Good News: The Diaspora and Eretz
Yisrael become synchronized on the Parsha again as in the Diaspora it is a
double Parsha of Chukas-Balak.
Parsha Balak
Our last Parsha ended with the Bnei
Yisrael leaving the plains of Moav, going up further north to the Golan Heights
and now returning to the Moav area.
22:1 And the
children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in the plains of Moab beyond the
Jordan at Jericho.
They returned from the battles up north on the
Golan Heights and the plains below and were now back opposite Yericho.
2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw
all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3
And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was
overcome with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian: 'Now will
this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass
of the field.' And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 And he
sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River,
to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying: 'Behold, there
is a people come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and
they abide over against me. 6 Come now
therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me;
peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them
out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blesses is blessed, and he whom
thou curses is cursed.'
Balak is so steeped in the Tuma of Avoda Zara
that he cannot see the truth. What is the Truth? Who gives the blessings and
that Shabbos is the source of all blessings.
7 And the elders of Moab and the
elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and
they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak. 8 And he said unto them: 'Lodge here this night, and I
will bring you back word, as the LORD may speak unto me'; and the princes of
Moab abode with Balaam. 9 And God came
unto Balaam, and said: 'What men are these with thee?'
From Rabbi B. Wein this week’s Parsha via the www.Torah.org: The prophet Bilaam experiences a conversation from Heaven. The conversation, as the Torah records for us, begins with Heaven asking Bilaam who were the people who came to visit? Isn’t that a strange question? First, if Heaven knows that people came to visit him, it is also aware who those people were. And why should Heaven even bother to ask? Is this germane to the central issue as to whether Bilaam should be allowed to proceed to curse the Jewish people? Thus, the commentaries, as can be expected, offer different outlooks on this issue.
The
simple explanation is that Heaven is not, if anything, courteous. When you
begin a conversation with someone, you do not jump to the main issue
immediately, but there is always a prelude. There is something that opens the
conversation in a friendly manner. Therefore, Heaven asked Bilaam if he had a
busy day at the office? What happened? Who were the people he saw? And that
would engage Bilaam to respond. And from that response, Heaven would be able to
discern whether it would be a smart idea to proceed.
That
is one approach. Another approach, which I feel is valid, is that Heaven is
asking Bilaam a basic question. Heaven knows what people want. Heaven knows
that Bilaam wants to curse the Jewish people. So, the Lord places in front of
Bilaam, a kind of barrier, something to think about. “Who were the people that came
to visit today?” Were they Holy people or other people? Were they interested in
your welfare or people with only self-interests? Were they people of substance,
or just simply messengers of government and Kings who have no independent
judgment of their own, and were only carrying out the orders that were assigned
to them? Therefore, Heaven asks Bilaam a cogent question about these people?
If you
could answer who these people were, I think you could have a much better view
of what your response should be. Bilaam did not take the hint because he had
preconceived ideas. He wanted to go no matter what. And even when Heaven told
him not to go, he was still determined. The Talmud tells us that an individual
is led in the path that he wishes to go. That is how Heaven guides him. So
Bilaam is doomed by his own preconditioned, predetermined will. He wants to
curse the Jewish people, but he does not hear the nuance in the question that
was asked of him.
10 And Balaam said unto God: 'Balak
the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me [saying]: 11 Behold the people that is come out of Egypt, it covers
the face of the earth; now, come curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to
fight against them, and shall drive them out.' 12 And God said unto Balaam: 'Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not
curse the people; for they are blessed.'
He had a chance to die a Tzaddik by repenting
from his antisemitism and uttering exactly these words. However, his hatred for
the Bnei Yisrael was so great that he would rather die destroying many from the
tribe of Shimon than to give Am Yisrael credit for being blessed by HASHEM.
13 And Balaam rose up in the
morning, and said unto the princes of Balak: 'Get you into your land; for the
LORD refuses to give me leave to go with you.'
HASHEM will not allow me to go WITH YOU. Not that
Am Yisrael was blessed. What would have happened if he would have advised Moav
and Midian to make a peace treaty with Am Yisrael? The implication is that I
cannot go WITH YOU but perhaps with somebody else and Balak figures this out.
