Spirituality of Justice

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 »

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 »