Dear Friends,
“Not all pigs are created equal.” George Orwell was correct.
Indeed, there is a pecking order among pigs, and likely in many other social species. The queen bee is the queen bee. The leader of the dog pack gets the first bite, and the scrawny mutt gets what is left over.
So, too, in this week’s Torah portion, called Nitzavim. Note the opening verse, “You stand this day, all of you, before your God יהוה —your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, every householder in Israel,” (Deuteronomy 29:9)
The sequential arrangement of tribal heads, elders, officials and householder seems to denote a descending hierarchy of significance in the Israelite community. And yes, the Torah did state that we all stood before God on that day, but it is likely that certain up-front figures had metaphorical front-row seats, while the latter members of the list were in the upper deck or bleachers.
Our commentator, Rashi, explained it further. He taught, “The more prominent were in front (i.e. they stood before the Lord in the order of their rank), and afterwards: ‘all the men of Israel.’”
Although we might bristle over this seeming inequity, isn’t it true, today, no less? We would like to think that every one of us shares equally in the holiness of our people, but there are those whose roles, responsibilities or impact require them, or entitle them, to front-row status.
Just look at how China’s parliament members are seated when President Xi speaks to the assembly. Note who stands next to the manager in the Yankees dugout, who makes captain in the police department, and who accepts the Oscar at the Academy Awards on behalf of a winning film. No less, we remember who got to clean the chalkboard back in 2nd grade.
And, this week, as the United States Tennis Open Championship is reaching its pinnacle, the rankings of players is significant as higher seeds fight to retain their rankings and the privileges they carry.
Ultimately, we must live with hierarchies in so many facets of our community. It is a characteristic of social societies, even among elephants and vultures, and yes, in our world sometimes these pecking orders belie racism, sexism, ageism and other favoritisms based on fleeting fancies or fortunes.
Our task is to accept that hierarchies exist, and to work towards making them more just. We must remember that our Torah verse offered two simultaneous messages: that we all stood before God that day, and that there was a sequence among the various leaderships. Thus, when we are all together, we should recall that there is stratification. And when we note that ordering, we should recognize our equality.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah u’Metukah (For a Sweet, New Year!),
Rabbi Doug Kohn
“Not all pigs are created equal.” George Orwell was correct.
Indeed, there is a pecking order among pigs, and likely in many other social species. The queen bee is the queen bee. The leader of the dog pack gets the first bite, and the scrawny mutt gets what is left over.
So, too, in this week’s Torah portion, called Nitzavim. Note the opening verse, “You stand this day, all of you, before your God יהוה —your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, every householder in Israel,” (Deuteronomy 29:9)
The sequential arrangement of tribal heads, elders, officials and householder seems to denote a descending hierarchy of significance in the Israelite community. And yes, the Torah did state that we all stood before God on that day, but it is likely that certain up-front figures had metaphorical front-row seats, while the latter members of the list were in the upper deck or bleachers.
Our commentator, Rashi, explained it further. He taught, “The more prominent were in front (i.e. they stood before the Lord in the order of their rank), and afterwards: ‘all the men of Israel.’”
Although we might bristle over this seeming inequity, isn’t it true, today, no less? We would like to think that every one of us shares equally in the holiness of our people, but there are those whose roles, responsibilities or impact require them, or entitle them, to front-row status.
Just look at how China’s parliament members are seated when President Xi speaks to the assembly. Note who stands next to the manager in the Yankees dugout, who makes captain in the police department, and who accepts the Oscar at the Academy Awards on behalf of a winning film. No less, we remember who got to clean the chalkboard back in 2nd grade.
And, this week, as the United States Tennis Open Championship is reaching its pinnacle, the rankings of players is significant as higher seeds fight to retain their rankings and the privileges they carry.
Ultimately, we must live with hierarchies in so many facets of our community. It is a characteristic of social societies, even among elephants and vultures, and yes, in our world sometimes these pecking orders belie racism, sexism, ageism and other favoritisms based on fleeting fancies or fortunes.
Our task is to accept that hierarchies exist, and to work towards making them more just. We must remember that our Torah verse offered two simultaneous messages: that we all stood before God that day, and that there was a sequence among the various leaderships. Thus, when we are all together, we should recall that there is stratification. And when we note that ordering, we should recognize our equality.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah u’Metukah (For a Sweet, New Year!),
Rabbi Doug Kohn