14 And the princes of Moab rose up,
and they went unto Balak, and said: 'Balaam refuses to come with us.'
WITH US but perhaps a more distinguished bunch of
ministers.
15 And Balak sent yet again
princes, more, and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him: 'Thus says Balak the son of
Zippor: Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me; 17 for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and
whatsoever thou say unto me I will do; come therefore, I pray thee, curse me
this people.' 18 And Balaam answered and
said unto the servants of Balak: 'If Balak would give me his house full of
silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do anything,
small or great.
I am like putty in the hands of HASHEM I cannot
do anything without HIS permission.
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry
ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will speak unto me
more.'
In the name of antisemitism and a chance to curse
Am Yisrael please stay the night.
20 And God came unto Balaam at
night, and said unto him: 'If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with
them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.' 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his
ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22
And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the LORD placed
himself in the way for an adversary against him.
Wait a minute! G-D just told him that he could go
so why was G-D angry with him for going? The answer is a few Pasukim back.
Bilaam was specifically told the following: 'Thou shalt not go for the people
are blessed.
Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two
servants were with him. 23
And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his sword drawn
in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field;
and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a hollow way
between the vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on that side. 25 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD, and she thrust
herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; and he smote
her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD
went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to
the right hand or to the left.
The wall where he went and the narrow place were
left-overs from the Gal-ad between Lavan and Yacov. Bilaam had crossed the line
and violated the covenant between the two of them.
27 And the ass saw the angel of the
LORD, and she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he
smote the ass with his staff.
He was infuriated that the donkey would not move
further.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of
the ass, and she said unto Balaam: 'What have I done unto thee, that thou hast
smitten me these three times?'
Three times are a hint at Pesach, Shavuos and
Sukkos.
29 And Balaam said unto the ass:
'Because thou hast mocked me; I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I
had killed thee.'
You have embarrassed me that had I a sword in my
hand, I would have killed you.
30 And the ass said unto Balaam:
'Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy lifelong unto this
day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?' And he said: 'Nay.'
Ridden-lifelong indicates that the donkey was
also his sexual partner not only a mode of transport.
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of
Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his sword
drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.
Now his eyes are about to be opened and the Angel
is revealed to him. Now he saw the real sword and to whom it was intended.
32 And the angel of the LORD said
unto him: 'Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I
am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is contrary unto me; 33 and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these
three times; unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain
thee, and saved her alive.'
You curse nations with your mouth but cannot
answer with the same mouth a rebuke of a simple jackass. Since she talked in
this world like a human, her mission is finished and at that point the donkey
expired on the path. Bilaam had to walk and also needed help burying the
carcass of the donkey.
34 And Balaam said unto the angel
of the LORD: 'I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stood in the way against
me; now therefore, if it displeases thee, I will get me back.' 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam: 'Go with
the men; but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt
speak.'
It might displease me, but now I am going to let
you stew in your antisemitism and you shall bless them.
So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36 And when Balak heard that Balaam
was come, he went out to meet him unto Ir-moab, which is on the border of
Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Did I not earnestly send
unto thee to call thee? wherefore came thou not unto me? am I not able indeed
to promote thee to honor?' 38 And Balaam
said unto Balak: 'Lo, I am come unto thee; have I now any power at all to speak
anything? the word that God puts in my mouth, that shall I speak.'
What G-D puts in my mouth but not necessarily
what you would like my mouth to say.
39 And Balaam went with Balak, and
they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. 40 And
Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that
were with him. 41 And it came to pass in
the morning that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into Bamoth-baal, and he
saw from thence the utmost part of the people.
These were altars for baal and other non-existent
gods.
23:1 And
Balaam said unto Balak: 'Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven
bullocks and seven rams.' 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on
every altar a bullock and a ram. 3 And
Balaam said unto Balak: 'Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go;
peradventure the LORD will come to meet me; and whatsoever He shows me I will
tell thee.' And he went to a bare height. 4
And God met Balaam; and he said unto Him: 'I have prepared the seven altars,
and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.' 5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said:
'Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.' 6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, he,
and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he
took up his parable, and said: From Aram Balak brings me, the king of Moab from
the mountains of the East: 'Come, curse me Jacob, and come, execrate Israel.' 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how
shall I execrate, whom the LORD hath not execrated?
