Seek Peace!

 נְצֹ֣ר לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר מִרְמָֽה׃ 

Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech.

ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרׇדְפֵֽהוּ׃ 

Reject evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34:14-15 (13-14)

I do not think there is anything else to say. Sometimes we say too much and overlook the essence of the proverb or verse. Therefore, just read it and meditate about it, then seek to live according to its message.

Shabbath shalom

Calm down! An Interfaith Reflexion on Anger

The Hulk, a fiction character that illustrates anger. "A man or a moster?"; anger can make you look like a moster, but you are still human. To be inclusive the comic book writers and great artists created a female Hulk; I guess to state that also women can get very angry, although, that one did not look so much as a moster. Maybe an intentional desception to deceive or to show how anger can be as destructive in

something that looks normal as a well planned war with the latest technology as it is in some of the horrible atrocities done by humans against humans. A reasonable scientist becoming an irrational creature, just as anger leads humans to be in war. Regardless of the reason for the development of these characters, anger remains the moster while you are the human who can control it.

הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי כִּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר אֲ֝נִ֗י עָנִ֥יתִי מְאֹֽד׃ אֲ֭נִי אָמַ֣רְתִּי בְחׇפְזִ֑י כׇּֽל־הָאָדָ֥ם כֹּזֵֽב׃

Psalm 116:11-12

The writer of these words confessed that although he (or she) had trusted or had faith in (God), perhaps in a moment of anger rushed to say that all human beings are liars, a lie in itself. Anger rushes us to say and do things we regret later. Never act or speak in anger.

In the Christian tradition is taught: ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν (Ephesians 4:26). This is a quote from Psalm 4:4 in the Greek translation known as Septuagint or LXX. Although the Hebrew text is not exactly the same, the concept is within the Jewish understanding about human behaviour and what God expects from us. Do not rush to speak or act in anger. It will always lead to sin.

Acting or speaking out of anger will lead to hurt others emotionally. Often some of the major personal to international conflicts have come out of someone’s uncontrolled anger.

We get anger when we are hurt. Being hurt or insulted by someone you love; it is more painful than what an enemy could say or do.

Yes, we should never let the day goes by and we are still angry. It will hurt you emotionally and eventually physically, e.g., heart problems. Calm down. Go for a walk. Sometimes a very long walk can help.

Of course, forgiveness helps and it is ideal. However, do not keep placing yourself at the mercy of whoever keeps hurting you and triggering your anger. Sometimes you have to keep a safe distance from that person, even if it is a beloved relative. You still love and care for that relative or friend. You would help in anything you can if able, but you cannot place yourself in circumstances in which that person could hurt you again with his/her words or behaviour.

Be honest with the person who hurts you. Let him/her know you were hurt and how. Keeping inside each and every moment of insults or disrespectful words or actions will eventually lead to an anger that could get out of control. Do not let that happen. Search for a mediator if you do not feel safe talking to that person by yourself. If you find yourself in need of talking with that person, for example he/she is a coworker, always have someone else present who is able to help the communication between you and the other person. Misunderstandings are always a cause for anger.

The popular saying, attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, “turn the other cheek” is often misunderstood. It does not mean to let others abuse you. In its context it discourages the reader or listeners from the use of violence against others.  No, you do not have to let anyone humiliate you over and over again. You can simply move away peacefully and keep a safe distance.

If you do have an anger problem, simple incidents are taken out of proportion and you get easily irritated, then seek professional help. Take time for meditation, reflection, conversation with your Rabbi, Priest, Pastor, or Imam, or religious spiritual leader of your community of faith.

We all get angry in life, at least once. We all can manage our anger and prevent it from overwhelming us by causing emotional or physical harm to ourselves (again, heart failures at times are caused by anger). Anger hurts more the person who is angry than the person that you got angry about.  So, calm down! Relax. Go for a walk.

ט֤וֹב אֶ֣רֶךְ אַ֭פַּיִם מִגִּבּ֑וֹר וּמֹשֵׁ֥ל בְּ֝רוּח֗וֹ מִלֹּכֵ֥ד עִֽיר׃

Proverb 16:32 (cf. Pirke Avot 4:1)

Self-control always; be master over your anger, that will make you strong. Be the master of your emotions.

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר יְהִי כְבוֹד חֲבֵרְךָ חָבִיב עָלֶיךָ כְּשֶׁלָּךְ וְאַל תְּהִי נוֹחַ לִכְעֹס וְשׁוּב יוֹם אֶחָד לִפְנֵי מִיתָתְךָ

Pirke Avot 2:10

In the Torah we read:

וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יי עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יי  ׀  יי אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת׃

Exodus 34:6 (cf. Micah 7:18)

The Lord is slow to get angry. We have plenty of what happens when God let anger take place. We rather be slow to anger like the Almighty.

