If you were to listen to Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara or Fox TV conservative commentator Glenn Beck, you would think that an angry, vengeful God was in the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster that hit Japan. It is fascinating that both these men, neither with theological credentials of any kind, are so fast to find God. Others, with more theological training, are hard-pressed to find God anywhere.
Take the Book of Esther, Megillat Esther, which Jews will be reading from this Saturday night and Sunday in celebration of the holiday of Purim -- the Rabbis were hard-pressed to find God anywhere. Unlike other books of Tankh (Hebrew scripture), God is mentioned often. But nowhere is God mentioned by name in the Book of Esther. The BEST that the Rabbis could do was to site the scene where Mordecai says to Esther: "if you do not act then help will come from another source." The Rabbis read the word "source" with a capital "S," and suggested this was a veiled reference to God.
My wife, Elissa, says there is an even more obvious reference. Observant Jews, yesterday, marked Taanit Esther, the Fast of Esther. It marks the point in the Book of Esther, where Esther asks the Jews to fast for three days before she takes her life in her hands by approaching the King without being summoned in a complicated, multi-phased plan to save her people. Elissa rightly observes, to Whom were the Jews of Persia trying to impress with their fasting, if NOT God?!
The Zohar, source of Kabbalah, says God can be found in every reference to HaMelech, the King, in the Megillah. Rather than an earthly king, the reference is to the King of kings, ha Kadosh Barukh Hu.(Thanks to Parners in Torah scholar Rabbi Eli Gewirtz for this and other insights).
In tying the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and ongoing nuclear tragedy with the Book of Esther and the Holiday of Purim, I choose to turn to the first century rabbinic sage, Akiba. At the core of this theology were those key words from Genesis, "b'tselem Elohim" ... in the image of God, was humanity created. In Mordecai coming to the aid of King Ahashverus by exposing the plot to kill him, in Esther's saving her people, even in Vashti's refusing to dance naked before the king and his courtiers, we see God. Even in the twists and turns in the plot, making brave and heroic gestures possible, we see the hand of God. Rather than the Megillah being devoid of God, the Megillah is FILLED with God. You just need to look beyond the obvious.
And so in the Jewish Federation's response, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) response, the American Red Cross' response, the overall generosity of the fellow American citizen's and world citizen's response to Japan's ongoing nightmare, we see b'tselem Elohim, the image of God as reflected in human behavior. We see b'tselem Elohim in, ableit the rather late, response of the United Nations to impose a No Fly Zone over Libya, to protect Libyan citizens from being fired upon by their government in Tripoli. Rather than Shintaro Ishihara and Glenn Beck looking for an angry, vengeful God in the disaster, they would better serve humanity by looking for God in the humane, compassionate, caring responses by caring human beings when tragedy strikes, reflecting a compassionate, caring God.
This message of humanity and heroism is what links Purim with the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. May we take this message to heart, and do what we can to help those in need, for we are truly all created b'tselem Elohim. May we live up to our potential.
Shabbat shalom and hag Purim sameah!
Congregation Beth Shalom certainly has the gift of hospitality. I am inspired. I would like to comment here. I wonder if someone like Glenn Beck or Pat Robertson is not calling out to their viewers about the hand of God rather than the image of God. You suggest that the hand of God can be perceived in the Book of Esther as well as the image of God. Theologically, that would be material for the doctrine of providence as well as the doctrine of creation. I sense that people can much more excited about being a part of God’s providence than knowing they are a part of his creation. With providence comes election which may be the foundation of Shintoism and the grounds for the Tokyo Governor’s remarks. If the Japanese are the elect how could such suffering come upon them in the providence of God? I don’t think people who believe they are in God’s providence are easily dissuaded. They get to condescend to the world from the hand of God! An interesting question is, if you don’t see the hand of God in current events today, when and where do you see it? None of us are satisfied with a divine clockmaker who has walked away from his creation. Glenn Beck is showing us his belief in providence and, in fairness, his critics should reveal what they believe about providence as they respond negatively to him. He may be wrong but by what standard? If his is wrong, what will be right?
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