|
|
||
HOME
|
|
Drash for Shabbat Vayera By Bob Levine - November 10, 2006 There are tours that take groups from the old Nazi concentration camps to Israel. Afterwards, travelers believe they have come "from darkness into light." In contrast, the Torah portions of Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah transport us "from light into darkness." Abraham's behavior, which is part of his covenant with God, is the antithesis of the behavior of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. - Abraham welcomes strangers, even though in great pain. * The Sodomites starved, beat and raped strangers. - Abraham pleads with God to be just and not sweep away the innocent along with the guilty. * Although affluent, Sodomites were lawless, without morals. - God visits the sick (Abraham, who has just been circumcised). * Sodomites sought to make the sick even sicker, even It was a battle of ideologies. Then God dropped fire and brimstone, conquered darkness, and let light prevail -- at least for awhile. As Abraham pleaded with God over the number of righteous men needed to avert the destruction, he founded the spirit of Judaism. From then on we agreed that it was ok to argue with God. And if you can argue with God, you can certainly argue with your fellow man - including the highest authorities. Can any other religion have lowly members arguing with God? The battle of ideologies continues. We are threatened by lawless extremists who want to bring back their "good old days" of ruthless cruelty, subordination of justice, loss of modernity, and women without rights. From these biblical passages we learn, "Social evil… caused Sodom to perish… Affluence without social concern is self destructive; it hardens the conscience against repentance; in engenders cruelty and excess. The treatment accorded newcomers and strangers was then, and may always be, a touchstone of the community's moral condition." (Plaut, Torah Commentary, page. 134) We carry the light by doing mitzvot. We can speak out against activities and events, local and afar, that recall the darkness of Sodom and Gomorrah. We can energize Temple Emanu-El to sponsor a vibrant, ethical, compassionate community devoted to the betterment of a moral society. Shabbat Shalom.
|