Wake up Balak repent I cannot curse those whom
G-D has not curse. But yet both continue. Wake up you stupid antisemites and
try to understand.
9 For from the top of the rocks I
see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell
alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10 Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, or numbered the
stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let mine end be
like his!
They are righteous, I want to be like them.
Wake-up they have not attacked you. You have a chance to make an alliance with
them now is the time.
11 And Balak said unto Balaam:
'What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold,
thou hast blessed them altogether.' 12
And he answered and said: 'Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD
puts in my mouth?' 13 And Balak said unto
him: 'Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou may see
them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all;
and curse me them from thence.'
Boy are these two men so dense that they cannot
stop being blinded by pre-conceived concepts of antisemitism. If they could
only understand the truth!
14 And he took him into the field
of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a
bullock and a ram on every altar. 15 And
he said unto Balak: 'Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I go toward a
meeting yonder.' …18 And he took up his
parable, and said: Arise, Balak, and hear; give ear unto me, thou son of
Zippor: 19 God is not a man, that He
should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: when He hath said,
will He not do it? or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath
blessed, I cannot call it back. 21 None
hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath one seen perverseness in Israel;
the LORD his God is with him, and the shouting for the King is among them. …
24:1 And
when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at
the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the
wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up
his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe; and the spirit of God came
upon him. 3 And he took up his parable,
and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose
eye is opened; 4 The saying of him who
hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet
with opened eyes: 5 How goodly are thy
tents, O Jacob, thy dwellings, O Israel! …10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands
together; and Balak said unto Balaam: 'I called thee to curse mine enemies,
and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place; I thought to
promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honor.'
You are a scoundrel for coming and blessing
instead of cursing. You are dishonorable.
12 And Balaam said unto Balak:
'Spoke I not also to thy messengers that thou didst send unto me, saying: 13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and
gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine
own mind; what the LORD speaks, that will I speak? 14 And now, behold, I go unto my people; come, and I
will announce to thee what this people shall do to thy people in the end of
days.'
He gave to Balak the advice of using the women of
a fertility cult to seduce Jews into worshiping idols and being immodest. For
the L-RD hates idols and immorality. By doing both it is a deadly combination.
15 And he took up his parable, and
said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eye
is opened. …25 And Balaam rose up, and
went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
After Israel sinned and many died, he came back
to collect his reward and Yisrael gave it to him in the battle of Midian.
25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people
began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto
the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their
gods.
The Baal Peor was both fertility and use of the
toilet. They defecated and urinated in front of the Statue but that was the way
it was worshipped and the fornication just added to the worship.
3 And Israel joined himself unto
the Baal of Peor; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Take all the chiefs of
the people, and hang them up unto the LORD in face of the sun, that the fierce
anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.' 5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel: 'Slay ye everyone his men
that have joined themselves unto the Baal of Peor.'
Moshe had just given this order when Zimri
appeared with his Goya.
6 And, behold, one of the children
of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midian woman in the sight of
Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel,
while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting.
Moshe came to rebuke him and to get rid of his
Midian Woman. When Zimri answered. You are a fine one to talk with your wife
Tzipporah who is from Midian. Moshe did not know how to answer and became
befuddled.
7 And when Phinehas, the son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the
congregation, and took a spear in his hand. 8 And he went after the man of Israel into the chamber, and thrust both
of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the
plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
The Pshat is that he did this as written without
delay. The Drash is that guards were by the door to the tent of Zimri and
Pinchas told the guards that he came to join in the hanky-panky with Zimri and
they let him in. I prefer the Pshat this time over the Midrash.
9 And those that died by the plague
were twenty and four thousand.
One Statue that would be nice if it was
removed.
When
King Louis IX Burned the Talmud (St. Louis) by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
“O (Talmud), that has been
consumed by fire, seek the welfare of those who mourn for you…”
These searing words were
written by Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg (1215-1293), a brilliant Jewish student
who’d recently travelled from his home in northern Germany to Paris to study a
renown yeshiva there, after he witnessed the mass burning of the Talmud in
Paris in 1240 on the orders of King Louis IX. A peripatetic king, Louis IX was
one of the few Medieval Christian thinkers to willingly engage in debate with
Jews - but his legacy is one of pain and suffering for thousands of Jews in
France.
