Does the world appear to be upside down or in a recurring cycle? Abraham, Lot, S’dom, Jonah, Ninevah, and now . . . Jews, Gotham
Is it the people of Gotham, is it the Nation, or is the Jewish Community and our friends caught up in the ever-recurring cycles of time?
For the record, this is not “the Horseshoe” we have spoken of recently; however, it does resemble a wakeup call.
Appearance and appearances (cyclically, time and time again) appear to matter:
Data for our perusal: (re The Jews): Mamdani wins nearly one-third of the Jewish support despite a long record of anti-Israel hostility and refusal to condemn “globalize the intifada” rhetoric, among other positions that alienated the mainstream Jewish community. (An interesting note): The Jewish voters in New York City went heavily for Cuomo, 60-31% — which did not appear to matter to the electorate as a whole
(an X exit link ->): according to the exit polling.
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From this week’s Parsha of Vayera, in which יהוה appears, and yet Abraham, the Prophet, appears to fail — now contrast *that* with the Book of Jonah, in which יהוה does not appear, and yet the Prophet Jona “appears” to succeed:
The world seems (or appears) to be upside down:
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Genesis 18: 17- 25 —
first Gd speaks to himself — and then Abraham speaks to Gd . . .
וַֽיהֹוָ֖ה אָמָ֑ר הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֥י עֹשֶֽׂה׃
Now יהוה had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֔ה זַעֲקַ֛ת סְדֹ֥ם וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה כִּי־רָ֑בָּה וְחַ֨טָּאתָ֔ם כִּ֥י כָבְדָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃
Then יהוה said, “The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave!
אֵֽרְדָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָ֛הּ הַבָּ֥אָה אֵלַ֖י עָשׂ֣וּ ׀ כָּלָ֑ה וְאִם־לֹ֖א אֵדָֽעָה׃
I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note.”
וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַאַ֣ף תִּסְפֶּ֔ה צַדִּ֖יק עִם־רָשָֽׁע׃
Abraham (as a Prophet) came forward and said, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?
אוּלַ֥י יֵ֛שׁ חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים צַדִּיקִ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר הַאַ֤ף תִּסְפֶּה֙ וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֣א לַמָּק֔וֹם לְמַ֛עַן חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים הַצַּדִּיקִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃
חָלִ֨לָה לְּךָ֜ מֵעֲשֹׂ֣ת ׀ כַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה לְהָמִ֤ית צַדִּיק֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע וְהָיָ֥ה כַצַּדִּ֖יק כָּרָשָׁ֑ע חָלִ֣לָה לָּ֔ךְ הֲשֹׁפֵט֙ אל־הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה מִשְׁפָּֽט׃Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! (יהֹוָ֖ה) Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
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Inside (Jewish) Baseball:
Jews and the World of Politics, and here, of note: Bloomberg speaks (not a prophet).
Excerpt:
A similar argument played out around how forcefully Mr. Mamdani should distance himself from “globalize the intifada,” a phrase that many Jewish New Yorkers heard as a call to violence. Mr. Mamdani, a pro-Palestinian activist, told business leaders in July that he would (NYT link unlocked): “discourage” the use of the phrase, but the decision not to condemn it outright eventually helped fan a full-fledged backlash from prominent Jewish institutions, which aided Mr. Cuomo. Mr. Mamdani’s harsh criticism of Israel played a role in another, less successful courtship of Mr. Bloomberg.
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Ecclesiastes: There is nothing new under the sun . . . however unsettling, to say the least.
Again, it might be best for us if we were to study the past, which, for better or for worse, will always speak to the present. All appearances aside, the results of Gotham should come as no surprise. For the Jewish Community, it might be better if we would study the ebb and flow of the tides time. And yes, Ginny, this is not “kumbaya time,” instead perhaps understand all of this as a wake-up call, and as difficult as that is to hear from me, it still remains *that important.*
