Does it matter if Donald Sterling is
Jewish?(c)
Rabbi David Baum, Parashat Emor,
2014/5774
This week, the news of Donald Sterling
gripped the nation. For those of you do not know, Donald Sterling,
the owner of the LA Clippers, was secretly taped by his mistress
making racist comments. Basketball justice was swift – just days
after the recordings went public, Adam Silver, the new commissioner
of basketball, gave Mr. Sterling the worst possible punishment he
could: a lifetime ban from the Clippers and the NBA, and a 2.5
million dollar fine, the highest fine that can be assessed.
Let me ask you something – when you
first heard about this story, did you wonder, is Donald Sterling
Jewish? Turns out, he is, but his birth name is Donald Tokowitz.
Then I learned his parents were immigrants to this country, his
father a vegetable peddler. Then, it was confirmed, Donald Tokowitz
is Jewish.
Donald Sterling – how did you feel
when you found that he was Jewish?
I asked that question to our teens who
said that the first thing their parents said was: I hope he’s not
Jewish.
The teens didn’t understand. What
does it matter if he’s Jewish or not? Why does he represent us?
There is a clear trend amongst American
Jews – they don’t feel as much ethnically connected to other Jews
as they used to, and therefore, what they say doesn’t represent all
of Jewry.
But this is not the case for how most
Jews over 30 'feel'.
Who in here remembers the 2001
elections, where Joe Lieberman ran for VP. Yes, there was pride, but
many also hoped he would lose, not because they were Republicans, but
because what if he fails? What if he is unpopular? Will they blame
us if he fails?
Is this fair? It’s an interesting
issue to discuss – and it is part of a very important mitzvah in
our
parashah.
לב וְלֹא
תְחַלְּלוּ, אֶת-שֵׁם
קָדְשִׁי, וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי,
בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
אֲנִי יְקוָק, מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם
“Do not desecrate My holy name. I
must be sanctified among the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you
holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.’
(Leviticus 22: 32)”
From this one commandment, we see two
very important commandments: a prohibition against desecrating God's
name, Chillul Hashem, and a positive commandment, of sanctifying
God's name, Kiddush Hashem.
Rashi interprets Chillul Hashem as when
one deliberately transgresses God's word. The question is, to whom
does this mitzvah apply to exactly?
Ibn Ezra says that this law only
applies to the priests, the spiritual leaders of the people.
In many ways, this makes sense. When a
leader sins in public, it affects the entire people. But what about
the regular people? Should they not be held to this high standard?
Who in here has ever been the only Jew
in the room? It might have been at college, or on a trip. What if
you were on a cruise ship? I know, it seems almost impossible for
there to be only one Jew on a cruise ship, but Rabbi Norman Lamm
tells an amusing story of Mendel the waiter who was on a cruise ship
in 1976, which was at sea at the same time as the Israeli raid on
Entebbe.
When the news came through to a cruise
liner about the daring Israeli raid, the passengers wanted to pay
tribute, in some way, to Israel and the Jewish people. A search was
made to see if there was a Jewish member of the crew. Only one could
be found: Mendel the waiter. So, at a solemn ceremony, the captain on
behalf of the passengers offered his congratulations to Mendel who
suddenly found himself elected de facto as the ambassador of the
Jewish people.
“We are all, like it or not,
ambassadors of the Jewish people, and how we live, behave and treat
others reflects not only on us as individuals but on Jewry as a
whole, and thus on Judaism and the God of Israel.” - Rabbi Jonathan
Sacks
Not everyone agrees with Ibn Ezra's
interpretation of this law only being applicable to priests – the
Ramban, noting that this commandment first appeared in verse 2, and
now appears again, writes: “Just as Aaron and his sons were
instructed to be scrupulous “less they profane My holy name” in
verse 2, so too must “you”, the Israelites, 'not profane My holy
name.”
It may not be fair, but it is a reality
-
Midrash Vayikra Rabbah states: "Why
is Israel compared to a sheep? Just as if you strike a sheep on its
head, or on one of its limbs, all its limbs feel it, so if one Jew
sins, all Jews feel it."
