Sunday, January 31, 2010
Let's Rethink Government
Democracy for Sale
As of late I have been very worried about this country. Like many of you I am concerned about the direction we are taking. All the recent talk about those who have a new vision for this country has left me very fearful. Socialism, government ownership, and big government spending are not the answers to our woes. The last couple of weeks have, however, made me see that there is indeed hope for us – I don’t know why people are worried about socialism. Recent events have shown that the current administration and the congress are confirmed capitalist! The recent vote on health care shows that we are, more than ever, a capitalist country. After all, when you can buy as many votes as you need to pass a law, how can you worry about socialism? I am not an economist but I know an open market runs on supply and demand. That must be true because the senators who held out got more money than anyone else. I guess when every vote counts the value goes up! Rather ironic that money paved the way for a set of laws that will, if left unchecked, move us closer to the failed social systems of Europe. I guess money can even buy the workers’ utopia!
At the end of the day I think we should all be embarrassed by our leaders. Hundreds of millions of dollars were promised to those who pledged their votes at the eleventh hour. It should make us all angry. We see that bribery is a part of political business, and deals are made that border on the illegal. This is all done for the sake of reforms that, according to polls, do not even have the support of a majority of citizens. There is something very wrong here. I guess that is just the way things work in the new vision of America. Since I want to be a good American I guess I get a seat on the “change train.”
That being said I have come up with my own strategy to support our country. We all know that mid-terms elections are being held this year. So to show what a good American (and supporter of capitalism) I am), I have decided to put my vote up for sale just like they do in Washington. So here is my official notice: My vote is now for sale to the highest bidder- I don’t care what party or policy you support. Just show me the money and you can be sure that I will cast my vote for you. As long as you spread a little subsidy my way you can count on me. Of course it would be nice if you also gave something to my friends, and my kids, and maybe a new house, and maybe college money for my grandchildren and maybe a nice no-show job for me during my golden years. Would it be too much to ask if I could also be exempt from income tax? That’s all I ask, not much for something as precious as my vote.
So that’s my new policy to help our country. Am I a great citizen or what! Remember, it’s not bribery- it’s just democracy in action. Now I have only one more decision to implement this crucial contribution to the American way- should I sell my vote on E-bay or Craig’s list?
As of late I have been very worried about this country. Like many of you I am concerned about the direction we are taking. All the recent talk about those who have a new vision for this country has left me very fearful. Socialism, government ownership, and big government spending are not the answers to our woes. The last couple of weeks have, however, made me see that there is indeed hope for us – I don’t know why people are worried about socialism. Recent events have shown that the current administration and the congress are confirmed capitalist! The recent vote on health care shows that we are, more than ever, a capitalist country. After all, when you can buy as many votes as you need to pass a law, how can you worry about socialism? I am not an economist but I know an open market runs on supply and demand. That must be true because the senators who held out got more money than anyone else. I guess when every vote counts the value goes up! Rather ironic that money paved the way for a set of laws that will, if left unchecked, move us closer to the failed social systems of Europe. I guess money can even buy the workers’ utopia!
At the end of the day I think we should all be embarrassed by our leaders. Hundreds of millions of dollars were promised to those who pledged their votes at the eleventh hour. It should make us all angry. We see that bribery is a part of political business, and deals are made that border on the illegal. This is all done for the sake of reforms that, according to polls, do not even have the support of a majority of citizens. There is something very wrong here. I guess that is just the way things work in the new vision of America. Since I want to be a good American I guess I get a seat on the “change train.”
That being said I have come up with my own strategy to support our country. We all know that mid-terms elections are being held this year. So to show what a good American (and supporter of capitalism) I am), I have decided to put my vote up for sale just like they do in Washington. So here is my official notice: My vote is now for sale to the highest bidder- I don’t care what party or policy you support. Just show me the money and you can be sure that I will cast my vote for you. As long as you spread a little subsidy my way you can count on me. Of course it would be nice if you also gave something to my friends, and my kids, and maybe a new house, and maybe college money for my grandchildren and maybe a nice no-show job for me during my golden years. Would it be too much to ask if I could also be exempt from income tax? That’s all I ask, not much for something as precious as my vote.
