The Idolatry of Stasis

Beha'alotekha By : Andrew Shugerman 91快播 Alum (Rabbinical School) Posted On Jun 11, 2011 / 5771 | Midrash: Between the Lines

砖诪讜转专讘讛讛:讟

讗状专转谞讞讜诪讗讚讜驻专爪讜驻讬谉讛讬讛讬讜爪讗讜讛讜专讙诇注讜讘讚讬讻讜讻讘讬诐砖诇讗拽讘诇讜讛讜谞讜转谉讞讬讬诐诇讬砖专讗诇砖拽讘诇讜讗转讛转讜专讛讛讜讗砖诪砖讛讗状诇讘住讜祝诪壮砖谞讛 (讚讘专讬诐讛) 讻讬诪讬讻诇讘砖专讗砖专砖诪注拽讜诇讗诇讛讬诐讞讬讬诐诪讚讘专诪转讜讱讛讗砖讜讙讜壮讗转讛讛讬讬转砖讜诪注拽讜诇讜讜讞讬讬转讗讘诇注讜讘讚讬讻讜讻讘讬诐砖讜诪注讬诐讜诪转讬诐讘讜讗讜专讗讛讛讬讗讱讛拽讜诇讬讜爪讗讗爪诇讻诇讬砖专讗诇讻诇讗讞讚讜讗讞讚诇驻讬讻讞讜讛讝拽谞讬诐诇驻讬讻讞谉讛讘讞讜专讬诐诇驻讬讻讞谉讜讛拽讟谞讬诐诇驻讬讻讞谉讜讛讬讜谞拽讬诐诇驻讬讻讞谉讜讛谞砖讬诐诇驻讬讻讞谉讜讗祝诪砖讛诇驻讬讻讞讜砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转讬讟) 诪砖讛讬讚讘专讜讛讗诇讛讬诐讬注谞谞讜讘拽讜诇讘拽讜诇砖讛讬讛讬讻讜诇诇住讜讘诇讜

讗专状讬讘专讞谞讬谞讗讗诐转诪讛讗转讛注诇讛讚讘专讛讝讛诇诪讜讚诪谉讛诪谉砖诇讗讛讬讛讬讜专讚诇讬砖专讗诇讗诇讗诇驻讬讻讞砖诇讻诇讗讞讚讜讗讞讚诪讬砖专讗诇讛讘讞讜专讬诐讛讬讜讗讜讻诇讬谉讗讜转讜讻诇讞诐砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转讟讝) 讛谞谞讬诪诪讟讬专诇讻诐诇讞诐诪谉讛砖诪讬诐讜讙讜壮讜讛讝拽谞讬诐讻爪驻讬讞转讘讚讘砖砖谞讗诪专 (砖诐) 讜讟注诪讜讻爪驻讬讞转讘讚讘砖讜讬讜谞拽讬诐讻讞诇讘诪砖讚讬讗诪讜砖谞讗诪专 (讘诪讚讘专讬讗) 讜讛讬讛讟注诪讜讻讟注诐讜讙讜壮

Exodus Rabbah 5:9

R. Tanhuma said: [God’s Voice] went forth in two aspects, slaying the idolaters who would not accept it but giving life to Israel who accepted the Torah. As Moses said to them at the end of 40 years: ‘For what mortal ever heard the Voice of the living God speak out of the fire, [as we did, and lived]?’ (Deut. 5: 23). You have heard God’s Voice and lived, but the idolaters heard it and died. Come and see how the Voice went forth to each Israelite with a force proportioned to his individual ability鈥攖o the old, according to their ability, and to the young, according to theirs; to the children, infants and women, according to their ability; and even to Moses according to his ability, as it is said: ‘>As Moses spoke, God answered him in a Voice’ (Exod. 19:19)鈥攊n a voice that he could endure. . .

R. Yose b. Hanina says: If you are doubtful of this, then think of the manna that descended with a taste varying according to the needs of each individual Israelite. The young men ate it like bread, as it says: ‘Behold, I will rain down for you bread from heaven. . .’ (Exod. 16:4); the old, like wafers in honey, as it says: ‘. . .it tasted like wafers in honey’ (Exod. 16:31). To the infants, it tasted like their mothers’ breast milk, as it says: . . . It tasted like rich cream. (Num. 11:8)

Only in Hebrew leap years does Shavu’ot coincide with Parashat Beha’alotekha, but every day we are faced with the challenges that this midrash addresses. In response to verses from this week’s holiday and Shabbat Torah readings, we find ancient wisdom about the universal message of our Torah along with exclusionary statements about nonbelievers. How can we embrace a text that describes how God directly spoke to and fed our ancestors according to their individual needs and abilities while also slaying idolaters?

As my former 91快播 instructor Rabbi Shai Held has taught, perhaps the greatest idolatry today is the cynical denial that our world can be radically transformed. Our ancestors, distant from God and liberty due to centuries of enslavement, suddenly encountered the sacredness of freedom, the rule of law, and the miracle of “bread from heaven.” Now we can each experience those changes as well. Just as the Israelites were oppressed, societal forces today persist in keeping certain groups physically and spiritually impoverished through lack of access to clean water, affordable food, and education. We must make these vital resources more available by sharing the blessings of manna and Torah we have received in order to fulfill this text’s vision of life-giving inclusivity.

91快播