Four Questions of Freedom (Tzav and Pesach 5777)

Circa 1950 Flyer Against Jewish Support for Civil Rights

One of the most prominent features of Pesach - our annual rehearsal of ancient liberation - are the Four Questions. As we seem to have become obsessed with strangers in our midst - those who look or act or think different from us - I propose four additional questions.

These additional Four Questions are inspired by an attack on Jews nearly 60 years ago. It is not the attack itself that inspires me. Rather it was the reaction of 'strangers.'

The attack occurred nearly 60 years ago when an Atlanta synagogue was firebombed. Fifty sticks of dynamite causing nearly $1.5 million in damage (in today's dollars) just a few hours before the building was filled with students.

The firebombing was a reaction to local Jewish support for desegregation and advancing civil rights for blacks. Jewish pursuit of social justice for strangers is the modern expression of a biblical imperative to elevate our treatment of strangers. Shortly after our ancient ancestors are liberated from Egypt, they are exhorted "not [to] wrong or oppress a stranger, for we were strangers [ourselves] in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 22:20.) No other exhortation is repeated so often.

A caller claimed responsibility for the 1958 bombing; he threatened, "this is the last empty building we will bomb . . . Negroes and Jews are hereby declared aliens.” The next day, editor Ralph McGill, of the Atlanta Constitution, wisely observed, "You do not preach and encourage hatred for the Negro and hope to restrict it to that field. It is an old, old story. It is one repeated over and over again in history. When the wolves of hate are loosed on one people, then no one is safe."

One response to the bombing is particularly inspiring. The synagogue received a financial donation for repair work from an unexpected source of "strangers." The black inmates at a local prison made a collective contribution to the building fund. They were unable to send money personally. So it arrived with a note from the prison chaplain. The Atlanta rabbi personally responded to this extraordinary gift, writing to the inmates, "of all the gifts which we have received, this one certainly is one of the most meaningful and heart-warming."

In an ancient commentary to this week's Torah portion, just before Pesach, the power of actively pursuing reconciliation, wholeness, and peace is highlighted. This week's Torah portion describes several sacrificial offerings concluding with the shelamim (lit., peace or completeness) offering. That particular offering concludes each section describing multiple offerings. Just as the prayer for peace ends the centerpiece of each Jewish prayer service, the pursuit of peace might be viewed as the ultimate purpose of Torah. “All that is written in the Torah was written for the sake of peace.” (Midrash Tanhuma – Tzav 3)

The intersection of this week's parsha with Pesach, teaches an important lesson of freedom. Freedom depends on our pursuit of wholeness (as illustrated by the Torah portion) almost as much as it depends on our ability to stand up for the stranger (as illustrated by the Exodus story). Both are essential elements of authentic freedom. And both inspire my new Four Questions:

#1: With whom will you stand when others seek to diminish or marginalize them?

#2: Who will you rescue from despair?

#3: Who will you shield from violence?

#4: Who will you lift when they have fallen?

I invite you to add these to your Seder this year -- and to have the courage to ask each of these questions of yourself and the wisdom to be inspired by how others answer these questions around you.