Weekly Torah Gatherings – Wed 11/19

Eastern: Seeking Hope and Life, for the future — and Unintended Consequences.

When “appearance” goes awry . . . history then unfolds in unknown and uncharted directions — and for the record, not in a good direction. That is a significant characteristic of chaos.
For the record . . .
. . . . the Law of Unintended Consequences has very little “rachmones” or compassion, especially within the Jewish Community.

An antisemitic cartoon from Judge magazine in 1892. On the right, Jews stream into New York City, turning it into “New Jerusalem.” All the businesses now bear signs suggesting they are owned by Jews while, to the left, Americans who originally settled the city head to the West. “Our first families driven out,” the cartoon reads.

________________________________________

The Torah: Genesis 27:11

(unintended: Esau loses much)

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֔ב אֶל־רִבְקָ֖ה אִמּ֑וֹ הֵ֣ן עֵשָׂ֤ו אָחִי֙ אִ֣ישׁ שָׂעִ֔ר וְאָנֹכִ֖י אִ֥ישׁ חָלָֽק׃

Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man and I am smooth-skinned.

אוּלַ֤י יְמֻשֵּׁ֙נִי֙ אָבִ֔י וְהָיִ֥יתִי בְעֵינָ֖יו כִּמְתַעְתֵּ֑עַ וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י עָלַ֛י קְלָלָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א בְרָכָֽה׃

If my father touches me, I shall appear to him as a trickster and bring upon myself a curse, not a blessing.”

וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִמּ֔וֹ עָלַ֥י קִלְלָתְךָ֖ בְּנִ֑י אַ֛ךְ שְׁמַ֥ע בְּקֹלִ֖י וְלֵ֥ךְ קַֽח־לִֽי׃

But his mother said to him, “Your curse, my son, be upon me! Just do as I say and go fetch them for me.”

וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ וַיִּקַּ֔ח וַיָּבֵ֖א לְאִמּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֤עַשׂ אִמּוֹ֙ מַטְעַמִּ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר אָהֵ֥ב אָבִֽיו׃

He got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared a dish such as his father liked.

וַתִּקַּ֣ח רִ֠בְקָ֠ה אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֨י עֵשָׂ֜ו בְּנָ֤הּ הַגָּדֹל֙ הַחֲמֻדֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתָּ֖הּ בַּבָּ֑יִת וַתַּלְבֵּ֥שׁ אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּנָ֥הּ הַקָּטָֽן׃

Rebekah then took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were there in the house, and had her younger son Jacob put them on;

וְאֵ֗ת עֹרֹת֙ גְּדָיֵ֣י הָֽעִזִּ֔ים הִלְבִּ֖ישָׁה עַל־יָדָ֑יו וְעַ֖ל חֶלְקַ֥ת צַוָּארָֽיו׃

and she covered his hands and the hairless part of his neck with the skins of the kids.

_______________________________

The antisemitism horseshoe has again poked its ugly head up from beneath the soil and has now resurfaced in unsuspected corners — and for the record, it is all far from resolved. To be sure, there are many prognosticators and even a cascade of prognostications (“talking heads” and aspiring politicians among them). That being said, no one knows where it will lead. Stay tuned . . .

________________________

Excerpt from the WSJ Editorial Board:

Heritage’s Right Turn: link unlocked: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/robert-george-resigns-heritage-foundation-board-kevin-roberts-tucker-carlson-nick-fuentes-ce0409fa?st=gQuAZb&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Excerpt 1. The Heritage Foundation debacle isn’t over. The decision of Kevin Roberts, the conservative think tank’s president, to embrace podcaster Tucker Carlson, criticize those who push back on Mr. Carlson’s Jew-baiting and friendly interview with Hitler fanboy Nick Fuentes, and even accuse critics of serving a “foreign government” continues to damage the institution’s reputation.

The Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal weighs in on the (here a link>) departure of Robert George from the Heritage Foundation’s board of trustees over the think tank’s relationship with Tucker Carlson and approach to far-right antisemitism. “Mr. George’s departure from the Heritage board means that the institution may be less likely to heed his call to be ‘unbending and unflinching’ in its fidelity to these principles.

2. “Bottom Line” Excerpted: A ‘conservatism’ that plays footsie — or worse — with antisemitism and white identity politics, and those who traffic them, doesn’t merit the name.” [WSJ]

Here from the Washington Reporter:

3. The GOP’s ‘Corroded’ Soul: In the Washington Reporter, Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, warns of the rise of right-wing antisemitism. “Regardless of who the bigot may be, and whether they are declaring hatred for millions of Christian Zionists, blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ‘duping’ President Donald Trump into bombing Iran, accusing Israel of killing J.F.K., and/or Charlie Kirk, and/or implying that Hitler wasn’t as bad as we think — there are evil elements on the right who’ve discovered what many Democrats on the formerly fringe left have known for some time: there is both cash and cache in attacking Israel and her people. … People of faith and conscience cannot allow the same spirit that flowed through Haman and Hitler to corrupt and corrode the soul of the GOP. Whether it is in our communities, in our churches, on college campuses, or in Congress, antisemitism in our society must be confronted at every turn.” [WashingtonReporter]

_____________________________

Again, for the record, we face the same issues and the same challenges that we have always faced. For many of us, it appears as a new phenomenon, but here as a Biblical reminder, “There is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes).

Rather than slumber, as is often our nature, it might be more prudent for us at this time and as we proceed into the 2nd quarter of the 21st Century to be more aware and, simultaneously, to better prepare. Our only way forward is to recognise each other as members of a People in search of “wholeness” (shalem) and in search of “peace”(shalom) within the world, this world.

Please follow and like us: