Dear Friends,
Haven’t we all said—or heard—at one time or another, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business!”
Especially, when we are a visitor somewhere distant, and we encounter something of concern, we intuitively know, “Stay out of this. It is none of my business.”
Moreover, when someone else steps up and injects or intrudes themselves into some matter, the response could very well be, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business.”
The assumption each time is that the other or foreigner is invalidated, silenced or disenfranchised just because he or she is not part of the affected community.
And, it makes sense. For years, we have heard the arguments that American Jews should remain silent in the face of concerns in Israel. We should leave it to the Israelis. “Stay out of this!” It has been a running debate for decades: do diaspora Jews have a say in Israeli affairs?After all, it is our governments which support Israel, our dollars which have buttressed her in difficult times, and our advocacy which insures political support for her when matters go awry.
But, we hear, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business.”
And, we encounter this behavior in this week’s Torah portion. Jacob has fled his homeland and is heading towards Haran in Assyria to find his kin and to seek a spouse. Encountering shepherds lazing by a closed-up well, he learns that they do not open the well until all the flocks are gathered. He reproaches them, and as Rachel comes near with her sheep, Jacob goes to uncover the well by himself.
A midrash offers the following teaching: “How could a stranger like Jacob reprimand the shepherds? Learn from this that if one visits a strange place and sees a wrong being perpetrated, it is one’s duty to prevent it. One must not say, “It is no business of mine.” (Midrash Lekach Tov to Genesis 29:7)
Torah teaches that we are to intervene in apparently unjust actions, even if they are the work and the immediate responsibility of other people. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Every Jew and every individual is responsible for every other, and for the world which we share, whether we are locals or visitors.
Thus, as Israel continues to struggle with war, violence and political discord, our voices belong, no less than our political support.
And, across America, our voices are no less vital. Injustice in Alabama stirs responses in New York, no less than mining in Yellowstone upsets the environmentalist in Maine, or machinations in Washington distress citizens in Sacramento.
It is time to retire the old saw, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business.”
It is all our business!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Haven’t we all said—or heard—at one time or another, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business!”
Especially, when we are a visitor somewhere distant, and we encounter something of concern, we intuitively know, “Stay out of this. It is none of my business.”
Moreover, when someone else steps up and injects or intrudes themselves into some matter, the response could very well be, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business.”
The assumption each time is that the other or foreigner is invalidated, silenced or disenfranchised just because he or she is not part of the affected community.
And, it makes sense. For years, we have heard the arguments that American Jews should remain silent in the face of concerns in Israel. We should leave it to the Israelis. “Stay out of this!” It has been a running debate for decades: do diaspora Jews have a say in Israeli affairs?After all, it is our governments which support Israel, our dollars which have buttressed her in difficult times, and our advocacy which insures political support for her when matters go awry.
But, we hear, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business.”
And, we encounter this behavior in this week’s Torah portion. Jacob has fled his homeland and is heading towards Haran in Assyria to find his kin and to seek a spouse. Encountering shepherds lazing by a closed-up well, he learns that they do not open the well until all the flocks are gathered. He reproaches them, and as Rachel comes near with her sheep, Jacob goes to uncover the well by himself.
A midrash offers the following teaching: “How could a stranger like Jacob reprimand the shepherds? Learn from this that if one visits a strange place and sees a wrong being perpetrated, it is one’s duty to prevent it. One must not say, “It is no business of mine.” (Midrash Lekach Tov to Genesis 29:7)
Torah teaches that we are to intervene in apparently unjust actions, even if they are the work and the immediate responsibility of other people. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Every Jew and every individual is responsible for every other, and for the world which we share, whether we are locals or visitors.
Thus, as Israel continues to struggle with war, violence and political discord, our voices belong, no less than our political support.
And, across America, our voices are no less vital. Injustice in Alabama stirs responses in New York, no less than mining in Yellowstone upsets the environmentalist in Maine, or machinations in Washington distress citizens in Sacramento.
It is time to retire the old saw, “Stay out of this. It is none of your business.”
It is all our business!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