So that’s my new policy to help our country. Am I a great citizen or what! Remember, it’s not bribery- it’s just democracy in action. Now I have only one more decision to implement this crucial contribution to the American way- should I sell my vote on E-bay or Craig’s list?
Created Equal- a New Biblical Study
Created Equal, Dr. Joshua Berman, Oxford University Press, 2008.
Having earned a doctorate in Biblical studies I have read a lot of books about the Bible. One of the things that I learned along the way is that you are often better off reading the Bible itself! Scholarly books can tend to be very dry and too specialized to be of any interest or value to anyone but the “experts.” Unfortunately, every academic field is like that as we tend to produce studies that are more and more specialized. With that said, Dr. Berman’s book is more than a breath of fresh air—it is a windstorm of fresh ideas that will interest the general reader. Moreover, it presents a fresh and very important way for us to look at the history of our people. Perhaps most importantly, while this book discusses Biblical society and politics it is a book that demonstrates just how very much we need to hear the message of the Bible for the twenty-first century.
In Created Equal Berman uses his broad knowledge of the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern studies to demonstrate that along with the Bible’s radical theology (monotheism) there existed a radical view of humanity- that all men are equal. (yes, the usual caveat, women are not included nor are slaves or minors.) That caveat aside, the Bible presents a world view in which all people are created in the image of the Divine. It creates a plan for a society in which all people have an equal economic basis and equal value. Berman makes a cogent case for suggesting that Biblical Israel was to be a classless society.
When entering the world of politics Berman looks at other near eastern societies. He documents the view of other societies in which the king reigned by divine rule. The citizens existed for the sake of the king who represented the gods or (as in Egypt) actually was worshipped as a god. This meant that the citizen existed for the sake of the state. All his efforts, his very body and soul, were the king’s property. In contrast, the Israelites worshiped no king- in fact the first experiment in kingship with Saul was a terrible disaster. Even with the rise of David the king is nothing more than a leader who can be openly chastised when needed. More than this when Solomon would inherit the throne the vast majority of the kingdom would turn their backs to him and the nation that David had forged would become the split kingdoms of Israel and Judah. By today’s standards these may sound like small things but in their historical setting they were of monumental importance. In ancient Israel all men were created equal by the act of God’s creation- their lives were to be equal by their ability to care for and rule themselves. Even those who fell short of this goal were to be helped “back to their feet” according to the social theory of the Bible.
Again, the critic would say that this “equality” is an illusion because it did not embrace woman or children, but I remind you that as recent as the founding of this country equality was a relative term. Even the founding fathers of this country some four thousand years later would have, in our eyes, a very limited view of equality. What remains for us to appreciate is that Berman’s short and easily read study gives us a whole new insight into the history of our faith and culture. People were no longer to be the “mules” of the state but the full partners in a creative process.
I can’t imagine a time in which a study such as Created Equal could speak with more authority to our present moment. We still debate social theory. We still are in the process of trying to create a society based on equality. The current social and political debates are still revolving around some basic questions that we have yet to answer. Created Equal is certainly an affirmation of the Jewish worldview- the worth of the individual can never be compromised. Neither societies nor governments exist for their own sake- they exist as the common will of the individual and for the sake of the individual who is created in God’s image as we all are.
Having earned a doctorate in Biblical studies I have read a lot of books about the Bible. One of the things that I learned along the way is that you are often better off reading the Bible itself! Scholarly books can tend to be very dry and too specialized to be of any interest or value to anyone but the “experts.” Unfortunately, every academic field is like that as we tend to produce studies that are more and more specialized. With that said, Dr. Berman’s book is more than a breath of fresh air—it is a windstorm of fresh ideas that will interest the general reader. Moreover, it presents a fresh and very important way for us to look at the history of our people. Perhaps most importantly, while this book discusses Biblical society and politics it is a book that demonstrates just how very much we need to hear the message of the Bible for the twenty-first century.
In Created Equal Berman uses his broad knowledge of the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern studies to demonstrate that along with the Bible’s radical theology (monotheism) there existed a radical view of humanity- that all men are equal. (yes, the usual caveat, women are not included nor are slaves or minors.) That caveat aside, the Bible presents a world view in which all people are created in the image of the Divine. It creates a plan for a society in which all people have an equal economic basis and equal value. Berman makes a cogent case for suggesting that Biblical Israel was to be a classless society.
When entering the world of politics Berman looks at other near eastern societies. He documents the view of other societies in which the king reigned by divine rule. The citizens existed for the sake of the king who represented the gods or (as in Egypt) actually was worshipped as a god. This meant that the citizen existed for the sake of the state. All his efforts, his very body and soul, were the king’s property. In contrast, the Israelites worshiped no king- in fact the first experiment in kingship with Saul was a terrible disaster. Even with the rise of David the king is nothing more than a leader who can be openly chastised when needed. More than this when Solomon would inherit the throne the vast majority of the kingdom would turn their backs to him and the nation that David had forged would become the split kingdoms of Israel and Judah. By today’s standards these may sound like small things but in their historical setting they were of monumental importance. In ancient Israel all men were created equal by the act of God’s creation- their lives were to be equal by their ability to care for and rule themselves. Even those who fell short of this goal were to be helped “back to their feet” according to the social theory of the Bible.
Again, the critic would say that this “equality” is an illusion because it did not embrace woman or children, but I remind you that as recent as the founding of this country equality was a relative term. Even the founding fathers of this country some four thousand years later would have, in our eyes, a very limited view of equality. What remains for us to appreciate is that Berman’s short and easily read study gives us a whole new insight into the history of our faith and culture. People were no longer to be the “mules” of the state but the full partners in a creative process.
I can’t imagine a time in which a study such as Created Equal could speak with more authority to our present moment. We still debate social theory. We still are in the process of trying to create a society based on equality. The current social and political debates are still revolving around some basic questions that we have yet to answer. Created Equal is certainly an affirmation of the Jewish worldview- the worth of the individual can never be compromised. Neither societies nor governments exist for their own sake- they exist as the common will of the individual and for the sake of the individual who is created in God’s image as we all are.
Conquering Fear
Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain Time, by Rabbi Harold Kushner, A.A. Knopf, New York, NY, 2009.
Reviewed by Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Thompson
In his new book Rabbi Harold Kushner confronts an age old human problem with which man still struggles in the twenty first century: the fear of uncertainty. While we live in a time in which technology makes our lives more comfortable than ever, we, like those before us, live in a time in which there is little that we can take for granted. Today’s “sure thing” can still become a bad decision. We can predict the weather but remain helpless in the face of nature. We have better medical care than ever but still worry that illness may strike us. More profoundly, Kushner’s monograph reminds us that it can take very little to shake our faith in the future. Should that happen we are destined to live with the worst disease that can strike the human heart- deep personal fear of what tomorrow may bring.
While “fear” may be a rather nebulous “boogeyman,” the author reminds us that some of our fears are unfounded and irrational. These can be dealt with by a simple dose of logic. After all, air travel really is safer than car travel, natural disasters are actually “rare” in their occurrence, and sometimes we are just afraid of being afraid. There are, however, some real fears that we all share. Some are specific to this moment. Terrorism is a fear that we, as Americans, have never had to face before. It is the twenty first century version of the fear of the dark. The fear of the unknown that threatens us without warning- we just can’t see it coming. We conquer this fear when we go on with our daily lives, while we continue to travel, while we reaffirm that, in the end, evil will consume itself.
