Behar 5778

Yuvel Redemption of Land, Contemporary Poverty and Plzen

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein 12 May 2018

OurTorahportionandaccompanyingHaftarahrequirejustalittlebitofunpicking.ThecontextistheinstructionoftheYuvel–theJubileeYear.Every50thyear,alltribalpropertythathadexchangedhandsduringtheinterveningyearswouldbereturnedtotheoriginalholder,accordingtotheDivineplanforthedistributionoftheLandofCanaanamongtheIsraeliteTribes.Aswellasland,thosewhofellonhardtimeswouldbecomeenslavedtotheirkinbutattheJubileegainedtheirfreedomItwasawonderfullyidealisticnotionandthereislittleevidencethatitwaswidelypractisedastheentireeconomicsystemwouldgrindtoahalt.Eitherway,theprovisionwastheretopreservea‘family’titletothelanditownsorwasawardedasahereditaryportionbyGod.AnextremeexampleofthisispresentedtotheprophetJeremiahinapproximately588BCE.TheBabylonianhadbesiegedJerusalemandbecauseJeremiahhadgivenunpopularcounseltotheking,hewasimprisoned.Fromhiscellinwhatwouldhavebeenthemosthorrendouslyinhumaneconditions,accordingtothestrictureoftheLawwehavejustread,heisrequiredtoredeemlandthatwasworthlessasitwassuretobeconqueredbytheBabylonians.“ThenthewordoftheEternalcametoJeremiah,“IamtheEternal,theGodofallflesh–isanythingtoodifficultforMe?”(Jeremiah32:26-27)”Wearefortunatetoliveinpeacefultimes,inourownhomesandwithouttoomanymaterialconcerns.WhilstthatistrueformostinourCongregation,thefutureislesscertainforourgrand/childrenandrightnowforothersintheUK,homelessnessratherthanhomeownershipisamorerealexperience;skippingmeals,livingwithoutwarmthandwithchildrenfacingalifetimeofpoverty.ItisasituationworthyofaJeremiahprophecy.Thisisachallengetooursocietyanddemandsseriousthoughtfromthosebehindpolicy.Thecurrentlullandrelativewealthinourcountryareunsustainable.Weneedthosewhoareabletothink,thenactinaseeminglyimpossiblesituation.Nothingisbeyondthewitofhumanity.TheancientinheritorsofTorahLawunderstoodthattheYuvelandotherinstructionswereimpracticable.RabbiHillel,createdalegalfictioncalledtheprosbul,toenableafairloansystem,aremedytounrealisticLaw.NothingwasbeyondthepartnershipoftheidealsofDivineLawandhumaningenuity!Whensolutionsarepresentedtous,wemustbeopentothenecessitytogivealittlesothatourlegacyishopeandfuturetothosebesiegedbyacurrentlypovertyinducingenvironment.

Butbacktothereasonthismorning,forDavidhavingschleppedfromHelsinki,DannyfromSuffolkandLaurie,welltoShul!WhatwefoundinthecityofPlzenin1992wastheremnantofconsecutivesieges,thefirstwroughtbytheNazisandthesecondbySovietcommunism.ThroughthetragedyoftheShoahandpernicious,bigotedSovietlaw,ahandfulofpeoplemaintainedJewishlife.Just,buttheysucceeded.WeretheywhatGodwasreferringtowhensayingtoJeremiah,“IamtheEternal,theGodofallflesh–isanythingtoodifficultforMe?”FortheirsurvivalasJews,period,wasnothingshortofamiracle.Yetbeingsmallinnumberandstillwiththeirfutureuncertain,theygiftedourraggle-tagglebunchofyoungadultsaTorahscroll,forwhatneeddidtheyhaveformorethanone.Over25yearsofBneiMitzvahhavereadfromthisscrollthatIandIhopeothers,thinkofastheirown;mydaughterandniecewillcontinuethistraditionfortheirBnotMitzvahinJuly.Asyouhaveheardthroughthisservice,latterly,wewereunableto‘turn’thePlzenJewishCommunitydirectlyintoaProgressiveidentity.Yet,asDadfound,theseedsarestillthereifwewillsupportthem.Weneedtogiveofourselvesasthego’el,theredeemer,notinapatriarchalandimperialistmanner,butasthesupporterofthedirectionthatthePlzenJewishCommunitywishtodevelop.HavingrecentlybeeninPraguefornearlyaweekandeachdaymeetingyoungpeoplewhosaythattheirparentorgrandparentisJewish,IamconfidentthatarealrevivalofJudaismintheCzechRepublicispossible–itjustmightnotbeasweimaginedit.FortheCzechpeoplecontinuetobehighlycultural…andsecular.Wecannotimposeareligiositythatwemightfavour.Rather,itstrikesmethataJW3-styleJewishCommunityCentrethatpromotesJewishculturestandsachanceofsuccess.ButthenIamaheadofmyselfagain,thefuturemodelmustcomefromCzechs,withourfullsupport.“ThenthewordoftheEternalcametoJeremiah,“IamtheEternal,theGodofallflesh–isanythingtoodifficultforMe?”(Jeremiah32:26-27)”WillthePlzenJewishCommunitygrowtothepointthatwewillreturntheirscroll?Realistically,probablynotinmylifetimebutthenIamwillingtoplantandwaterandnurtureinthehopethatmygrand/childrenmightbetheonestoreturnit.ThatisnottoodifficultformeandIhopethatyouwilljoinmeonthatjourney.JudaismisaDivinemiracleenabledbytenacityandfaith.RebbeNachmanofBretlovsuggested,“Faithisthefoundationofallspiritualquest…therootofallteachingandpractice…thechannelforeverybenefitandblessing.”MywemaintainourfaithintheJewishPeople,andthePlzenJewishCommunity,andmaywebeachannelofbenefitandblessing.Amen