We Are All Holy!
We are or should all be feeling a variety of emotions these days: from fear and apprehension to anger and outrage. The past few weeks and the coming days will also indicate, in no small measure, who we are as human beings and no less significant, as Canadians.
We have recently experienced expressions of anti-Semitism, hate murder of Muslims, the discovery of the remains of 215 children – victims of cultural genocide - at the Kamloops Residential School, a homophobic attack on a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, just to cite a few. At the same time, we are about to mark significant dates in our calendar: Pride Shabbat this week at Beth David, National Indigenous Day on June 21, Juneteenth, commemorating the abolition of slavery, among others.
We should be greatly concerned about the levels of hate and intolerance throughout the world and outraged by its overly frequent expression in Canada, particularly in Toronto, where we so pride ourselves as one of the most livable and successfully multicultural cities. At the same time, we should also be encouraged by the response of so many Canadians showing solidarity not only within their own communities, but for the plight and challenges facing others. This has been done through vigils, online petitions, personal visits, and combined memorial services.
In this week’s Torah portion, the protagonist, Korach, and other disgruntled Israelites he has garnered as supporters, provocatively challenge the authority arrogantly assumed, in his words, by Moses and Aaron. It should be shared with others. And while there are varied opinions among traditional and contemporary commentators as to the legitimacy of Korach’s claims – whether he was just an angry, power-hungry rebel or a proto-proponent of democracy - there is no doubt that the way he goes about it, is neither respectful nor effective. His demagoguery only brings about a variety of catastrophic ends for him and his minions.
What Korach did get right, however sincere he may have been, is his claim that “Kulam Kedoshim” – “All the community are holy, all of them.” Whatever your theological disposition, this paraphrase of the fundamental premise from the book of Genesis - that all are created in the image of God / the divine / some supreme entity - needs to inform and instruct us as to how we relate to all other human beings, whether those who have lived here for thousands of years before any of our European ancestors arrived, or those who have recently immigrated from Pakistan; whether those of a different skin colour, or those of varying gender identities.
We need to respond, in solidarity with those who have been singled out, to every expression of hatred and violence. Our task is not to tolerate others, but to welcome and embrace them and their differences, and to offer support when needed, especially towards a much more equitable worldwide distribution of COVID vaccines.
In the coming days, I urge you to find the appropriate part of Korach within you and rebel against the recent purveyors of hate, as well as against long-standing and systemic expression of intolerance, prejudice, and racism.
Shabbat Shalom.
Michael Rubin
mrubin@bethdavid.com