“He was a splendid knight whose
kindness and engaging manner made him popular,” the Encyclopedia Britannica
describes King Louis IX. Crowned at the age of twelve in 1226, King Louis IX
instituted legal reforms across France and often personally judged cases in his
magnificent Great Hall in the Palais de la Cite in Paris, where he handed out
judgments and punishments to his subjects. A staunchly religious Catholic, King
Louis IX was seemingly preoccupied by Jews. He issued the Ordinance of Melun in
1230, forcing Jewish into “honest” jobs - in reality manual labor. (Forbidden
from virtually all professions by the Lateran Council of 1215, life for
France’s Jews became more difficult than ever.) He also had an appetite for
debating Jews about religion and Judaism’s holiest texts.
In the 1230s, King Louis IX
finally got his chance to show off his powers of argument and his piety and
debate Jews about the very validity of the Jewish faith.
In 1236, Nicholas Donin, a
Parisian Jew who had turned his back on the Jewish community and publicly embraced
Catholicism, penned a damning letter to Pope Gregory IX. In it, Donin attacked
the Talmud, the written discussions of the Oral Law that was given to Moses on
Mount Sinai along with the Written Law that makes up the Five Books of Moses.
He enumerated 35 complaints about the Talmud, including that it attacked the
Catholic Church. If there were no more Talmud, Donin asserted, then Jews would
be more likely to abandon their Jewish faith and convert to Christianity, as he
himself had done.
Pope Gregory IX took
Donin’s letter seriously, and he sent a letter to all Catholic institutions in
France demanding that they seize copies of the Talmud from Jewish communities
in their midst. Similar letters were sent to Catholic leaders in Italy, Spain
and Portugal. The Talmud was going to be put on trial, the Pope announced, and
all copies had to be confiscated before this began.
The date for taking the
precious Talmud volumes from synagogues, homes and Jewish schools was set for
Shabbat, March 3, 1240. On that day, officials burst into synagogues across
Europe where Jews were gathered for Shabbat services, loading volumes of the
Talmud that had been painstakingly written by hand, as well as other Jewish
books, away. Any Jew who tried to prevent his or her holy books could be killed
with impunity.
Two months later, the
Talmud was put on trial. King Louis IX oversaw the arrangements: the
proceedings were to be public, and he personally promised to guarantee the
personal safety of the Jews who were to be charged with defending the Talmud.
However, there were strict ground rules that any Jew defending the Talmud had
to adhere to: they could not criticize Christianity in any way. Nothing
derogative about Christians or Christian belief could be uttered. Blasphemy, as
defined by the Catholic Church, would not be tolerated. The conclusion of this
infamous trial, or disputation, was a foregone conclusion.
King Louis IX ordered four
prominent rabbis to defend the Talmud: Rabbi Yechiel of Paris, Rabbi Moses of
Coucy, Rabbi Judah of Melum and Rabbi Samuel ben Solomon of Chateau-Thierry.
They faced off against Nicholas Donin, the Christian convert who’d initiated
the entire dispute.
The trial raged for days.
Rabbi Yechiel led the Jewish team, and even his opponents agreed that he argued
brilliantly, given the strict limitations on what he was allowed to say. When
Donin accused the Talmud of treating Christian figures less than kindly, Rabbi
Yechiel responded that it was possible that two people might have the same
name, pointing out that “not every Louis born in France is king.” His flattery
seemed designed to sooth the mercurial monarch, who watched every stage of the
debate with great interest.
At one-point King Louis
IX’s temper got the better of him as he followed the intricate arguments. Rabbi
Yechiel advanced a particularly effective argument and Louis IX became enraged,
shouting that instead of discussing matters of faith with a Jew, a good
Christian should plunge his sword into him instead. So much for assurances that
the rabbis would be safe. Rabbi Yechiel fled for his life, and the three other
rabbis continued the dispute without him. Despite the rabbis’ best efforts, the
trial had been decided before it began. The Talmud was found “guilty” and
condemned to be burned.
