December 2024
Steve Lotter
Theodore Olson passed away recently. Olson was a leading Conservative power broker in the 80s and 90s, a legal advisor to President Ronald Reagan, a founding member of the Federalist Society, the influential conservative legal group, and a leading figure in many conservative legal triumphs of the 2000s, including Bush v. Gore (2000) and Citizens United (2010). But in 2009, Mr. Olson shocked both right and left-wing adherents when he fought for the right of gay marriage before the Supreme Court. People assumed it must have been personal for him – a gay child, or other relative. But Olson insisted it was consistent with his conservative political beliefs – one should be able to live freely without government interference on such personal matters.
Given that there are very few profiles in courage in public life anymore, it is important to acknowledge those who are worthy of that title. To advocate for a cause because it is the right thing to do, not just because we have a personal stake in it is what made Theodore Olson and Avraham Avinu profiles in courage.
Abraham defends Sodom and Gomorrah even though he does not live there and they are not part of his clan. In fact, it is pretty clear that Avraham disapproves of those communities.
Yet after passionately insisting on God’s mercy and God agreeing to save all of Sodom and Gomorrah if only 10 decent people can be found, Abraham seems unshaken after the destruction. The Torah states that “He looked down on the face of Sodom and Gomorrah.” What does that mean?
Rashbam, Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, 12th C Provence, offers a contextual explanation. Avraham looked out to see whether ten [righteous men] had been found there and if so, were they were saved.
Ovadiah Sforno, from 16th C Italy, interprets “VaYashkef” meaning, He looked down in the sense of ‘with condescension’, he looked down on the remnants of Sodom and Gomorrah with scorn for their great wickedness and knew there was no point to continue praying for them.
But a very different approach is taken by the midrash Shemot Rabbah: Rabbi Alexandri said: Great is the power of those who who are punctilious in offering tithes, for they change a curse into a blessing. Every time the term hashkifa is used in the Torah, it is has a negative connotation - of suffering, as the Lord looked down (va’yashkef) upon the Egyptian army and destroyed them (Shemot 14:24) … But in the case of those who offer their tithes, bringing them to the priests at the sacred space, they change the meaning of a word associated with destruction into blessing, for the farmer bringing his gifts to the priest recites a formula that states, God, Hashkifa, Look down, from Your holy abode, and bless Your people (Devarim 26:15) (Shemot Rabbah 41:1)
What is it about tithes that brings a change in hashkafah, that changes the meaning of the term from negative to positive?
It is a mitzvah which in some years is given to the impoverished. But also, the very essence of this mitzvah is what changes the curse into the blessing. For tithes required a farmer, perhaps a subsistence farmer, to give away a significant portion of his hard work. One can imagine that many did not observe this mitzvah. But for those who do this mitzvah is one that pulls the individual out of his or her self-importance and forces one to act on behalf of others who have less.
It is not a mitzvah like Kashrut which is about one’s own relationship with God. It is not a typical mitzvah of Gemilut hasadim, acts of kindness, which occur sporadically. This mitavah is required every year, whether a good crop or bad.
But as the late Rube Gould used to say, better to be the one to give then the one who has to receive. By just sensing for a moment the pain of deprivation, one places oneself in a position to appreciate how difficult life must be for those who are always in such a condition.
We will celebrate Hanukkah this month and Hanukkah is a celebration of courage – the courage to stand up for one’s beliefs and also the courage to stand up for what is right, whether it impacts the hero or not. Sixty six years ago The Temple in Atlanta was bombed as a result of Rabbi Jack Rothschild’s outspoken defense of integration. He said, “I don’t like being told it’s not my fight…A rabbi must himself have a deep dedication and a pervading commitment to the ideal of equality and dignity for all…- there must never be the slightest doubt about what he believes or where he stands.”
As we enter the darkness of the year, may our celebration of Hanukkah remind us that belief in the dignity of all is the light by which allows us to get through our darkest days.