You Care

“The Prophets of the Bible called out wrongs. They held nothing back when they criticized those who misled.” A grad student had this to say to me a few years ago. He was eager to engage me in his passionate criticism of troubled-leadership. Actually, he was interested in recruiting me. 

I agreed with his claim. Indeed, open to any page of any biblical Prophet, and you’ll find burning words against hypocrisy. But then I offered something for him to think about. 

“Yes the Prophets criticized wrongs. And they did so because they so desperately wanted Israel to succeed. Their longing for that success flowed from their love for our People. “Here’s the thing,” I concluded, “it’s hard for me to detect that loyal yearning for success in your prophetic voice.” 

He insisted he did want Israel’s success. For him it was a given. I cordially replied, “What you may think is needless to say, is necessary today.” 

Still, he did have a point. You and I can often sense when people care. Alas, we can also sense when they do not. 

And when yearning for success withers, when low opinions of our people, of our past, and of our potential take hold, their grip makes it harder to learn from our failings. 

This week’s portion of Torah brings us into the heart of the Torah’s middle Book. There we find the words for deep inquiry. Not just inquiry. Deep inquiry (Darosh Darash) (Lev. 10:16). They come within passages that are exquisitely attentive to distinctions. Differentiating the holy from ordinary, the pure from impure. Deep inquiry, listening not merely to feelings but also for them, will let you know the yearnings of critics.

There’s nothing wrong with candid criticism. There is much that’s right about it. It’s actually necessary. But so is wanting for success. 

As President Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”