King Louis IX oversaw the
“sentence” two years later, in 1242. Officials throughout France had scoured
the countryside looking for copies of the Talmud and other Hebrew books, taking
them by force from Jews across France. Not a single volume of the Talmud
remained in Jewish hands. On the morning of June 17, 1242, 24 wagons piled to
the top with thousands of volumes of the Talmud and other Jewish books made
their way slowly through Paris to the Place de Greve, near Notre Dame
Cathedral. The collection was enormous. At a time when every book was
painstakingly written by hand, this represented generations of Jewish learning
and work. It’s estimated that the wagons held about 10,000 books.
One by one, each of the two
dozen wagons disgorged their books, dropping the precious texts onto the
ground. By the end of the day, an enormous pile of Jewish writings covered the
plaza. A crowd gathered to watch the conflagration as Louis IX’s officials set
the books on fire.
“My tears formed a river
that reached to the Sinai desert and to the graves of Moshe and Aharon,” Rabbi
Meir of Rothenberg, who was present at the scene, recalled later about that
day. “Is there another Torah to replace the Torah which you have taken from
us?” Sages designated a minor fast day in memory of this tragedy: the Friday
before the Torah Portion Chukas is read in synagogue. This year’s fast day in
memory of the Talmud’s burning is Friday, July 3, 2020.
The fast day this year
comes amid renewed attention about King Louis IX. After his death, he became a
saint in the Roman Catholic Church. The city of St. Louis is named after him
and some people are protesting his statue in that city. In addition to putting
the Talmud on trial, King Louis IX also signed legislation to expel Jews from
France (this was carried out by his successor King Phillip IV) and led the
Seventh and Eighth Crusades, which also targeted Jewish communities. His legacy
is a complex one.
Yet, as many people around
the world debate Louis IX’s legacy, some Jews will recall his reign in a much
more personal way, fasting and praying and recalling the Trial of the Talmud
that he oversaw, and the incalculable loss of Jewish scholarship that resulted.
I Don’t Fit into the Box by Aliza
Bracha Klein
I’m
used to standing out. As the only child to my amazingly loving parents, I was
raised in a predominantly white suburb with a large Jewish community. In grade
school, I was the only black child in most of my classes. I never really
thought about color or felt out of place until we turned to the slavery chapter
in our history books – I’ll never forget the stares I got then.
I was
so used to being the minority wherever I went that when my parents and I chose
Judaism for ourselves, I didn’t think the bias we experienced in day-to-day
life would be any different. I was wrong.
Life
is easier when we can just put other people into boxes. But I don’t fit in a
box – I never have. I don’t know any black Jew who does. Maybe that’s why
people seem confused about how to relate to me.
I’d
love to be able to be like my friends. I’d love to go to a simchah where
I’m not mistaken for the waitress, or go to a wedding where no one comes up to
me and asks if I enjoyed myself, assuming it’s my first time at a Jewish
wedding. I’d also love for people to not be so surprised when they learn that
no, my husband isn’t the other black Jewish person who happens to be in the
room – he’s the fun-loving Ashkenazi man you’ve been talking to!
But
let me start at the beginning. My parents and I underwent a Reform conversion
when we became interested in Judaism. My personal Jewish journey accelerated
when I got involved in my college’s Hillel and become an active member of the
metro Detroit Jewish community through volunteerism and leadership. Eventually,
as I learned more and became more observant,
I
realized that to lead the religious life that I knew was right for me, I would
need to undergo another conversion, with an Orthodox Beis din.
When a
Hillel staff member asked if I’d be interested in going on Birthright, I said
yes. At the time, I was just a 22-year-old excited about seeing Israel for the
first time and making new friends; I didn’t realize that being a black Jew was
such a big deal. People were so curious about who I was that some of the
chaperones suggested I speak to a couple of Birthright buses about my journey.
I
recall some people on the trip telling me that they were nervous to approach me
because I was “different,” and they didn’t know what to say. My response? “Say
‘Hi.’” That’s all that’s needed.
When I
was 30, I took a leave of absence from my job, packed my bags, and headed to
Israel to attend seminary. While I was waiting in line at Israeli customs, a
random traveler started questioning me: Why are you in Israel? Do you know
Hebrew? Are you a convert?
