Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational family,

At the end of this week's Torah portion, B'Ha'Alot'cha, we read how Miriam gossiped to Aaron about Moses. Much of Judaism's teachings about lashon ha'ra - gossip, slander, false speech, etc. can be traced back to this one story. In it, Miriam is directly punished. Aaron's punishment is less apparent in the text. In rabbinic literature, we learn that gossip is worse than murder because in the case of gossip, three people are involved - the speaker, the listener, and the object of the conversation.

There are many commentaries which attempt to explain the nature and purpose of Miriam's slander. One interpretation picks up on the Biblical statement, "because of the Cushite woman he (Moses) had married." Could it be that Miriam was prejudiced based on ethnicity or race? Interestingly, Miriam's punishment consists of her skin turning white as snow.

Over many decades and during the past year in particular, race and ethnicity have become important and even polarizing issues in the world around us. A year ago, "black lives matter" became a recognized expression after tragic deaths in the United States. As Jews, we have a history of being empathetic to any group which feels oppressed or degraded. In the 1960's, American Jews marched in the Civil Rights movement because of shared experiences of being persecuted based on religion, ethnicity, and race. 

Jewish lives matter too. Why is it that almost no-one is willing to recognize that Hamas initiated the war with Israel? In the United States and Canada, Jewish lives and institutions are being assaulted with barely a response from civilized society. Any statements I have seen condemning Anti-Semitism also add in other expressions of support for other groups. I have not seen any specific statement that has been exclusive to the rights of Jews to live freely and safely. When will our neighbors march for Jewish civil rights? It would seem that we Jews must be pro-active in taking care of our freedoms when no-one is willing to stand with us.

Jewish lives also matter.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison