A Thought For Shavuot 2026
It is time for the denominations and national organizations to step up
As many of you know, Shavuot celebrates the concept of law, Jewish law, and the moral and ethical foundations of our community. Some of us adhere to the Divine Revelation at Sinai and others hold to the belief that Torah was the product of humans, spanning centuries, and must be read through the filter of the social, political, and religious contexts of the times in which they were written. No matter where you stand in this arena, one thing remains, as Jews, we are bound by our belief in the centrality of our sacred texts and the continuing ability to have those texts “speak” to us in our times. This year, as we celebrate the sacredness of Torah, we need to be even more resolute in our commitment to the ethics and values of our tradition. As a Jewish community, we at a very important moment of transition. It is time for us to celebrate our Judaism, our history, our place in this country, for that place is under attack.
This past weekend crowds gathered in Washington to rededicate themselves and this country to the principles of Christianity. To read the reports from various media outlets as to the speeches, and hopes of those in attendance should, as Jews, raise serious concerns. No one disputes that the United States was profoundly impacted by Christianity as the country was founded. Yet, no one can dispute the desire and brilliance of the Founders to recognize that marrying a religion to government would be a huge mistake. To read some of the reports and remarks from members of the current administration is to raise the shadow of history when official state religions were in place and, thus, often placed those who were not members of that religion in a position of “the other”. We Jews have walked this walk too many times.
From the time the first Jews settled in the then New Amsterdam, modern New York, in the mid 17th century, we have been able to practice our Judaism as we saw fit. Have there been anti-Jewish outbreaks? Yes. Yet, we have always prospered under the security of the law. Now, however, things seem to be changing. The plague of antisemitic attacks, the verbal confrontations and the confluence of the war in Gaza with long repressed anti-Jewish feelings, have created a reality that none of us would have predicted. There are no “kumbayah” moments now! This is a time for congregations and national organizations to come forward and stand together to reinforce the presence and pride of our community. Yes, there is much to deal with. The war in the Middles East has profoundly disturbed the status quo and created deep divisions within our community. But this is also a grand opportunity to enter dialogue within our community. Few of our community know the history of the Jews in the United States. Few of our community have studied the history of the Middle East, the geo-political background of how Israel came to be and the history of Zionism. Few have studied the history of antisemitism in this country. It is time for our institutions to bring people together and educate them as to all these issues in a safe space and in a respectful way, for there are, as many of us know, a wide variety of opinions across generational lines.
Shavuot celebrates the concept of Torah. Torah represents the idea and the ideal of a society united by the value of, as we read in Leviticus 19, loving our neighbor as our self. Perhaps in that little verse we can find the real issue. Hatred of “the other” so often is a projection of one’s own self-doubt. Maybe now, it is time for institutions and organizations across the denominational arena to have the courage to come together, knowing that there are differences, but united to bring about reasonable dialogue, acceptance of diversity and a realization that, for the common good, reason must prevail. The alternative to this we have begun to experience. We are either all “the other” or we are all one society. We cannot rely on the power of the government. It is time for all of us to react because to ignore the realities of the present is to slide quickly into social decay and division. It is time for a new Revelation.
Chag Sameach
Rabbi Richard F. Address