By Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D.
Who are we? Who are we capable of becoming?
These questions are the core questions of the Torah portions we read during the weeks leading up to the High Holy Days. As we read about Moses’ attempts to clarify his legacy it seems he’s deeply concerned about whether the Israelites will remember who they are and whether they will be able to fulfill their (our) mission to create an ideal society. Moses’ exhortations vacillate between confidence in the people and profound doubt in their capacities. Understandably, he’s worried that once we achieve the goal of reaching the Promised Land and have enough to eat, we will forget who we are, and we will become too comfortable and fail to live according to our core values.
In this week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, we find Moses once again reminding the Israelites what they’ll need to remember about their past in order to succeed in the future. If they remember who they are supposed to become once they are no longer a nomadic tribe, then they might be able to do the hard work of applying those standards to the society they have the opportunity to create.
But who are we? According to this week’s Torah portion, Moses reminds us repeatedly that in God’s eyes we are an am kadosh, a “holy people”, a “people consecrated to the Eternal your God.” (Deuteronomy 14:2). But what does that mean on a practical level?
My teacher and mentor, Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, was the first to teach me that the future of the Jewish people depends on whether we know “who and Whose we are.” This makes sense for people who see themselves as “belonging” to God. However, you understand God, and whether you believe in God, or feel a responsibility to perform any specific commandment, Jewish culture is built on a sense of responsibility to something beyond us as individuals.
At its core, Judaism has two goals for us: 1) to become the most ethical people we can possibly be; and 2) to establish and maintain an ethical society in the face of the challenges we will face. Moses’ job is to make sure that we have the knowledge and confidence to be able to fulfill these tasks.
If you want to know whether a society is ethical, just look at how it treats its most vulnerable.
What’s remarkable is the way the Torah holds up the goal of the ideal society, and at the same time is well-aware of the reality of any human society. Within several verses, the Torah says both that there will be no needy in the land, and when there are needy, be sure to give generously and take care of them. The well-known medieval commentator Rashi emphasizes that we must not only open our hands and hearts, but we must give whatever is needed. (Rashi on Deuteronomy 15:8, 15:12). Why? Because of our particular story: “Bear in mind that you were slaves in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 15:15).
God redeemed us from slavery so we can behave in ways that make the world better. Choosing “the good,” as the Torah says, defines each of us and defines us as a society and as a people. We are only worthy of our freedom if we know what to do with it. So, the Torah gives us myriad instructions about how we treat other people, how we treat the earth, how we treat animals and how we respond to the highest expectations of who we can and should become.
If we can forget the past and focus only on our own selfish desires, then our society might thrive for many years to come. It’s ultimately up to each one of us as individuals and up to us as a community.
Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D., is the rabbi at Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation in Baltimore.