Moving to fears that touch us more intimately, Kushner notes that many of us may fear change. Now, more than any time in history, the world moves faster than we can fathom- invoking the now rather mild image of “future shock,” he notes that many of us are suspicious and fearful of new technologies. The new possibilities for good make us worry about the new possibilities for evil. To live boldly is to embrace and recognize change. We are comfortable with the present moment but to live as if nothing changes is not realistic. None of us can function at our best when we feel the ground under us in constant motion – but we can boldly claim those things that are unchanging: the human need for mentoring, parenting, and love.
Writing just last year, Kushner also reflects on the economy, corporate downsizing, and the fear of job loss. He reminds us that some of these fears are larger than life itself because we sometimes confuse our jobs, our economic worth, with our human worth. To lose a job is not to lose one’s identity or one’s humanity. In fact, he poses, it might be a new chance to rediscover one’s worth. Living with courage means seeing past the grief and anger of loss. It means having a vision of who you will be when you emerge on the other side.
As a Jew I find Kushner’s work to be a great resource. In very human terms it reminds me that “living boldly” is a mitzvah. God intends for us to live with courage not with fear. Over and over again our sacred literature affirms that life is a process that unfolds between the polarities of human experience. We all live between moments of hope and moments of despair, between moments in which we feel connected to every other life in the universe and moments in which we feel desperately alone. In every circumstance it is within our power to conquer fear, to choose hope, and to create a future as we envision it to be.
Reviewed by Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Thompson
In his new book Rabbi Harold Kushner confronts an age old human problem with which man still struggles in the twenty first century: the fear of uncertainty. While we live in a time in which technology makes our lives more comfortable than ever, we, like those before us, live in a time in which there is little that we can take for granted. Today’s “sure thing” can still become a bad decision. We can predict the weather but remain helpless in the face of nature. We have better medical care than ever but still worry that illness may strike us. More profoundly, Kushner’s monograph reminds us that it can take very little to shake our faith in the future. Should that happen we are destined to live with the worst disease that can strike the human heart- deep personal fear of what tomorrow may bring.
While “fear” may be a rather nebulous “boogeyman,” the author reminds us that some of our fears are unfounded and irrational. These can be dealt with by a simple dose of logic. After all, air travel really is safer than car travel, natural disasters are actually “rare” in their occurrence, and sometimes we are just afraid of being afraid. There are, however, some real fears that we all share. Some are specific to this moment. Terrorism is a fear that we, as Americans, have never had to face before. It is the twenty first century version of the fear of the dark. The fear of the unknown that threatens us without warning- we just can’t see it coming. We conquer this fear when we go on with our daily lives, while we continue to travel, while we reaffirm that, in the end, evil will consume itself.
Moving to fears that touch us more intimately, Kushner notes that many of us may fear change. Now, more than any time in history, the world moves faster than we can fathom- invoking the now rather mild image of “future shock,” he notes that many of us are suspicious and fearful of new technologies. The new possibilities for good make us worry about the new possibilities for evil. To live boldly is to embrace and recognize change. We are comfortable with the present moment but to live as if nothing changes is not realistic. None of us can function at our best when we feel the ground under us in constant motion – but we can boldly claim those things that are unchanging: the human need for mentoring, parenting, and love.
Writing just last year, Kushner also reflects on the economy, corporate downsizing, and the fear of job loss. He reminds us that some of these fears are larger than life itself because we sometimes confuse our jobs, our economic worth, with our human worth. To lose a job is not to lose one’s identity or one’s humanity. In fact, he poses, it might be a new chance to rediscover one’s worth. Living with courage means seeing past the grief and anger of loss. It means having a vision of who you will be when you emerge on the other side.
As a Jew I find Kushner’s work to be a great resource. In very human terms it reminds me that “living boldly” is a mitzvah. God intends for us to live with courage not with fear. Over and over again our sacred literature affirms that life is a process that unfolds between the polarities of human experience. We all live between moments of hope and moments of despair, between moments in which we feel connected to every other life in the universe and moments in which we feel desperately alone. In every circumstance it is within our power to conquer fear, to choose hope, and to create a future as we envision it to be.
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