D'var Torah

How we treat others is one of the mitzvot listed in this week’s short but mighty Torah portion, Behar, from the Book of Leviticus (25:1-26:2). The text commands us to treat others fairly both in business and personally. This is one of the important spiritual values of our faith, the way in which we treat people, and, with hope, we are treated the same way.

With issues of antisemitism that we have faced over the last several years, and especially this past year, clearly this value – that should be shared by the entire world’s population – has fallen on deaf ears. Even if we eliminate those people who don’t follow any set of common values or virtues, from following this commandment, how can people, who otherwise believe to be religious, God fearing or spiritual, ignore how important it is to treat people fairly? After all, the  “Golden Rule” (treat others how you would like them to treat you) is said to be a part of 13 faith traditions.

Yes, incidents of antisemitism, hate speech, Islamophobia, not to mention incidents of racial bias and other acts of hate against others continues to climb. In Fairfax County alone, while there have always been occasional incidents of swastikas appearing in graffiti, on school and neighborhood property, I haven’t seen the number of incidents of hate at this level before. The FBI nation-wise statistics show hate crimes of a religious nature are up as well as hate crimes against sexual orientation, gender identity, and those with disabilities are all up (2022 vs 2021). And the ADL, which tracks reported cases of antisemitic incidents (crimes and bias incidents) around the country, show there were 8,873 reported incidents in 2023, compared to 3,698 in 2022. That’s an increase of 139%!!!

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6090 which “provides statutory authority for the requirement that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights take into consideration the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA's) working definition of antisemitism when reviewing or investigating complaints of discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. According to the IHRA's working definition, antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” (Congress.gov) It is currently in the Senate.

We need to continue to not only pass laws that make issues of hate illegal and continue to try to prevent discrimination based on religion, race, sexuality, and gender, but we need to continue to educate about what it means to treat others fairly. When we build relationships with people who share different faiths, backgrounds, or ideologies, we can teach them, by our example, about treating others.

Let’s remember the words in this week’s Torah portion and continue to be a shining example that treating others fairly, ethically and respectfully is a moral value.

Shabbat Shalom,

Cantor Michael Shochet