Reb Jeff
  • Blog
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Resources
    • Counting of the Omer
  • Wedding Officiation
  • Stay in Touch
  • Contact Me
  • Temple Sinai

Chayei Sarah: Loving the Stranger

11/14/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
So much hangs on the translation of a single two-letter word. 

In this week's Torah portion, Abraham approaches the Hittites after the death of his wife, Sarah, to negotiate the purchase of a burial site. He opens the conversation by saying, "I am a resident stranger amongst you." In Hebrew, the word for stranger is ger (גר), and its proper translation is filled with uncertainty. 

According to scholars, the meaning of ger in the Hebrew bible is "sojourner, temporary dweller, new-comer" (from A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver and Briggs). That definition appears to make perfect sense in the context of Abraham with the Hittites. He is living in a land that is not his birthplace. He has no inherited rights to land or burial, so he must procure those rights through bargaining a price for purchase. 

However, in rabbinic Hebrew, the word ger is understood differently. To the rabbis, a ger is a convert, someone who has joined the people of Israel. 

It's not hard to see how the two meanings could be blended, or how one could be transformed into the other. All converts were, at one time, people who were strangers (i.e., non-Jews) within the Jewish community. When the Torah speaks of the "strangers" who lived among the Israelites during their wandering through the desert (e.g., Exodus 12:19, Numbers 15:20), it is easy to imagine that the text is speaking of the "mixed multitude" of Egyptians who came with the Israelites out of Egypt and decided to join them.

Even in this week's Torah portion, when Abraham calls himself a ger, both meanings can make sense. Abraham is a stranger living among the Hittites. Abraham is a convert to Judaism; in fact, he is the very first convert. The text can be understood either way.

The problem, though, arises in translating other texts that use this word. Repeatedly, the Hebrew Bible commands us to "love the ger":

The ger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself.
– Leviticus 19:34

[God] upholds the cause of the orphan and widow, and loves the ger, providing him with food and clothing.
– Deuteronomy 10:18

Thus says Adonai of Hosts: Deal in true justice and show love and compassion to each other. Do not abuse the widow, the orphan, the ger and the poor…
–Zechariah 7:9-10

If ger in these passages means "convert," then the Bible is commanding us to be mindful of the people within our communities who, despite their birth, have chosen to join us. We might imagine that such people are susceptible to suspicion, distrust and ostracism. It is reasonable to suppose that the Bible is saying that converts need special protection, especially given the fact that widows and orphans – the two other groups referred to in parallel with the ger – are the Bible's most common example of people who are vulnerable.

However, if
the word only means "convert," then we will find that there is nothing in the Bible that commands us to love and show compassion to anyone outside our own nation and tribe. That does not seem possible to us. The Bible proclaims the God of Israel to be the only God – the God of all the world. How could it tell us to be indifferent to non-Jews? The Bible says that all human beings are created in the image of God. How could it not command us to love every image of God, not just those from our own people?

This is a challenge for our own times. We are living in a Jewish community that has increasing numbers of
gerim, in both meanings of the word. In the congregation I serve, and in Jewish congregations across North America, there are unprecedented numbers of men and women who have decided to join the Jewish people. Many of them made that decision because of their decision to marry a Jew. Many of them decided to become Jewish without having a Jewish spouse. The ger who is a convert is among us and we are commanded to love him or her just as we love the person who was born a Jew.

We also are a Jewish community that has unprecedented numbers of non-Jews in our midst. These most often are the men and women who attend our services and participate in our community, not because they are Jewish, but because they are part of a Jewish family. Many of these "
gerim" have decided to raise their children as Jews. Many donate generously to the Jewish community. Some find that the spiritual experiences they have in the synagogue are compelling and meaningful in ways that they never found in the religion of their upbringing. Many grew up without any religion to speak of.

There are many reasons why such non-Jews decide not to convert. Some have maintained a loyalty to the religion of their birth. Some do not wish to upset their families by formally leaving their religion. Some find that they do not wish to convert because they do not feel compelled to do so by their personal beliefs, even if they find Judaism to be beautiful and meaningful tradition for their families.

Yet, it is true that such non-Jewish participants in the Jewish community make us a better community and their commitment helps others to live better as Jews. The
ger who is a non-Jew is also among us and we are commanded to love him or her just as we love the person who was born a Jew or the person who has converted to Judaism.

And this, perhaps, is what Abraham is reminding us in this week's Torah reading. He says, "I am a resident
ger among you." Do not read ger as "stranger" and do not read it as "convert." Instead, understand that Abraham is telling the Hittites that they should deal with him justly and treat him as they would treat their own people. He has come to merit such treatment because he has made himself a part of their community in loyalty and in kindness. He is a ger.  And so we should treat all of our gerim, whether they have formally converted or not.


Other Posts on This Topic:
Chayei Sarah: Living a Whole Life
Behar: Do Not Wrong One Another

2 Comments

Vayera: Arguing with God

11/6/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The book of Genesis begins with God deciding to create human beings to rule all the other created things: "Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth" (Genesis 1:26). It seemed like a good idea at first … until it went horribly wrong.

In the chapters that follow, God came to see the downside of creating humanity. Adam and Eve ate the one thing God told them not to touch. Cain murdered his brother Abel. Violent behavior convinced God to drown (almost) all of humanity. Even after the Flood, human beings tried to challenge God by building the Tower of Babel. 

