During the civil rights era, many rabbis partnered with Martin Luther King to further the cause of justice and racial equality. A teacher of mine told a story about a time when he and others were arrested during a peaceful demonstration. He spent the night in jail with other clergy.
During their time together, they spent time discussing that week's Torah portion. In it, God tells Moses that he will not be allowed to enter the promised land. God had instructed Moses to speak to a rock so that water would come forth to sustain the people. But instead of heeding God's instructions, Moses hits the rock with his staff, and the Israelites drink. Nonetheless, God punishes Moses, and it seems to many that the punishment is extreme.
While discussing, the clergy delved into the intricacies of the story, looking at the specifics of the portion's grammar and word choices, attempting to reconcile Moses' action with God's punishment.
One minister gave his opinion: It's simple. Moses used violence. Rather than ask someone for help, or even ask God for help, Moses took it into his own hands and used his power simply for power's sake. God's punishment teaches us that regardless of the good we might do in our lives, regardless of the leadership that we may demonstrate, violence is never a solution.
That minister was Martin Luther King.
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I've often spoken about our tradition's interpretation on the famous injunction, Tzedek Tzedek tirdof: Justice, justice you shall pursue. Our sages teach that the word justice is repeated twice to remind us that when we actively engage in the work of justice, when we protest racism and hatred, when we fight for the rights of ourselves and others, we must do so with justice.
I teach this interpretation. Martin Luther King lived it.
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He said, Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
This isn't just intended for those who profess racist beliefs, those who harbor anti-Semitic prejudices, or those who minimize the importance of movements like Black Lives Matter or #MeToo. These words are also intended for us! In our never-ending work to bend the ark of history toward justice, we must find room in our hearts for empathy and understanding, even toward those who may be considered our enemies.
After 420 years of slavery, we were saved by God's miracle. God split the waters of the Red Sea. And as our feet touched dry land on the other side, the Egyptians drowned. Finally free, we celebrate with joy and song. And God yells at us: How can you be singing when my children are drowning?
Martin Luther King understood that all of humanity are God's children. Even when he struggled, even when he was jailed, even when he was disrespected, ignored, vilified, he refused to strike the rock.
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Yehuda Amichai, the late poet laureate of Israel, wrote these words:
*Don’t stop after beating the swords
into plowshares, don’t stop! Go on beating
and make musical instruments out of them.
Whoever wants to make war again
will have to turn them into plowshares first.*
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Fifty years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, there is still much work to be done. And it is hard work. But let us get hope from his life, his work, and his legacy. Let us use that hope to keep marching, to keep moving, to performing acts of tikkun olam. May his memory always be for a blessing, and may we continually push ourselves toward justice, understanding and peace. Shabbat Shalom
