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| Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman Face Off (Photo: Sam Morris) |
This weekend comes at a momentous time. It comes during a week when we begin reading in Torah about our people’s exodus from slavery to liberty, when we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and when we inaugurate a new president. For me, this signals a need to deepen our personal commitment to creating an inclusive school community in which every member can thrive as a learner and leader.
Creating an inclusive school community goes beyond simply asking each person to be tolerant or even kind. It depends on each person valuing others for who the other is - on developing a sense of belonging. This requires active, mutual respect. As Martin Luther King Jr wrote from a Birmingham jail in 1963: "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
And to re-phrase King's reading of national inclusion to a school community: "Anyone who [learns] inside [our school] can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."In his Strength to Love, King wrote, "The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and therefore, brothers." (p.25) King saw valuing diversity as essential to the ideal world - the divine plan.
A rabbinic legend offers a similar lesson: Rabbi Eleazar was returning on his donkey from the house of his teacher. Eleazar was riding joyfully because he had enjoyed learning so much. Then an approaching man walking on the road greeted Eleazar, "Peace be to you, Rabbi." But Eleazar was startled by the man's appearance, “How terribly ugly you are! Is everyone in your town as ugly as you?" The man replied, "Why [are you complaining to me about my appearance; go] tell the Craftsman who made me." Eleazar got off his donkey and tried to apologize for his grave mistake. But the man refused Eleazar's apology. "It is the Craftsman who made me to whom an apology is owed." (Ta'anit 20a-b)
Valuing diversity is also a central theme of this week's Torah portion. In a familiar passage from it, "there arose a new Pharaoh over Egypt, who knew not Joseph." (Exodus 1:8) In the Torah context, any Egyptian king who "know not Joseph" so soon after Joseph's administration rescued Egypt from famine, was both ignorant and ungrateful. This new Pharaoh goes on to exclude, exploit, and eventually plot to destroy the ancient Israelites. Looking back at the sentence that introduces this Pharoah, Torah seems to tell us that the roots of evil in nation-building and leadership are ignorance and ingratitude.
And to re-phrase King's reading of national inclusion to a school community: "Anyone who [learns] inside [our school] can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."In his Strength to Love, King wrote, "The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and therefore, brothers." (p.25) King saw valuing diversity as essential to the ideal world - the divine plan.
A rabbinic legend offers a similar lesson: Rabbi Eleazar was returning on his donkey from the house of his teacher. Eleazar was riding joyfully because he had enjoyed learning so much. Then an approaching man walking on the road greeted Eleazar, "Peace be to you, Rabbi." But Eleazar was startled by the man's appearance, “How terribly ugly you are! Is everyone in your town as ugly as you?" The man replied, "Why [are you complaining to me about my appearance; go] tell the Craftsman who made me." Eleazar got off his donkey and tried to apologize for his grave mistake. But the man refused Eleazar's apology. "It is the Craftsman who made me to whom an apology is owed." (Ta'anit 20a-b)
Valuing diversity is also a central theme of this week's Torah portion. In a familiar passage from it, "there arose a new Pharaoh over Egypt, who knew not Joseph." (Exodus 1:8) In the Torah context, any Egyptian king who "know not Joseph" so soon after Joseph's administration rescued Egypt from famine, was both ignorant and ungrateful. This new Pharaoh goes on to exclude, exploit, and eventually plot to destroy the ancient Israelites. Looking back at the sentence that introduces this Pharoah, Torah seems to tell us that the roots of evil in nation-building and leadership are ignorance and ingratitude.
Torah describes that Moses is raised in the Pharoah's household. Despite this superficially common context, these two national leaders become as different as night and day. One thought of destroying a community; the other thought to rescue it.
The Rabbis teach that as the face of one person is different from that of another, so too the mind of one person is different from that of the other. (Talmud Berachot 58a). They elaborate on this: Just as no two individuals have the exact same face or the exact same voice, no two individuals have the exact thinking. (Talmud Sanhedrin 38a) In other words, it is not only superficial appearances that vary from person to person, their opinions and personalities differ too.
The Rabbis teach that as the face of one person is different from that of another, so too the mind of one person is different from that of the other. (Talmud Berachot 58a). They elaborate on this: Just as no two individuals have the exact same face or the exact same voice, no two individuals have the exact thinking. (Talmud Sanhedrin 38a) In other words, it is not only superficial appearances that vary from person to person, their opinions and personalities differ too.
Referring to the interpersonal impact facing those who see the world differently, the Kotzker Rebbe (Poland, 19th century) taught, "Just as you can tolerate the fact that another's face is different than yours, so too [should] you be able to tolerate that another's opinions are different than yours." This diversity is essential to the divine plan. Honoring this diversity is essential to human interaction. Each of us adds something unique to human existence. Denying this is ignorant; failing to value it is ungrateful.
In the days and weeks ahead may our country and community embrace those who are different. May each of us work to deepen our commitment to honoring and appreciating that which makes others different from ourselves.
In the days and weeks ahead may our country and community embrace those who are different. May each of us work to deepen our commitment to honoring and appreciating that which makes others different from ourselves.
This was to have been the weekend of the annual JCHS Shabbat retreat. But recent storm damage temporarily closed our retreat site. This reflection was written for the retreat. I used the Rabbi Eleazar story from Taanit earlier in "Pursuing Inclusion: Equal Does Not Mean Same (Korach 5775)."
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