Standards and Practices

In the middle of the myriad of laws in this week’s Torah portion, Aharei Mot, Scriptures appears to take a break. G-d tells Moses to relay to the Israelites that He is the Almighty — “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them: ‘\’I am God, your G-d'” — and then gets to the point:

“You must not imitate the practices of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you must not imitate the practices of Canaan, to which I am bringing you.” [Leviticus 18:3]

The Torah does not identify these practices. But Shlomo Yitzhaki, or Rashi, explains that the reference to Egypt and Canaan are not arbitrary. These two are regarded as the most debased of nations, and the Jews lived in the worst parts of these lands.

What follows this admonishment gives us an idea of what the Torah meant. A few verses later, Scriptures provides a rundown of the prohibition of illicit relations. They run the gamut of incest to bestiality, what the Egyptians and Canaanites were known for. But the ban also included the culture of these nations — whether attending their theaters or stadiums, which remain fixtures of modern life. In contrast, the Jew is meant to learn and follow the Torah. Everything else is irrelevant.

Still, there is a counterargument: Those were ancient times when people didn’t know better or were isolated. In the modern world, we are educated to respect women, minorities, animals and anybody else regarded as vulnerable.

A quick search makes clear the French adage, Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose, or nothing ever changes. Until a few years ago, the United States contained four states that permitted bestiality. Many other states still classify bestiality, the latest term is “zoosexuals,” as no more than a misdemeanor, resulting in a fine or light prison sentence. A recent study estimates that between three and eight percent of Americans engage in sex with animals.

“People just don’t want to believe this is happening in our community. The problem is that it is happening in our community, and we need to be able to stop it.” [Stephanie Kendrick of the Hawaiian Humane Society to the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, March 23, 2021]

Chaim Ibn Attar, the 18th Century kabbalist known by his work Or Hachayim, notes the numerous times the Torah tells the Jewish people, “I am G-d, your G-d.” The divine message, the Or Hachayim asserts, suggests the difficulty in abstaining from illicit relations. Raging hormones combined with privacy and access make incest and adultery easy and to some even natural. In 2004, the World Health Organization classified incest as a “silent health emergency” — silent, because incest is widely known but rarely reported.

So, what’s a Jew to do? Bestiality and incest are all around him. But that is his mission — the struggle to remain master of his emotions rather than their slave. That ability marks real freedom as well as genuine service to the Almighty.

“You must not follow their conventions.” [Leviticus 18:3]

What are the conventions of Egypt and Canaan? Unlike those in the Torah, the conventions of the gentiles change with each generation. In the 1950s, America was focused on the family. In the 1960s, the family broke up and young people tuned out and turned on. In the 1970s, the kids cut their hair and career became the national passion, followed by arbitrage, mortgage fraud, fake vaccines and transgender. Meritocracy was replaced by diversity. The pace became dizzying.

And throughout we heard the rumbles of war. Usually, war was presented as the path to peace. Cowardice was redefined as wisdom. Sobriety was seen as treason. What most didn’t realize is that the policies termed defense were meant for one thing — to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Most people have never heard of Smedley Darlington Butler. But during the first half of the 20th Century, Butler was an American hero, a U.S. Marine Corps general who twice received the Medal of Honor. With each passing year, however, Butler grew angrier, realizing that he and millions of Americans were being used by an elite that profited from war and pillage. After he retired from the military in 1931, he did the unimaginable: He toured America and told the truth. His highly acclaimed speech was titled “War Is a Racket,” later published in a book and condensed in Reader’s Digest, the most popular periodical at the time. His message was that Americans have no idea what a small group of businessmen and politicians are doing in the name of patriotism.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909–1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested. [War Is a Racket. Smedley D. Butler, New York, Round Table Press,1935]

That is the convention of gentile societies, and the Torah warns us to stay away from them and their lies. They’ve published books, produced films, operated media sponsored art even created religions. You might argue, “But I have exhausted the study of Torah and now want to examine the wisdom of the nations.” G-d’s response: “Not in My Land and not on My watch.”

“You must safeguard My charge, not to commit any of the abominable practices that were performed [by those who occupied the land] before you, so you do not become spiritually defiled. I am G-d, your G-d.” [Leviticus 18:30]