Maimónides wrote:

אָסוּר לָאָדָם לִהְיוֹת אַכְזָרִי וְלֹא יִתְפַּיֵּס אֶלָּא יְהֵא נוֹחַ לִרְצוֹת וְקָשֶׁה לִכְעֹס וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ הַחוֹטֵא לִמְחל מוֹחֵל בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם וּבְנֶפֶשׁ חֲפֵצָה. וַאֲפִלּוּ הֵצֵר לוֹ וְחָטָא לוֹ הַרְבֵּה לֹא יִקֹּם וְלֹא יִטֹּר. וְזֶהוּ דַּרְכָּם שֶׁל זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלִבָּם הַנָּכוֹן. אֲבָל הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים עַרְלֵי לֵב אֵינָן כֵּן אֶלָּא (וְעֶבְרָתָן) [וְעֶבְרָתוֹ] שְׁמָרָה נֶצַח. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר עַל הַגִּבְעוֹנִים לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא מָחֲלוּ וְלֹא נִתְפַּיְּסוּ וְהַגִּבְעֹנִים לֹא מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה:

Mishne Torah, on Repentance 2:10

In Pirke Avot 5:11 it is written:

אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בַּדֵּעוֹת נוֹחַ לִכְעֹס וְנוֹחַ לִרְצוֹת יָצָא שְׂכָרוֹ בְהֶפְסֵדוֹ קָשֶׁה לִכְעֹס וְקָשֶׁה לִרְצוֹת יָצָא הֶפְסֵדוֹ בִשְׂכָרוֹ קָשֶׁה לִכְעֹס וְנוֹחַ לִרְצוֹת חָסִיד נוֹחַ לִכְעֹס וְקָשֶׁה לִרְצוֹת רָשָׁע:

At a Sunni Muslim site, called Qur’an Explorer, an excellent statement on anger was posted: 

“Anger is one of the worst things considered in Islam. Islam teaches love; to make bonds, to form relationships, to be positive, to not degrade someone, to not insult someone, to avoid each and every word that hurts the people and their self-esteem. Islam teaches the humanity better than any religion and this is why Islam discourages anger because anger destroys relationships and creates distances in people. It not only effects other people but it also effects the health of angry person as well.”

In Islam it is taught that true Muslims are:

وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ

Those who avoid major sins and indecencies, and forgive when angered.

 الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

Those who spend in ease and adversity, and suppress their anger, and excuse [the faults of] the people, and God loves the virtuous.

Quran, 42:37, 3:134

Regardless if you are Jewish, Christian, or Muslim or affiliated to any other faith tradition, anger does not discriminate due to religious affiliation. Do not let anger rule and ruin your life. Calm down. Go for a walk. Rest. Relax. Trust the Almighty, who can give you strength to control and overcome anger.

Conside our tradition on דן לכף זכות  give the benefit of the doubt to whoever got you angry. He/she probably had a difficult time, a bad day, some other conflicts at home. In Pirke Avot 1:6 we read:

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְנִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם

 יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר

וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת:

A very powerful advice about anger management comes from the great Rabbi Abraham Twerski. Listen to his words of wisdom:

One People! One Antiracist Community in a House of Worship for All Nations!

בֵיתִ֔י בֵּית־תְּפִלָּ֥ה יִקָּרֵ֖א לְכׇל־הָעַמִּֽים׃

Isaiah 56:7c

Judaism is not an ethnic religion. To be Jewish is not about belonging to any specific ethnic group, regardless that in the USA for legal reasons it is both. Judaism is the biblical faith, although today with the Rabbinical touch (commentaries and interpretations on how to practice it – Some Jewish scholars would argue modern Judaism is an “invention” of the Rabbis). Its origins go back to an ancient nation called Israel, later divided between Israel and Judah; Judah becoming the centre of the faith, i.e., Jerusalem, hence the adjective Jew or Jewish. However, Judaism or should we say, the faith of the Hebrew prophets, was intended to be the faith for every nation. Just as the house of worship in Judaism is for all nations. Even in the ancient days, Israel/Judah had their origins within many ethnic groups that came out of Egypt with the children of Jacob and the Hebrew-Egyptian children of Joseph. Today the diversity is greater. Tragically, even in some synagogues Jewish people refer to Judaism as an ethnic religion and about themselves as being “white.” This follows the politically motivated definition of “white” in the USA which includes Northern Africa’s communities of Arabs, Egyptian, and Jewish descendants regardless of the colour of the skin.

The Nazis erred by classifying the Jewish people as a "race," adding that we were of a lower "race." Then placing the yellow star on their clothes to identify this "lower race." The labels and insults were not just with words, now with an actual label. Racism was not the only issue, after all there were many people from German ancestry who were part of the Jewish faith and suffered the tragic crime of the Holocaust. 

