Dear Readers,
I hope that you had a very happy and meaningful Chanukah. I am currently spending time in Israel and preparing for the launch of my new book in early 2012. I will return to blogging the week of January 16th.
Here’s to a happy, healthy and successful new year!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Hayim Herring
From Sarah Ross on flickr
In America, where Chanukah is often perceived as the “Jewish Christmas,” there’s a tendency to universalize the message of the holiday. You’ve probably heard Chanukah referred to as a victory for religious freedom, with the few (Maccabees) defeating the many (Syrian Hellenists). While it’s actually not quite that simple, there is a legitimately universal insight that we can draw from Chanukah: when leaders become distant, expect popular rebellion.
Chanukah was every bit as much of a civil war as it was a war of the Jews against a Syrian oppressor. The religious leadership in Jerusalem had become corrupt and violated essential tenets of Jewish faith. They had become elites, who believed themselves entitled to make any changes they desired. They no longer believed that they were accountable to God or to the people who had entrusted them with their spiritual well being. They became oblivious to the reality on the ground.
Does this story sound familiar? It does seem to be universal today. The global “Occupy” protest movement is just one modern manifestation. Social protests against the recent Russian elections are another. The fighting between the Egyptian military and civilians, and the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad in Syria against a people that is no longer willing to accept authoritarian rule are yet other dark examples.
But these modern day rebellions have a new feature that did not exist in the time of the Maccabees. Today, when leaders act corruptly or brutally, their actions are likely to be quickly broadcast worldwide via social media networks. Social media contribute to transparency in leadership, increasing the likelihood of protest when leaders stray from their responsibilities. If you’re in a position of leadership, Chanukah offers a perfect opportunity to reflect on how close or distant you are to the people that you are entrusted to lead.
From "Suttonhoo" on flickr
If you’re in a position of leadership, and you feel satisfied for long stretches of time, then you may not really be leading. While leaders know how to celebrate achievements, they are always looking ahead to the next unresolved issue or new opportunity. Good leaders are genuinely positive about the work that they do and inspire others with their optimism. But, they are not satisfied with the status quo for too long.
According to one commentator on this week’s Torah reading, Vayeshev (Gen. 37:1-40:23), the Biblical patriarch, Jacob, is rebuked by God for trying to settle down. As Rashi writes on Gen. 37:2: “This righteous person seeks to dwell in tranquility. Said the Holy One, ‘What is prepared for the righteous in the world to come is not sufficient for them, but they seek [also] to dwell in tranquility in this world!’”
What’s the argument behind this comment? Jacob, as God’s designated heir to the covenant and leader of the Jewish people, will have ultimate, eternal tranquility in the afterlife. But in this life, his unending task is to be God’s instrument through which the covenant is fulfilled, and that requires Jacob to have a mentality of movement and not stasis, or settling down.
At its core, then, leadership means thinking and working toward the next challenge, even when you find yourself thinking: “Wouldn’t it be nice to settle down a bit?” So, ask yourself, are you satisfied with your achievements? If so, by all means celebrate it, but even as you’re doing so, focus on the next issue that is bothering you. Just as oysters turn irritants into pearls, there is another gem of an idea just waiting for your creative leadership.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Hayim Herring
From Fox-Photography_VE on flickr
Imagine that you’re a Jewish Israeli citizen who was born, raised and is living in Israel. Because you have family members living in the United States and you care about them, you follow the news in America with some regularity.
Over the past several years, despite changes in presidential administrations, you’ve become increasingly worried for your American mishpacha. Americans seem to have one foreign policy approach: wage war (either overtly or covertly); and one response to domestic issues: cut taxes. Public bigotry seems to be tolerated, if the rate at which gays and lesbians are demonized is any indication. Individual liberties have been curtailed because of the Patriot Act and social protest movements don’t seem to be tolerated well.
Many of the Republican candidates seeking the presidency seem to have been named after the cartoon character Dopey (one of the dwarfs in Snow White) and while President Obama would make a great orator-in- chief, he certainly doesn’t know about leadership. And at times he seems ambivalent about your own country: Israel. While you never planned to live in the United States, you’ve visited it periodically. You used to admire it, but now, you’re not so sure….America seems morally and politically adrift. It is starting to remind you of other broken democracies in the West.
You can substitute some of the facts and names, but that’s how many American Jews increasingly feel about Israel. (See blogger and columnist, Jeffrey Goldberg, for three big concerns that American Jews have about Israel in an article entitled, How Israel Can Stop Alienating American Jews.) At a time when there’s an external international effort to undermine Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, some Israeli leaders seem hell bent on making political choices that are internally destructive. Internal and external dynamics then feed off of one another, further fueling these crises.
So what should Jewish leaders who love Israel do? First, leaders have to be honest. That means while expressing their love, they also have to name the issues that trouble them. Second, they have to provide context and nuance for discussions. If they can accomplish these two acts, then they create a condition for a discussion where divergent points of view are heard. They can model that being clear in your own positions doesn’t negate the need to hear other points of view. Finally, leaders need to remember and remind others of the adage that, “no one ever built a statue to a critic.” If you’re ready to criticize, then be ready to get to work to improve the situation.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Hayim Herring