I was
frustrated and upset – my first 15 minutes were spent defending myself from
someone so ignorant and intrusive (and it wasn’t even a customs agent asking
the questions!). Unfortunately, that’s just one of the many challenges that I
face. I always wonder, Is it really so hard to just treat people the way
you’d want to be treated?
Dating
was another difficult step. I didn’t want to be set up with another Jew of
color, and I was forced to constantly defend that decision. I kept getting The
Talk about how I should be open-minded and not be so picky. I’ll never forget
the comment I got when I was dating my husband: “Well, you’re not really black,
you’re a white girl in a black girl’s body.” I didn’t even know what that was
supposed to mean – I’m only good enough now because I’m not really the
stereotype of what a black woman is?
After
we got married, we were invited to many different families for meals, and
eventually, I learned that I needed to identify “safe houses,” homes where I
could eat a meal without feeling singled out. I wish people knew what it feels
like to be enjoying a Shabbos or Yom Tov meal when the discussion takes a left
turn and involves race and black Americans.
As the
only black person at the table, I brace myself for the stares and the feeling I
get when everyone’s chatting negatively about black people, as if I don’t
exist. What’s hardest of all is when there are people at the Shabbos table who
I know disagree with this type of talk or behavior, but they don’t say anything
or take any action to stop the behavior because they’re uncomfortable doing so.
I feel very alone, as if it’s me against the world. My beautiful Shabbos, which
was supposed to be calming and relaxing, is now filled with discomfort and
pain.
Shul
can also be very difficult, especially when there’s a simchah and the
shul is filled with out-of-town guests who don’t know me. The stares from
little kids – and their moms! – make it difficult to pray. One time I found
them so overwhelming that I just walked out of shul crying and finished davening
at home.
Even
though I know that I’m not alone, that I’m part of a warm and welcoming Jewish
community, experiences like this make me feel like I am. It’s hard knowing that
my friends and others who are not Jews of Color don’t face this, that they
don’t understand what it’s like to walk in my shoes. My friends often talk
about their struggles to fit into the Orthodox community, but I’m dealing with
a whole new level of “fitting.”
As I
mentioned, treating people the way you’d want to be treated would make my life
and everyone else’s life better. It doesn’t take much – just kind words and
love for your fellow Jew.
The
kindest thing anyone’s ever done:
I went
on a trip for young professionals, where a very respected rebbetzin (wife of a
renowned rosh yeshivah) addressed the room and reminded everyone to treat
others with kindness, no matter their race. She had the unusual gift of being
able to read a room and to understand the dynamics of her audience.
I
don’t remember what we’d been discussing, or why she felt compelled to say
something, but I didn’t care. At that moment, I felt the holiness from within
this woman. Her ability to empathize was incredible. I didn’t feel singled out
because she didn’t speak about black people in a negative light – only with
positivity. At the end of the evening, she hugged me and gave me a couple of
autobiographies of black Jewish women like myself.
Please
don’t ask me:
- If I’m a convert or if I know other black Jews when you’ve only known me for five seconds.
- To share my Jewish journey with a bunch of people I don’t know without first getting my permission.
- If my parents are still married (Thank God, they’ve been married for almost 40 years).
- Why [insert black leader] didn’t change black Americans.
Please
don’t say:
- “This may sound racist but…” If you have to start with that, then just don’t say it.
- “I said [insert ignorant comment] and she [another black Jew] was okay with it.” Not all black Jews think the same way.
- Please don’t use the word shvartzeh to refer to black people if you’re not speaking Yiddish. It’s offensive.
Do
say:
- Gut Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom, Gut Yom Tov
- Do you mind sharing your journey? (Give me the option to share – don’t demand it).
- Would you and your husband like to join us for a meal?
