisconsin judge was handcuffed and arrested in her own courtroom—a chilling attack on judicial independence.
• Law firms are being denied access to federal buildings unless they pledge loyalty to the administration.
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rescinded protections for sacred spaces—synagogues, schools, hospitals—discouraging immigrants from entering even houses of worship like our shul.
• And the President of the United States publicly said he doesn’t know if Americans should receive due process or if he needs to uphold the Constitution.

These aren’t partisan issues. This isn’t about policy differences. This is about the most basic values: the right to free speech, due process, and the rule of law.

If these rights crumble, anyone can be taken off the street and sent away—mistakenly, or deliberately—and never returned. As Jews, we know this story. We’ve lived it.

* * *

Jewish tradition is crystal clear:

• The Torah requires due process—“By the testimony of two witnesses…” indicating that not only do we need trials to convict, the burden of proof is high (Devarim 19:15).
• The Talmud (Sanhedrin 33b–34a) teaches that the accused had the right to speak and present evidence—even after trial.
• Judges are required to search for reasons to acquit, and any new information that could exonerate the defendant requires reexamination (Sanhedrin 17a).

So thank God, some are speaking out. There is a growing movement to defend democracy, and it includes Jews from across the political spectrum.

One organization, A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, is bringing together voices from the left and the right, from Orthodox to Reform rabbis, to defend our democratic values. It includes synagogues from different streams of Judaism and mainstream organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Community Relations Councils from across the country.

Temple Isaiah is hosting them on June 17. I hope you’ll be there.

But you don’t have to wait until June.

* * *

Last month, I joined with interfaith partners to draft a letter condemning recent attacks on the rule of law and due process. With the support of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), with which Emunah is affiliated, and the Massachusetts Council of Churches, more than 200 clergy from across Massachusetts and across faith traditions have now signed an expanded version of the letter, which we will be delivering to our representatives.

We are building a public voice. But we need more than letters—we need bold action.

So we are planning something historic.

Photo credit: Rev. Laura Everett, Massachusetts Council of Churches, and Rabbi David Lerner, Temple Emunah

On Friday, May 30, 2025, clergy from across faiths will walk—symbolically reversing Paul Revere’s ride—from Lexington’s Battle Green to Boston Common, not shouting “The Redcoats are coming,” but “Our rights are being taken!”

We need you.

While we don’t have permitting for all of us to walk ALL the 12 miles (not sure everyone wants to do that), we do need you to meet us:

• At 2 pm on Boston Common for a rally and prayers
• Or along the way to pray and sing:
  • 7:30-7:45 am – Lexington Battle Green
  • 9:45-1015 am – Arlington Center, First Parish
  • 11:30 am-noon – Cambridge Common

And yes, bring friends. Bring family. Bring your neighbors. Bring your dog. Bring everyone. Everyone you know!

We’ll need helpers: SAG (Support and Gear) drivers, sign holders, singers, photographers, and cheerleaders. If you can help, let me know.

* * *

Why is this Jewish? Why is standing up for justice Jewish? Why?

Because it always has been.

• The Torah commands: Tzedek, tzedek tirdof—Justice, justice shall you pursue. Not just do it, but go out and find it.
• Lo ta’amod al dam re’echa—Do not stand idly by. Do something when people are in need or when injustice occurs.
• Shtikah k’hoda’ah dami—Silence is consent. (Bava Metzia 37b). We may NEVER be silent in the face of injustice.

Abstaining is not an option. Elie Wiesel said it best:

Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” (Nobel Prize Speech)

* * *

It’s not always easy to speak up. But we are called to do it.

In 1770, after the Boston Massacre, John Adams—who would become president—defended the British soldiers who killed colonists in court. People wanted revenge; people were angry. At great personal risk, he stood for the rule of law. He said they deserved due process and he defended them. He later said it was one of the most important things he ever did.

And before Adams? Abraham. When God told him of the plan to destroy Sodom, Abraham didn’t stay silent. He challenged God:
“HaShofet kol ha’aretz lo ya’aseh mishpat?”
“Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?”

And then, 4,000 years later, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, marching with Dr. King in Selma, said, “When I marched in Selma, my legs were praying.”

Fair use image

Friends, it’s time for us to start praying—with our feet.

One day, when your children or grandchildren or students ask you, “What did you do in 2025 to protect democracy?”
You’ll be able to say: “I stood up. I spoke out. I walked for justice.”

May God bless this country, and may our democracy shine like a beacon of light to the world, and let us say Amen.