Category: Refugee

MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE- THE MESSAGE OF EIKEV

MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE- THE MESSAGE OF EIKEV

When life becomes easier and we start to relax, hard-won battles fade into distant memories. We then drift into a new reality, and instead of staying alert and valuing our principles, we relax, enjoying a good life and the rewards of our hard work, daring to believe we’ve earned it and that it will always be ours. The hunger that once motivated us diminishes and we face the consequences. It is human nature to become complacent, but we must not.

This is Moses’s cautionary message to the people in his final speech. He warns them that change is coming. The generation that met God in the wilderness is passing away, and a new generation will take their place and settle in the promised land. Without that personal experience, these new generations risk losing their close relationship with God.

Turning away from God is dangerous. Forgetting how you arrived here and showing gratitude through consistent reverence and practice will lead people to ruin. Just as the current inhabitants who are about to be displaced from the land, you, too, will eventually lose the blessings of this place and be forced to leave as well.

The wilderness has taught you to be strong.

There’s an old story that teaches us tough times build strong people, and strong people then create easy times. Those easy times lead to soft people, who in turn produce tough times again. It’s a cycle that can only be broken by staying committed to God, because God’s gift of the promised land won’t lead us to complacency. It remains a constant challenge.

We see this in our community today. The previous generations worked hard and built a better life for their children and our children. They will inherit wealth that makes life easier. However, they may not fully remember the sacrifices others made for them. We are currently experiencing one of the biggest transfers of wealth in history. Money and property are passed to this new generation to simplify life. But this is only material wealth. The true challenge is how to pass down the lasting core values that emphasize hard work, sharing our abundance, and working to improve the world by carrying forward the values of our tradition for everyone. We face this challenge today just as Moses did then.

I recently spoke with a woman who was worried that her death might come too soon. Although her body was ready, she felt her children were not; they were unprepared to manage without her. The question was more complicated than the answer. Moses, too, is struggling to give final words of advice, admonitions to remember God and follow His word. At the end, it is too late to change the course. We hope that the lives we live and the values we model become lessons learned and embraced.

A midrash about the patriarch Jacob depicts him surrounded by his sons as he nears death, reflecting on whether his children have learned the lessons and will uphold the values or if those values will die with him. The adult children respond, “Listen, Father, we hear you and it shall be,” saying, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.” With his final breath, Jacob says, “Praised be Adonai forever.” Baruch Shem kavod malchuto l’olam va’ed.” (Gen Rab 95)

We would all sleep better knowing everything will work out. We do our best. For Moses, it was to be a prophet, a liberator, a teacher, a priest, a judge, and a man. For forty years in the desert and many years before the Exodus, he showed how to serve his people through his devotion to God. In our own ways, as parents, we also have those same responsibilities. As loving parents, we do our best to nurture and provide our children with what they need to find their way in the world. Then, it’s time for them to stand on their own. We work toward this moment diligently and can only hope it will be enough.

 

 

 

Lean In

I am reeling from the attacks on my fellow Jews here in the United States. I struggle to understand the apparent fight against anti-Semitism by targeting institutions like Harvard, which seems to provoke a backlash. It appears that Jew-hatred has been normalized enough for these miscreants to heed the words that sanction violent acts. Recent horrific attacks on Jews leave us wondering if we are safe. What should we do?

LEAN IN

I take pride in my heritage, the values of my tradition, and the prophetic call to make the world a better place. I connect with people who share my beliefs, and I also reach out to those who do not. I stand up for what I believe and engage in conversation with others.

I will proudly defend my identity, including that of an American who upholds the aspirations of our founding documents and the struggle for equality, justice, and liberty.

Now is not the time to cower in fear but to realize that many others are like me, seeking a safe and secure world for our children, believing in something greater than myself, and understanding that the “other” is not a threat; they are just someone I have yet to know. It can be scary and difficult to do.

I attend my synagogue.  If you haven’t done so recently, now is a great time to find community.  And there are so many causes that demand our attention, for our charge is to make the world a better place.  It is more important than ever to fulfill our mission.  There is strength in numbers, and besides our Jewish community, we have many allies.

