Dear Lab/Shul,
This past Shabbat, we read parshat Mishpatim, a part of the Exodus story that goes through a whole long list of things we should not do. We hear about how we shouldn’t oppress a stranger, accept interest on a loan, or tolerate a sorceress (and WOW, would I love to dig into that another time!). Knowing that today is President’s Day, my eye stopped at the following piece of text.
אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֹ֣א תְקַלֵּ֑ל וְנָשִׂ֥יא בְעַמְּךָ֖ לֹ֥א תָאֹֽר׃
“You shall not revile God, nor put a curse upon a ruler of your people.”
Exodus 22:27
I am not in the business of cursing people, generally speaking. But I have been pushed to tears, to feeling my entire body vibrating with anger, as I watch our elected leaders chip away at my rights and the rights of people I love for a variety of reasons. I watch as our right to exist is attacked for political gain and I want to scream and, yes, curse the people who dehumanize us. Sometimes it feels really hard to know how else to respond.
These leaders can bring me to tears because they have power, and the reality is that I have power, too. I feel my power most when I come together with others and call on our leaders to act with respect for others and for the positions they hold.
There is room for all sorts of theories of change in our world, and different approaches will resonate for different people. I will never begrudge someone for cursing leaders when they and people like them are continually systematically attacked for being who they are. When we are being treated with respect by our leaders, though, my hope is that we can perhaps take this piece of text as a challenge to hold our leaders accountable while believing that they can do better. Ultimately, each one of us can hold our leaders accountable to the responsibility they have taken on – that’s the example some of the founders of the United States set for us.
Be well,
Sam Hipschman
Director of Community Organizing and Engagement