The Nazis persecuted German people from many other religious and ethnic groups. They sent to forced labour camps German members of the Watchtower, especially because they opposed military service. The Gypsies (Romani people) were also victimized due to their ethnic origins and traditions. German homosexuals were also discriminated and sent to die. There were people, regardless of ethnicity, who suffered under the Nazi regime due to mental health or physical limitations. However, it seems that the Nazis made the Jewish people, either for religious, economical or race reasons, or all of the above, the main target of their racist campaign. A good resource on antisemitism per se is the booklet A Brief History of Antisemitism by the ADL. Another article is Antisemtism in American History. It shows the growing racism and prejudice against the Jewish people in the USA, regardless of the romanticizing of USA history by (a great teacher) Rabbi Meir Soloveichik (currently serving as the Rabbi of the oldest Spanish Portuguese Synagogue in Manhattan). Another important organization fighting antisemitism and other type of ethnic discrimination is the Simon Wiesenthal Center. They also have excellent resources on this important topic.

Louis Harap wrote in Creative Awakening The Jewish Presence in Twentieth-century American Literature, 1900-1940s (page 24), the following: 

Anti-Semitism can be religious (Jew as Christ-killer), economic (Jew as banker, usurer, money-obsessed), social (Jew as social inferior, "pushy," vulgar, therefore excluded from personal contact), racist (Jews as an inferior "race"), ideological (Jew regarded as subversive or revolutionary), or cultural (or as undermining the moral and structural fiber of civilization). It can be an inchoate feeling, a mindless repetition of anti-Jewish verbal cliches and locutions, which we might call "folk anti-Semitism," or it may be an articulated system of ideas that rationalizes the particular variety of anti-Semitism entertained. Very often one resorts to several contradictory types at one.

Racist antisemitism, within all its forms, seems to be the main reason for the Holocaust suffered by the Jewish people. Jonathan Greenblatt, of the ADL, is correct in his answer to a comment by Whoopi Goldberg, said: “There’s no question that the Holocaust was about race. That’s how the Nazis saw it as they perpetrated the systematic annihilation of the Jewish people across continents, across countries.” However, let us take out “instead” from the comments by Goldberg and we must agree with her, a member of the Jewish faith by confession and practice as she stated in earlier interviews (I do not know if that have changed), that the Holocaust was also “about man’s inhumanity to man.” The crimes of the Holocaust, as well as the Inquisition, and many other type and forms of persecution of the Jewish people, either targeting them as an ethnic community or a religious group, must be prevented from ever happening again against anyone, Jews and non-Jews. 

Whoopi Goldberg's comment do raise questions we need to answer to ourselves. It is understandable when some African Americans, even some members of the Jewish faith, see the horrible persecution of Jewish people by the Nazis as a power struggle within the "white" people. That's if they are just looking at the colour of the skin of the Jews of Germany and Poland who look more like the Germans than Middle Eastern communities. The impression some African American get is that these Jewish people were part of this German "white race" too. They get the idea that these Jewish communities were discriminated as Irish Travellers are discriminated by other Irish who seem them as inferior. Of course, Nazis saw it differently. Their racist views saw Jewish people no just as an inferior "race" but also as evil and completely outside of the so called "white race." Their antisemitism was also religious anti Judaism, political and cultural etc. Either way the Holocaust suffered by Jews, Gypsies, Gays, Conscientious Objectors, and others was one of the most horrible war crimes modern times witnessed. 

Whoopi Goldberg has her freedom to interpret events and express her opinion. The censorship and discipline imposed on her just feed the lies of the "white supremacists" in the USA who claim that the Jewish people control the media system. Obviously it is not a fact.

African Americans have asked why the Holocaust against black Africans and Native Americans is not remembered internationally with the same respect and lament. They have a good question. These tragic evil events must be remembered with the same respect so they never happen again. NEVER AGAIN!

In the following music video one of the most beautiful songs in Hebrew is performed. Sadly, the images misrepresent the Jewish people and perpetuate ethnic and religious prejudices within our own communities. In the video there are only so called “white” Jews. No Jewish person with darker skin from Sephardic, Mizrachi, and descendants of Ethiopian Beta Israel are included. Much less the Chinese Jews or the African American Jewish communities. Reform, Conservative (Masorti), Reconstructionist, or any member of another Jewish denomination, except Orthodox are included. Surprisingly a secular Israeli is included, just as an invitation attempting to reach out to this fast-growing segment, perhaps the majority, in modern Israeli society. No all Jews speak Yiddish. Some speak Aramaic, others Arabic or the Judaeo-Arabic dialect. There are those who speak Spanish (castellano) or the modern dialect developed from XV Century castellano called Ladino (Judaeo-Spanish), a language in its own merits. Modern Israeli Hebrew is becoming a common language, although there are also political diversities within the Jewish communities in Israel and outside it. A diversity some "extremists" within the Jewish and Israeli communities do not welcome. Antisemitism is growing even within Israel among some Israeli citizens, not just among the communities called Palestinians. White supremacist views are held by some in Tel Aviv. Confusing? Who says that racism is not a confusion of the mind that forgets the humanity of everyone?

While we must work against antisemitism, we must also work against racism within our own communities; against the prejudices of Jews against other Jewish people, or against others outside the Jewish faith. We must become antiracist communities if we want to overcome antisemitism. Our temples, synagogues, must become a House of Worship for All Nations.