Milestone Carl Reiner passes away at 98. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reiner
New Documents on how a Rebbe escaped Czar. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282662
The Lubavitcher Rebbe talks rocket science and
Jewish Education to a scientist from NASA. https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/4788113/jewish/The-Rebbe-on-Rocket-Science.htm#utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_chabad.org_magazine_en&utm_campaign=en&utm_content=content
Public Opinion Poll https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282610
Pompeo proud that US can help Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282712
4 Dems always against Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282708
Netanyahu well not now. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282716
Former Intelligence Advisor convinced Netanyahu to
make the Submarine Deal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282714
Lawsuit Police brutality of 14year old. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282692
Inyanay Diyoma
3 dead in Glasgow stabbing. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-53195939
Out of touch 120 million died from Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282523
IDF knocks out rocket making facility after being
targeted Friday Night. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkHNhR7CU#autoplay
Iranian Explosions what they did. https://www.debka.com/big-explosion-at-parchin-military-base-outside-tehran-another-at-shiraz/
Ed-Op Netanyahu financial request. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S1c511MGCI
19year old the youngest victim. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/E592B4J7E
Glasgow stabbing not yet declared terror. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282545
Corona restrictions. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282555
6 Iranians killed in Syria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282566
After down to 1,900 active cases, 621 new cases put
virus over 6,000 active cases. Death toll reaches 318. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282558
Golani Soldier dies suddenly after ordeal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282557
WHY MUST ISRAELIS PAY NETANYAHU’S TAXES? https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-exactly-have-israelis-been-ordered-to-pay-netanyahus-taxes/
Euro-rocket with Israeli experiments delayed. https://www.timesofisrael.com/launch-of-european-rocket-carrying-tiny-israeli-space-lab-delayed-again/
Delta Airline Employees some had Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282583
Biracial Jewish Girl burned in attack. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282579
Gibson: Jews are oven dodgers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282563
Left appalled at arrest of general who protested
but not right wingers or Orthodox Jews unfairly arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282568
Russian Hacker – Fraudster convicted. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282564
Netanyahu’s fairy tale no Palestinian State. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282624
UK Labor still calling for boycott. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282627
Lebanon an assassination attempt. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282626
Goldin Family to change tactics. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282625
NYT hires fired antisemites. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282597
More airstrikes in Syria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282594
Report bounty on US Troops. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282605
Director of Min of Ed resigns. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282601
Movement for dialogue with Reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282592
Ed-Op Glick why don’t US Jews defend themselves? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282587
Pakistan to releaser murderer of Daniel Pearl. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282710
Radiation leak from W. Russia. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282701
UK BLM also antisemitic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282684
University Exams to be on-line/exceptions. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282680
Israeli Corona slows down with enforcement. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Y47SFC30Q
Corona World Wide. https://www.debka.com/who-warns-new-covid-19-phase-is-swift-and-dangerous/
Social Distancing important. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H1bRmf808
New Virus found in China in pigs – TV and Radio News Israel but not newspapers.
New Documents on how a Rebbe escaped Czar. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282662
Lawsuit Police brutality of 14year old. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282692
714 new cases in 24 hrs. https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-infections-rise-ministers-impose-new-restrictions-on-weddings-public-events/
Two weeks ago 1,900 active cases now 8,463 plus as
868 new cases in one day. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282845
Trump needs to do something for Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282851
New Blood Libel – Ben Dror Yemeni. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/By311qjdRU
Annexation delay and less. https://www.debka.com/netanyahus-july-1-annexation-date-hangs-fire-is-a-us-package-on-table/
Families of terror victims ask to suspend aid to
Jordan. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282870
Putin can continue in office to age 84. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282866
Shin Bet tracking for 3 weeks. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282855
From Scott: BLM antisemites. https://www.theblaze.com/news/black-lives-matter-protesters-chant-in-dc-israel-we-know-you-you-murder-children-too
Arab Arson attacks. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282885
1107 new cases. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HJRYcShC8
Renewed Corona restrictions. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HywFeooCI
US cases also hit a new high. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282927
Future Battlefield intelligence. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282906
29minute interview why Syria should be Iran’s Viet
Nam talking with Bennett. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282943
Social Workers strike. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S1LECxjCI
Israelis chosen for film academy. https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/rk5Mmuj0L
Why is Fox airing a Farrakhan speech? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282898
Epstein’s Madam arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282908
US adds 4.8 million jobs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282919
Teen on hike drowns in well. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282923
Two women save man’s life. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282897
Have a pleasant, peaceful and healthy
Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