But I don't want to be all doom and
gloom here – because we can also sanctify God with our actions.
What is kiddush hashem?
The Rambam gives one interpretation in
his law code, the Mishneh Torah:
“If a person has been scrupulous in
his conduct, gentle in his conversation, pleasant toward his fellow
creatures, affable in manner when receiving, not retorting even when
affronted, but showing courtesy to all, even to those who treat him
with disdain, conducting his business affairs with integrity … And
doing more than his duty in all things, while avoiding extremes and
exaggerations – such a person has sanctified God.”
If a person can sanctify God, and raise
his people up, than all the more so can a country. As we approach
Yom Ha'atzmaut, we can look at some of our country's great
accomplishments.
Of course, I have hundreds to choose
from, but one important accomplishment is the ingathering of the
exiles, no matter their skin color.
It turns out that Donald Sterling had
more to say than just complaining about his mistresses picture with
Magic Johnson, but he actually brought in the state of Israel,
stating that, “You go to Israel, the blacks are just treated like
dogs.” Well, rumor has it that Donald Sperling isn't much a shul
goer, and has little, if any connections, to the Jewish community.
So let me quote some people who have actually been to Israel, who
aren't Jewish about how Israel 'treats' it's black Jews which I
learned about when I attended the AIPAC PC this year:
1. Reverend
DeeDee Coleman – a Christian pastor who went to Israel to welcome
the final airlift of Jews from Ethiopia, this was the final mission
that began in 1985, Operation Moses and Solomon, as former Senator
Rudy Boschwitz, these operations were the only times in history when
black Africans in large numbers were taken from the African continent
for love and a better life, not slavery. She cried as she saw
Ethiopian Jews kiss the ground of their homeland – finally free.
During my years at Ramah Darom, I saw
first hand how an Ethiopian, a black Jew, was welcomed as an equal
citizen. She once spoke about her family's struggles in Ethiopia,
and how Israel embraced them. The Ethiopian Jews do not have the
same race baggage as African Americans, but she felt it in America.
Her and her Israeli friends went to a popular ice cream store in
North Georgia on their day off. They waited and waited to be served.
They saw people who came in after them receive service, but still,
no one came to their table. One of the Israelis went to the counter
and asked, “can we have a server?” They pointed to her and said
a line that many African Americans have heard throughout their
history in the South: “We don't serve her kind here.”
There are some issues with race in
Israel, and to ignore it would be disingenuous, but she had never
experienced anything like that before. Rather than growing up under
oppression because of her Jewish identity in Ethiopia, she grew up as
a free woman, able to do whatever she wants to do, in the modern
state of Israel.
Chillul Hashem and Kiddush Hashem –
they are both in our hands – each one of us is responsible for each
other, each one of us has an impact upon each other. How much the
more so when it comes to the Jewish state?
This is why the modern state of Israel,
and what she does, is so important. It represents us, it’s the
Jewish homeland. The stakes are high – if you think Israel doesn’t
affect you, then you are living in a fantasy world. Your destiny and
Israel’s destiny are tied together, because our people are tied
together.
When Israel is criticized, and when
sometimes, she falls short, I often hear Jews so, why is Israel
judged by a different standard than any other nation? It might not
be fair, but it's the reality, and in many ways, it's an opportunity
to strive for a holiness we might not have strived for if we did not
have this challenge.
As we approach Israel's 66th birthday,
let us look her history as a way to bring kiddush hashem, the
sanctification of God's name, to the rest of the world, whether
through embracing different skin colors and nationalities, or through
the innovation that she has brought to this world that will be
showcased this Sunday at the Imagine Israel celebration from our
Federation.
Let's fight against Chillul Hashem,
just as the Jewish commissioner of basketball, Adam Silver, did when
he gave Donald Sterling the stiffest penalties he could. Let's raise
the holy sparks up with the actions we take – let's live holy
lives, together, for our sake, and the sake of Israel.
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