reflecting on judaism and activism

On Tuesday night, we had an educational session and text study with AVODAH founder and director, Rabbi David Rosenn. He shared his life story with us, and many of us were totally mesmerized by his obvious passion and vision. I personally was inspired and invigorated by Rabbi Rosenn’s enthusiasm. His talk helped me remember and confirm why I chose to do AVODAH in the first place.
In addition to sharing his personal life path, he engaged us in a text study about the connection between repentance and activism. In the Jewish calendar, this week between Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur is called The Tens of Repentance. We are all urged to wake up and do some serious self-reflection. We are forced to think critically about our interpersonal relationships, as well as our relationships with those in the broader global community and our relationship with God.
Rabbi Rosenn used Psalm 27, “L’David,” to demonstrate these various aspects of repentance and reflection. One verse in Psalm 27 reads: “I ask one thing of God: to dwell in the House of God all the days of my life, to look upon the God’s beauty and ‘l’vaker’ in His temple.” Rabbi Rosenn explained that the modern Hebrew translation of “l’vaker,” to visit, does not apply to the Torah. We must look for a different explanation for this word. He offered three possibilities:
1) “boker” = morning. The request is to visit the Temple regularly.
2) “bakar” = cattle. The request is to be able to tend to the Temple, like one tends to cattle
3) “bikoret” = criticism. The request is to be critical and think critically about one’s relationship with God.
Repentance is composed of these three aspects: it must be done regularly, it must be tended to and it must be done critically. These are also important ways to think about our relationships with one another, as well as being conscious about what’s going on in the world around us. Thinking about the world in these terms will also help inform and enhance our activism and our work for social change.
And don’t forget: “Don’t crash the ambulance! But other people will be your ambulance, too.”