The Presidential Inauguration of 2025
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ בְּמִדְיָ֔ן לֵ֖ךְ שֻׁ֣ב מִצְרָ֑יִם כִּי־מֵ֙תוּ֙ כׇּל־הָ֣אֲנָשִׁ֔ים הַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֖ים אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
יהוה said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who sought to kill you are dead.” (Ex. 4.19)
You are not expected to endanger yourself or your community.
You are however expected to do what you can to behave ethically.
The challenge is to discern what is commanded of a person in a particular moment, and the person must be self-aware in order to understand this.
It is true that Moshe Rabbenu had a job to do which no one else could do; with the support of his siblings, and his connection to the holy, Moshe was indisputably (most of the time) seen even by his detractors as uniquely suited to confront Pharaoh and survive to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But only when the time was right, and when there was no clear danger to him.
These are complicated days for the Jewish community of the U.S. Much has been written and spoken about the natural alignment of Judaism’s values and the U.S. progressive left – and some of it, at least, is wishful thinking. Not only is it easy to demonstrate where Jewish values also sometimes align with conservative politics, it is also not difficult to see where the U.S. left is not always welcoming to Jews.
Our ancestors taught that in order to be effective in the world – in order to align with Eternity – one must first know oneself and realistically assess one’s capacities, limitations, and potential. Only when we wield our talents responsibly do we have a chance to doing what only we can do.
At a time when Jews are targeted, it is not realistic to believe in safety in a non-Jewish place. As much as Jews have tried to assimilate into the U.S. social justice sphere, we are not always welcome there, and to become aware of this is to begin to see what one actually can do, rather than what one wants to see.
On this Shabbat I offer you an article for your consideration as you think about the choices you may feel called upon to make or stand for in the days and months and years to come. May we find our strength in our millennial heritage: we’ve been here before, we know what to do.
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 