Ghosting God, Ghosting Self
Day 97
Beginning on Thursday, which celebrates the new month of Elul, this blog will focus on preparing ourselves for Yom Kippur, a new and, hopefully, improved version of my High Holy Day prep workshop
I am in complete bewilderment as to how most Americans and Israelis go along with Trump, Bibi, et al. I am at a loss to understand the horrific hatred of Israel by the left while extolling the terrorist organization, Hamas, never mentioning Oct 7th in any of their speeches, and proclaiming the ‘rightness’ of killing babies, attacking kids at a Peace Concert, taking hostages, etc. I am at a loss to understand the ‘fine christian nationalist folk’ like Mike Johnson who HATES the stranger, HATES his enemies, while Christ preaches to love and welcome the stranger and, upon the cross, he prayed for the people who put them there saying, “they know not what they do”. AND, I am excited for today, for every new day, for the possibilities, for the wonder, for the love of Harriet, Heather, Miles, my family, friends, and, of course, bridge!
The Torah Portion being read in Synagogues and Temples throughout the world this week is: Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. It begins by commanding us to put “officers at all of your gates” and they shall administer “righteous judgement”. I am wondering what Ben G’Vir believes should be the “righteous judgement” doled out to him for his hatred of the Palestinians, his decimation of the West Bank, his desire to take Gaza, whether it belongs to Israel, which it doesn’t and never did because it was the land of Philistines and even King David didn’t conquer it? I wonder what Bibi believes is “righteous judgment” for his lying, his corruption, his believing he is above God, above the law, above… and his buddy-buddy relationships with Putin and other autocrats, while dismissing his role in constantly funding Hamas so the Palestinian Authority could never be strong enough to actually run a Palestinian State? I wonder what Trump, Lutnick, Bessent, Kushner, Wytkoff, Miller, Vance, et al believe is “righteous judgement” for their decimation of the rule of law in America, for their senseless hatred being vomited from their mouths against anyone is not in their circle, who care nothing for the citizen and even less for the stranger? I wonder what Musk, Kennedy Jr., Vought, Cassidy believe is “righteous judgment for decimating the health of our nation, putting children at risk for diseases long ago cured? Of course, these bigots, these idolators proclaim their ‘fine love of the Bible’ and GO AGAINST THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE BIBLE, as the Ramban teaches us what “You shall be Holy” comes to tell us: DON’T “be a scoundrel within the bounds of the Torah”, ie don’t use the letter of the law to kill the spirit of the law.
And this is not about ‘them’, it is about We the People because, after all, the people, the movements that degrade human beings, that denigrate the infinite worth and dignity of a human being, that declare themselves above other human beings, and defecate on the uniqueness of each and every person so they can create their ‘perfect followers’ are made up of us or at least flourish because We the People allow them to spread lies, hatred, anti-semitism, be Islamaphobic, homophobic with no restraints, with no consequences, telling these Idolators, these Haters, these NON-CHRIST following mendacious bastards what they are doing is permissible. Trump, Kushner, all of them could have been stopped if the Congress, if Mitch McConnell had lived into the faith they wear so ‘proudly’ on their sleeves, Oh Yeah, they did, because their faith is power, their path is to be at war with their ‘enemies’, to take the country back to a time when Jews were not allowed and Blacks were slaves! Wake up, We the People! El-Sayed is no savior, AOC is not presidential material, Bernie is a one-noter and his rallying cry is getting lost in the Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic rhetoric he and his cronies are spewing! The Kushners believe they should be allowed to buy anything and everything they want with the money from Saudi Arabia-the country that supplied the vast majority of the Terrorists on 9/11! Trump sent Kushner to negotiate with Iran and things are worse than before the war started, worse than before they opened their mouths to negotiate a real estate deal rather than an end to the war.
I have experienced both “righteous judgment” for my errors and the retributive judgment of those who use my vulnerabilities against me. “Righteous judgment” is painful because it is in response to my errors of judgment and of action, my soul aches for these errors; retributive judgment is painful because it is an attack on my soul, it is an attack at my essence and the need of another to annihilate me, my goodness is something I reject and stand against. I do not allow my loss at understanding the evil that is prevalent today to kill my own goodness of being.
ACTION STEP:
Are you aware of the difference between “righteous judgment” and retributive judgment?
God Bless, Stop Ghosting God, Ghosting Self, Rabbi Mark