God was frustrated by humanity, beings whom God created to rule creation who could not even rule themselves. God then selected Abraham as a moral and spiritual exemplar – someone who could show the world what it means to be a righteous person. Through Abraham, God would let human beings know what was expected of them. What happened next, though, may have come as a surprise even to God.

In this week's Torah portion (Vayera) God decided to trust Abraham, his exemplar,  with some insider information – the plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. God asks, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him?" (Genesis 18:17-18). Maybe God thought that, given Abraham's mission to teach the world about God's ways, he needed to know about the plan to use Sodom as an example of how not to behave. Yet, instead of accepting God's plan to punish Sodom, Abraham questioned it and challenged God's own morality.

Abraham protested, "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! Shall not the Judge of all the  earth deal justly?" (Genesis 18:25). Abraham turned the tables on God and told God that the plan did not measure up to God's own standards of justice. The story has a certain flavor of comeuppance. God is hoist by the Divine petard. The very human being God designated to teach humanity how to rule over creation, almost inevitably, ended up trying to overrule God.

That may not be such a bad thing, though. Abraham is presented as the ideal man of faith, and faith is not understood by the Hebrew Bible as mere blind obedience. To be truly faithful, one must be willing to question, to argue, to look deeply into the nature of morality and faith. Even God's actions should not be exempt from our consideration.

After all, God must have had a reason to create us. Maybe God put us here to keep God in line. Maybe God created us because God needs to have a friend who will speak up and let God know when things are going wrong. All of us need a friend like that once in a while. Why shouldn't God?

This, I believe, is one of the central defining qualities of the Jewish relationship with God. Maybe it is a quality that is unique to Judaism. To be a Jew is not just to obey God. It is not just to submit yourself to God. It is not just to accept God's rule. For Jews, that is not enough. 

The God of Abraham expects us to know that we are not God, yet also expects us to rise above our human imperfection by engaging with God in a conversation about what it means to be human. This ongoing, back and forth argument with God elevates us to a level beyond the limitations of flesh and blood, beyond our animal inclination toward violence, disobedience and arrogance.

For a Jew, it is no sin to argue with God. It is a necessity. It makes us God's partner and, paradoxically, it makes us God's trusted friend.


Other Posts on This Topic:
Vayishlach: The Closest We Can Get to the Face of God
Toledot: Letting Go of the Struggle

0 Comments

    Welcome

    This blog is about living a joyful Jewish life and bringing joy to synagogues and the Jewish community. Join the conversation by commenting on posts and sharing your experiences. For more on the topic, read the First Post.
    "Like" Reb Jeff on FB

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address to subscribe to Reb Jeff posts by email

    Follow Reb Jeff's Tweets

    Recent Posts

    Purim & COVID-19
    ​The Honor of Heaven
    Chasing Our Own Tails
    Drilling Under Your Seat
    Change the World
    Self-Righteousness
    Where We Came From
    What We Must Believe
    ​Is Passover 7 or 8 Days?Origin Story
    Va'eira: Leadership​

    Jeff's Favorites

    • First Post
    • Searching for How the Bible Defines Marriage 
    • The Difference between God and Religion
    • In the Beginning of What?
    • Rape, Abortion and Judaism
    • Ten Thoughts about Being a Rabbi
    • Temple Dues and Don'ts
    • A Pesach Lesson from Yoga
    • The Purpose of the Torah

    Torah Portions

    Genesis
    Bereshit
    Noach
    Lech Lecha
    Vayera
    Chayei Sarah
    Toledot
    Vayetze
    Vayishlach
    Vayeshev
    Miketz
    Vayigash
    Vayechi

    Exodus
    Shemot
    Va'eira
    Bo
    Beshalach
    Yitro
    Mishpatim
    Terumah
    Tetzaveh
    Ki Tisa
    Vayakhel
    Pekudei

    Leviticus
    Vayikra
    Tzav
    Shemini
    Tazria
    Metzora
    Acharei Mot
    Kedoshim
    Emor
    Behar
    Bechukotai

    Numbers
    Bamidbar
    Naso
    Beha'alotecha
    Shelach
    Korach
    Chukat
    Balak
    Pinchas
    Matot
    Masei

    Deuteronomy
    Devarim
    Va'etchanan
    Ekev
    Re'eh
    Shoftim
    Ki Tetze
    Ki Tavo
    Nitzavim
    Vayelech
    Ha'azinu
    Vezot Haberachah

    Holidays
    Shabbat
    Rosh Chodesh
    Pesach/Passover
    Omer Period
    Yom HaShoah
    Yom HaZikaron
    Yom Ha'atzma'ut
    Pesach Sheini
    Lag B'Omer
    Yom Yerushalayim
    Shavuot
    Fast of Tammuz
    Tisha B'Av
    Tu B'Av
    Rosh Hashanah
    Days of Awe
    Yom Kippur
    Sukkot
    Hoshanah Rabbah
    Shmini Atzeret/
    Simchat Torah
    Chanukah
    Tu BiShvat
    Adar (Joy Increases!)
    Purim

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Loading
    Jewish Bloggers
    Powered By Ringsurf
    Picture