Sukkot 5777

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein 17 October 2016

 This  morning  I  am  thankful  to  Brendan,  the  technician  for  the  BBC  Three  Counties  Radio  God  slot,  in  which  I  featured  reviewing  the  Sunday  papers.  Sat  next  to  him  I  happened  to  say,  “I  can't  say  that  because  it  might  be  seen  as  political  by  some  whereas  I  know  my  thoughts  are  akin  to  those  the  ancient  Israelite  prophets  articulated.”      The  ancient  Israelite  prophets,  who  prophesied  in  the  northern  kingdom  of  Israel  in  the  eighth  century  BCE,  spoke  out  against  the  rulers  and  the  elite  as  having  degraded  themselves,  for  Amos  –  socially  and  politically  –  and  for  Hosea  –  spiritually  and  religiously.  The  regular  Israelite  has  been  sold  into  degradation,  either  living  in  abject  poverty  or  having  to  sell  themselves  and  their  families  as  slaves  to  even  live.  That  existence  was  little  better  than  animals.      At  that  time,  sporadic  forays  from  neighbouring  peoples,  in  particular  the  Assyrians  who  ultimately  would  utterly  destroy  Israel,  sending  ten  tribes  into  obliteration  or  dispersion,  were  prevalent.  The  summers  were  scorching  hot  and  the  rains  did  not  bring  enough  water  to  satisfy  the  thirst  of  the  Land.  Hosea  in  particular  connects  this  as  his  main  theme:  Israel’s  abandonment  of  the  Eternal  One  through  its  behaviour,  leading  to  their  punishment  by  God,  by  the  hand  of  nature  and  the  Assyrians.    Speaking  words  of  doom  and  gloom  to  the  comfortable  or  to  the  scared  is  not  easy.  One’s  message  can  be  deeply  unpopular  but  our  society  would  be  ill  served  for  not  being  able  to  hear  its  call.  It  is  therefore  vital,  that  along  with  the  criticism  comes  a  path  forward.  That  is  why  Hosea’s  words  were  read  on  Yom  Kippur  Hosea  (14:2-­‐10),  there  is  an  alternative  as  he  calls  for  Israel  to  repent  and  holds  hope  for  an  ideal  future  of  reconciliation  between  the  Eternal  and  Israel.  “Return,  O  Israel,  to  the  Eternal  your  God,  for  you  have  fallen  because  of  your  sin…”        The  cause  was  that  of  unaccompanied  minors  in  the  Calais  ‘Jungle’  who  have  family  members  in  the  UK  or  who  are  covered  by  the  Dubs  Amendment.  Sukkot  reminds  us  of  the  fragility  of  life  -­‐  ours,  and  others:  But  Brendan  reminded  me  to  speak  my  mind  like  the  prophets  of  Israel  who  were  emboldened  by  God  or  their  conscience  depending  on  your  viewpoint.  For  there  is  a  clear  case  that  these  children  are  being  used  as  political  pawns.  I  cannot  stand  by  and  say  otherwise.    May  this  Sukkot  that  reminds  us  of  the  fragility  of  life  encourage  us  to  be  true  to  our  beliefs  and  air  our  views  even  if  we  might  be  ultimately  dissuaded  of  them.  Or  our  views  might  be  proven  true  and  persuade  another  that  their  viewpoint  be  false,  or  personally  or  politically  motivated.  Let  us  also  pray  for  the  wisdom  and  strength  to  listen,  hear  and  work  out  whether  others  have  a  case.  And  may  it  not  come  too  late  for  us.    For  Israel,  it  came  too  late.  Judah  survived  but  not  for  its  lack  of  social,  political  and  religious  ills.  We  are  the  remnant,  those  from  Judah  who,  through  millennia  have  grown  into  a  people  that  has  a  different  understanding  of  its  relationship  with  God.  The  primitive  reward  and  punishment  model  of  the  Israelite  prophets  does  not  hold  us  in  its  thrall:  For  we  understand  the  wicked  capability  of  humanity,  just  as  we  might  explain  natural  disasters.      

Still  we  savour  our  spiritual,  covenantal  relationship  with  God  for  in  it  contains  our  recognition  that  though  we  might  understand,  we  have  not  conquered.  We  struggle  to  solve  local  ills  let  alone  bring  universal  wellbeing.  Nature  remains  nature  and  though  we  showed  glimpses  of  common  sense  last  week  with  the  global  deal  to  limit  the  use  of  hydrofluorocarbons,  one  of  the  worst  causes  of  global  warming  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/15/climate-­‐change-­‐environmentalists-­‐hail-­‐deal-­‐to-­‐limit-­‐use-­‐of-­‐hydrofluorocarbons),  we  lack  a  common  resolve  to  act  as  stewards  of  our  planet.      Hosea  concludes:  “The  wise  will  consider  these  words,  the  prudent  will  take  note  of  them.  For  the  paths  of  the  Eternal  are  smooth;  the  righteous  can  walk  on  them,  while  sinners  stumble  on  them.”  In  the  future,  one  generation  will  be  able  amongst  all  the  nations  to  make  pilgrimage  to  a  metaphorical  Jerusalem  to  rejoice  in  the  harvest  festival  of  Sukkot.  None  will  stumble  but  all  will  walk  on  God’s  words.  The  bounty  shall  be  great  for  it  shall  be  sufficient  to  feed  all  those  who  march  in  a  single  direction  whilst  yet  retaining  their  diversity.  May  we  be  counted  as  the  wise  that  heeded  God’s  words  through  our  ancient  prophets  to  add  our  own  voices  to  that  fine  tradition.    Amen