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Shabbat Parashat Behar Bechukotai Iyar 22nd 5770 May 6th 2010
Shalom,
It was so nice seeing so many of you at the annual dinner. Congratulations again to all those who worked so hard to make it such a successful evening in so many ways.
As we approach the first anniversary of Tehilah's introduction to my Stamford friends and my congregational family, it is hard to believe that a year has passed. We are truly excited to return to Agudath Sholom for Shavuot, and we look forward to spending a wonderful holiday together.
Last Sunday we celebrated our annual dinner on Lag Ba'Omer. In my remarks to the honorees I wrote about the most popular custom of Lag Ba'Omer; the lighting of bonfires. I remember that when we were growing up, we would scavenge far and wide for pieces of wood and fallen tree branches, starting immediately after the conclusion of the holiday of Passover. Every day after school we dedicated two hours, wandering the neighborhoods streets, looking for the precious wood. Then, we would search for the perfect secret hiding place to store our "treasure," so that no one would steal it from us! The kids in the neighborhood would form alliances, and split into groups to maximize their chances to ensure that they could have the largest quantity of kindling and fuel for the bonfire. I cannot tell you how many times we went to battle to protect or retrieve our precious wood.
Shortly after darkness fell and all the bonfires were lit, it was our custom to leave one or two guards at our medurah (yes, people tried to steal wood even at that stage) and we went to inspect the competition. Everybody walked from one medurah to the other, criticizing them, comparing them to our own, and exchanging impressions as we crossed paths through the night.
When it came to the best way to light the medurah, or bonfire, of course there were varied opinions and many different approaches. (This is, after all, an Israeli tradition!) The first method was essentially, the bigger the better. We felt that the largest, hottest bonfire was the "coolest." Another approach was to keep the fire low and steady untill morning. There was no debate about those who stayed up all night near the fire; they were the "coolest," and of course had the coolest parents.
In the morning, we waited until the makolet (grocery store) opened up and got the first shoko (chocolate milk in a plastic bag) and a hot lachmania (bread roll), which was the most delicious thing imaginable at that point. We munched as we slowly found our way home. Since we never had school on Lag Ba'Omer we spent the next day in bed.
One of the high points of the evening was the burning in effigy of one of the enemies of the Jewish people. In our neighborhood, we created a huge doll, made out of old rags and discarded clothing, and named it Hitler or Eichmann. Other groups burned creations named Haman, or Nasser, or other hated figures in Jewish history. Even though this practice can be found everywhere in Israel, commemorated by old and young, religious and secular, I did not know its origin. I asked Rabbi Walk, who told me that it is a "new" custom, not more than 100 years old, and is not even Jewish to start with, but rather something we borrowed from the British during the Mandate period. In England we know that burning of witches and other bad guys was something quite popular during medieval times, so that makes the origin of the custom more understandable.
Why am I indulging in this stroll down memory lane? Because there is an additional reason that this custom has special relevance today. I read in the Israeli newspapers, that this year in certain areas, the "honor" of being burnt as the worst enemy of the Jews, in some medurot, was no other than the American President Barack Obama.
Over the last few months I have heard much criticism about President Obama, especially in regard to issues that relate to Israel. I am not interested in defending the President, nor vilifying him, nor arguing his positions and policies. However, I am convinced that he does not deserve the title of the "Jews' worst enemy." Burning him in effigy, even on Lag B'Omer, is unwarranted and undermines the goal of maintaining our friendship and promoting Israel. .
Some people think that it is acceptable to use any excess to express an opinion; extreme language and behavior is permitted in order to make a point. But those people are wrong. Even when we disagree we must not lose perspective. We must maintain a standard of dignity and reason. Even if President Obama's actions are debatable, it is clear that he is not in the same category of those who wanted to annihilate the Jewish people.
The reality is that today, it seems that only the sensational and the shocking get attention. It is important to remember that exaggeration can be tasteless, and confrontational and combative language and behavior cannot serve our values and goals.
Shabbat Shalom from Israel,
Cantor Arik Wollheim
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