I am a Jew; I am an American.  I fight for the causes I believe in because they are righteous and good.  Join me and Lean In.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor

Emma Lazarus’ famous words, inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, beckon the forgotten and desperate to look towards America. Our economy is based on everyone’s contribution.

Elon Musk recognizes the need for highly skilled workers, the ‘Gifted-Minds,’ to advance productivity in our economy. He advocates for the immigration of such workers, including expanding H1B visas. However, the United States also requires physically capable workers, the “Abled-Bodies.” As much as we need engineers and scientists, we need skilled and unskilled labor for the fields, factories, and construction. Without these workers, the supply of goods and products will decrease, pushing higher prices. Even in Musk’s vision of a new technological age, we need both kinds of workers.

The unskilled view us as a land of opportunity. A functioning immigration system managing the process benefits our economy and promotes their well-being. The current system exploits workers in the worst of ways while giving us cheap food.  A comprehensive system, regulations, and unionization are ways to ensure they are not exploited in the dark meaning of the word.

Arguably, the shift toward a fair living wage benefits all of us. The increased costs of a legitimate worker are offset by the reduced support people need from public assistance and the reduced burdens of immigration and the legal system, which creates taxpayers. However, a comprehensive immigration policy that promotes lawful access to our country’s opportunities is not enough; we need to go further.

The undocumented immigrants are fleeing their desperate homelands in search of economic opportunities. This is a familiar narrative. The same prospects drove many of our families to take the enormous risks of coming here. It is in our national interest to foster stable societies in these otherwise despairing and hopeless regions. By doing so, we can reduce the need to flee and alleviate the pressures on our borders.

We can and must do better than a broken system that functions as a battleground for political parties. We can strengthen our borders, build better relationships with our neighbors, and, just as importantly, create a more dynamic economy right here at home. The promise of Emma Lazarus’s words continues to inspire a new vision for America and hope for the future.

 

 

 

 

Bring Them Home Now

Bring Them Home

This is the mantra we need to keep repeating in every conversation.  Our people must be brought home as the basis for any negotiation.

Many hostages have perished, all have endured unspeakable suffering, and we presume those still alive continue to be abused.  This is the moral basis for the continued war on Hamas.

Although Hamas does not care about the killing and destruction inflicted on the Palestinian people and crudely, cynically positions the hostages and the Palestinians as bargaining chips in political maneuvering, we care about them and will continue to fight against the forces of barbarism until our people come home.

I pray for peace, and I pray for the end to the pain and suffering.  Bring them home, and then we can take steps toward ending hostilities.

War is Hell

The death and destruction of war are terrible, and it has never spared civilians.  It cannot.  The objective is to defeat the enemy, and that is done by breaking things and killing people.

The victims are innocent civilians, and the people in the hospital in Gaza are among them.  Everyone bears responsibility regardless of who fired the missile that caused the bloodbath.  This kind of tragedy will continue to happen as long as the war lasts.

As terrible as war is, moral wars need to be fought when you face an existential threat.  Hamas has proven that it is an existential threat to Israel and, therefore, must be eradicated.

For anyone needing proof of their barbarity beyond the vicious brutality unleashed on Israeli civilians, look no further than the keeping of the hostages.  These hostages include the 200 kidnapped from Israel but also the civilian population of Gaza trying to flee the carnage.  They have not permitted humanitarian aid into Gaza, and what little has gotten in has been stolen.

Hamas must be eliminated.  There is no choice.

It is time for all nations to find a way towards peace in the region.  Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi must join the United States and others to create a new Marshall Plan to rebuild in the aftermath of war, providing physical and governmental infrastructure to finally give the Palestinians the opportunity to live in peace and security alongside a safe and secure Israel.  Whoever cares for the region’s people must come to the table and start the work.

Every decent person is appalled by the loss of human life.

We pray for peace.

As the candles glow, Remember Them

Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to the cause of humanity by helping Ukrainians during this harsh winter.  The Russians are brutal, targeting civilians to bring Ukraine to it’s knees.

Please help by donating what you can to the relief efforts.

Donate here and receive a Kippah to proudly display, like the Menorah in the window, that you #StandWithUkraine.  www.RabbiDavidLevin.com/Kippah.

Chag Urim Sameach!