Spirituality of Justice

In one week of the Sherrod Saga, America recapitulated in miniature the whole history of racism since the Civil War. Even more than that, the whole story was another episode in a broader practice of the Obama Administration: repeated preemptive surrenders to the Big Powers of American corporate institutions. And the policy of preemptive surrender is rooted partly in a mistaken wandering of the President himself from what began as a deep spiritual search for how to unify his Kansas and his Kenya.   Read more »

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow [This is an excerpt from my book Godwrestling — Round 2, which is available from The Shalom Center by clicking here.   Read more »

This week’s newspapers pose an enormous question: Can American democracy survive unregulated corporate money poured into elections? This week’s Torah points toward an answer.

Last Sunday, Part 1 of my essay on “The Meaning of the 21st Century: Domination or Community?” sketched how the war in Afghanistan, our dysfunctional health un-care system, the disemployment crisis, and the stalemate over climate all were evidence that one necessary aspect of our lives — Control — has run amok, turning into Domination and leaving the other necessary life-aspect — loving-kindness, interbeing — choking to death.

Now we have just received a stunning kick in the teeth to Community and a great victory for Domination — in the decision of the Supreme Court that corporations can pour as much money as they like into supporting the election of candidates for public office.

This enormously increases the power of our modern Pharaohs – the top-down pyramidal Global-Gobble corporations that have barely been under public control before, and now will be able to control the public in unprecedented ways.

This is not just an American issue. Big Oil and Big Coal corporations have made it extremely hard to deal with the dangers of global scorching. Now the powers of Big Coal and Big Oil have been multiplied. The web of life -– our most important community of all, in which the interplay of control-over and connectivity-with is crucial to the continuity of life — is thus endangered by increasing the power of corporations to control the climate of our planet.

The snows of the Himalayas are melting under the pressure of global scorching, and with them will disappear the future drinking water of a billion Indians and Pakistanis. Can we save them? No. For Exxon Mobil says, “No problem,” and now will be able to drown in its money any US candidate who says the burning of fossil fuels must be checked.

So the Supreme Court of the United States has just condemned a billion people to slow death by parching drought.

In last week’s Torah we read how Pharaoh let all the waters of his kingdom become undrinkable in order to pursue his despotic course against his people. Now, like Pharaoh, in stubborn arrogance, the Court has transformed itself from an instrument of Justice into a make-believe and lethal “God.” An idol.

In this week’s Torah reading, when God sends Moses to face Pharaoh, God says, “Bo el Pharaoh.” Most English translations say, “Go to Pharaoh.” But “Bo” means “come,” not “go.”

“Come to Pharaoh!”

How could God be saying “Come!” unless God was already there? — already within Pharaoh!

“Come toward Me.”   Read more »

By Rabbis Phyllis Ocean Berman & Arthur Ocean Waskow

When the ancient rabbis planned the sacred Jewish calendar, they made sure that Passover would always come in the Spring. For Spring is a time for birthing. Just as lambs are born and barley sprouts in spring, so Freedom is born -- and midwives begin the birthing.

This story is  an extension, a midrash, on the Torah story of the midwives who resisted Pharaoh. It takes the story further into the birthing of the people, and sees the midwives as leading heroes of the transformation, all the way to the Great Breaking of the Waters at the Sea of Blood.

The powerful "portrait" of the Narrow Pharaoh is by Avi Katz.

We invite you to use this story as part of the Telling of the Great Liberation on one night of Passover. (If you do, please make a contribution to The Shalom Center  as a gift of freedom to act on behalf of freedom.)  And please let us know your reactions and responses and those of your Seder guests.

Blessings for a joyful rebirth of your own,  and the rebirth of all humanity and earth from this dark time of world-wide eco-crisis into a springtime of new freedom from all Pharaohs!

-- --  Phyllis & Arthur

Long long ago, there was a looong thin river. Along its banks there was a looong thin country. The country was ruled by a looong thin King.

He was so famous for being long and thin that when people spoke directly to him, they called him not "Your Royal Highness" but  "Your Royal Longness."

But his name was "Pharaoh," and behind his back, they called him "Narrow Pharaoh."

Pharaoh was long and narrow because he didn't like to eat.

"Eating is fun," he said. "And kissing is fun. And laughing is fun. Being a king is serious. It is not supposed to be fun!" ¬

"Long and narrow is serious," he said. "But eating makes bulges. Bulges are not serious."

"No more bulges!" said the long narrow Pharaoh.

"I am long and narrow,
"My kingdom is long and narrow,
"And all my people shall become long and narrow!

"When I am not eating, no one shall eat.
"When I am not kissing, no one shall kiss.
"When I am not laughing, no one shall laugh."

One morning, Narrow Pharaoh looked out the window. There was a chubby little baby laughing in the grass.

The King began to frown. "Babies make bulges, too," he said.

"If you put a baby in a long thin woman, you make a bulge in her.
"If you put too many babies in a long thin country, you make a bulge in the country."

"I hate babies!" said the long thin King.
"They cry when I am not sad,
"And they smile when I am not happy.
"They eat when I am not hungry,
And they smell  all the time!"

So Narrow Pharaoh went to his high high throne.

Up the steps he walked    five steps, eleven steps, seventeen steps.

When he looked very very tall, and very very thin, he spoke in a very narrow voice:

"Send me my Minister of Exact Justice!"

The Minister stalked in.

He was almost as thin as the King,

And his clothes were even thinner.

He was almost as tall as the King,

And his hat was even taller.

Said Narrow Pharaoh, "Tell me how to get rid of these extra babies!"   Read more »

As I write (December 22), 1950 Jews, including more than 150 rabbis and cantors, have signed the Open Jewish Letter to Senator Joseph Lieberman.

Also among the signers are many full-time Jewish-community professionals or Jewish-studies professors. Many signers wrote additional notes about how outraged they are by Lieberman’s behavior and how ashamed they are as Jews by what he has done.

We are still welcoming the names of signers, and will add them to those we have sent the Senator. Wevwelcome sharring this letter snd report with others.   Read more »