B"H
In Preparation for the Day of Atonement
We’re all dressed in white, symbolizing the hope that our sins will be forgiven and our slates cleansed. We bow ever slightly while uttering the words Al chet shechatanu lefanecha. We beat our hearts with a clenched fist chanting this haunting prayer. We beseech the almighty to pardon our iniquities and forgive all our misdeeds. We publicly declare that we have been less than perfect.
My trial is set for Monday. The charges include conspiring against God and willful denigration of my religious duties. I’m certain the prosecuting attorney has many files of incriminating evidence that will be difficult for me to argue against. Foolishly, I decide to defend myself and confront the charges against me.
My defense will be based on the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Although she was extremely proud of her religion, her commitment to Judaism has been posthumously called into question. An obituary in The Guardian questioned her connection to Judaism. After much criticism they modified her obituary to read: “Ruth was brought up in a Conservative Jewish tradition and learned Hebrew as a child, but moved away from strict religious observance after she was not allowed to join a minyan (a group of men) to mourn her mother’s death when she was 17.” Indignant at that exclusion, she nevertheless remained deeply committed to her Jewish identity. Subsequently, other media outlets were critical that she would be lying in state and buried in Arlington National Cemetery, a non-Jewish cemetery.
Everyone has a right to their criticisms, but I don’t believe they were justified in denigrating her as a Jew. She may not have practiced Judaism in the manner that I’m accustomed, but her advocacy for the Jewish people is legendary. Throughout her career she wore her Judaism as a banner of pride and never shied away from her heritage. I believe that had she insisted that her burial be done in accordance with Jewish rituals, it would have been a sanctification of God's name. However, her life was a sanctification of God on a regular basis. I may not have agreed with every one of her positions and philosophies, but with whom am I ever in total agreement?
When the celestial court questions my worthiness, I will defend myself by claiming that my iniquities, albeit significant, should not define who I am. I will ask Hashem and present my case by requesting that I be treated in the manner I treat others. I hope that the way I choose to perceive Ruth Bader Ginsburg be used as a measuring stick in my judgement.
I'm reminded of the New Yorker magazine's iconic picture of New York and the rest of the world. The world of my youth was a microcosm of that picture. Instead of Manhattan, my world revolved around an insular Jewish community located in Borough Park and Williamsburg. Pluralism was an unheard sentiment. It wasn’t until I was married and living in a small town outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, that I began to understand how to define a Jew. I realized that ein adam asher yasseh tov v’lo yecheta - there is no man who is perfect. Everyone has imperfections and flaws. I understand the biblical verse that states: hatzur tamim paalo - that all God’s creations are perfect, doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect. That is how God created us and that is why we have Yom Kippur. To sin is not a weakness; only failing to admit it is a weakness.
Eventually I came to realize that God doesn’t judge man by pinpointing his select wrongdoings. He judges man by analyzing the totality of their essence. He weighs the good and the bad, incorporating data that mortals are incapable of calculating. Only He possesses a crystal ball with the ability to clearly see how deeds of today will impact future generations.
I'm in awe of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the lofty position set aside for her heavenly abode. I read about the impact she had on Jews of all persuasions. I am cognizant that her Jewish pride kept the torch of Judaism alive for many of her coreligionists. Perhaps as a public figure she exuded an extra aura of spirituality. Her observances might have been expressed differently than mine but everyone observes Judaism in their unique manner. What is of primary importance should never be measured by what someone didn’t do, but rather by how much they accomplished. Perfection doesn’t exist. Therefore, when some declare that Ginsburg was less than perfect it is a given, and also completely irrelevant.
So as I prepare my defense this Yom Kippur, I’m confident that regardless of what ammunition the prosecuting angels have in their arsenal, God will nonetheless choose to acquit. I believe that God incorporated Yom Kippur into our holidays because He knows that we will all succumb to temptation. He realizes that perfection is limited to only He that is perfect. He knows that all he created is perfect; albeit with numerous imperfections.
Shabbat shalom and have an easy fast,
Rabbi Jack Engel
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