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Sermons 5785/2024

Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5785
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Rabbi Igor Zinkov on 3 October 2024 at the LJS.

 
New Year is the day when many people make resolutions, so…
 
In the presence of this congregation, on this Rosh Hashanah, I promise never to make New Year’s resolutions.
 
If you do not understand why what I just said is funny, please come to the LJS on Kol Nidre on Friday, 11 October; I will begin my sermon by explaining this joke in great detail.
 
Today is the celebration of the New Year, the time to dream about a better world and imagine a better life for you and your loved ones.
 
At the same time, any significant milestone triggers reflection and self-examination. Am I a good person? Do I live my life in the best possible way? What can I do better next year?
 
In this juxtaposition, past and future meet on Rosh Hashanah and become one. Today is the day when self-reflections and plans for the future join together in rituals and prayers of the High Holy Days, making an explicit connection between the past and the future.
 
Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana expressed it beautifully: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." In other words, if you want a good and prosperous future for yourself and generations after you, you need to understand and learn lessons from the past.
 
This idea doesn't just apply to individuals; it applies to any groups, nations, and countries. Let’s take Poland as an example. In recent years, Poland has grappled with the complex and painful aspects of its history, particularly concerning collaboration with Nazi occupiers during WWII and instances of antisemitism among some Polish individuals after the war. The official stance of the Polish government has often emphasised Poland's victimhood under Nazi occupation, highlighting the immense suffering endured by the Polish people. While it is undeniable that Poland was subjected to brutal oppression and that a countless number of Poles were victims, there has been resistance to fully acknowledging instances where Polish citizens participated in or facilitated Nazi atrocities.
 
This tension was exemplified by the controversial 2018 law that made it illegal to accuse the Polish nation of complicity in Nazi crimes.
 
In this political climate of denial, a new Polish TV series has emerged as a significant cultural work confronting these challenging historical issues. The series titled "End of Innocence" is about the Polish communist government's brutal attack on 'Zionists' in March 1968, 13 years after the war. It explores a rarely discussed tragedy for thousands of Jews. The authorities withdrew the citizenship of 16,000 Polish Jews, accusing them of being "fifth columnist" Zionists with dual loyalty. This led to forced migration and the end of organised Jewish life in Poland for many decades.
 
Similar struggles happen in many European countries. The question that such laws and stories raise is relevant to us today. I understand why I need to hear European countries acknowledge these dark chapters of their history. It is about me and my people, with whom I identify personally. Why should it be important for the Polish people?
 
On a recent trip to Lithuania, I felt an unprecedented sense of respect and gratitude when I saw that every Holocaust memorial there had an honest and explicit admission that all Holocaust atrocities there were carried out by Nazis and their local assistants. Adding the phrase ‘and their local assistants’ takes a lot of courage, and I deeply appreciate this honesty.
Again, I understand why this is important to me. Why should it be necessary for the Lithuanian and Polish people?
 
Here is a possible answer: A nation cannot build a better future without confronting the full truth of its past. Acknowledging uncomfortable truths should not be done to dwell in guilt but to lay a foundation for genuine progress. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. A future built on injustice and half-truths is unsustainable.
 
This principle applies to every country, every nation, every family, and every person.  Memories and history can be compared to a tree's roots and a building's foundation. You can't bring the tree to life if its roots are being damaged. You cannot blame water for flooding the basement if the foundation was built with holes. By facing uncomfortable truths, we can ensure that history doesn't repeat itself, fostering a society where every individual feels valued and where history serves as a guide, not a blindfold.
 
Let us look at our people's (hi)story—the one written in the Torah. I think it is important to be honest about the history of this book, too. I might shock you, but I don’t see the Torah as God-given. For me, it is a carefully and skilfully edited compendium of ancient sources, myths, legends, and laws. Being a Progressive Jew, I can appreciate the religious perspective with its classical and wise Torah commentaries while embracing a scholarly approach to the text. For me, the Torah does not necessarily present our history or scientific achievements, but it definitely represents the accumulated wisdom of three millennia.
 
According to the documentary hypothesis, the Hebrew Bible consists of multiple sources constructed together by many redactorial attempts. Richard Elliott Friedman's work, "The Bible with Sources Revealed," presents the Biblical text with these sources highlighted in different colours.
 
In preparation for this service, I read the story of the Binding of Isaac in this format. You see a compilation of two narratives: one from source E (Elohist) and another from the redactor who tried to reconcile sources J (Yahwist) and E.
 
(you see the E source in black and the redactor’s source with green highlight)
 
Sometime afterward, God put Abraham to the test, saying to him, “Abraham.” He answered, “Here I am.” “Take your son, your favoured one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.” So early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the ass. The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. He himself took the fire and the knife; and the two walked off together. Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he answered, “Yes, my son.” And he said, “Here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “It is God who will see to the sheep for this burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together. 
 
They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son.
 
Then a messenger of יהוה called to him from heaven: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.”  When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh (I.e., “יהוה will see”) whence the present saying, “On the mount of יהוה there is vision (Heb. be-har y-h-w-h yera’eh.)
 
The messenger of יהוה called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and He said, “By Myself I swear, יהוה declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favoured one, I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.  All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.” Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba.
 
Let's pretend that the redactor's additions don’t exist and only read the E source, which is considered older than the Redactor’s additions.
 
They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son. And He [God] said [to Abraham], “By Myself I swear, יהוה declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favoured one, I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.  All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.” Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba.
 
In this version, an angel did not appear, and Abraham did not see the ram caught in the thicket by its horns. In this version, Abraham completed the test set by God.
 
When I read this for the first time, I asked myself, ‘Should I tell people about it, or is it better to stay quiet?’ After all, in the final edition of the Torah, the angel did come, and Isaac was saved. Why is it important to know the other side of the story?
 
I think it exists to teach us two lessons. The first is about the choice of our stories. Often, there is more than one truth about an event or a person. Therefore, we must choose which version to adopt and which side of the story to tell. Authors of the Torah had a choice between religious extremism and the power of saving intervention. They chose the latter.
 
The second lesson is about a profound truth about the human condition: all people are born with the capacity for both good and evil. Each of us has a darker side and can cause harm to others. In the Torah, Abraham did not kill his son, but the story is here to tell us that he was ready to, he could have…
 
People read the Torah to find hope and Divine inspiration. But the real inspiration comes from people who chose the path of life and did not include the most brutal version of the story. Real angels are those editors who chose to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son. God works through those who choose the way of life, not death and destruction.
 
The key lesson of this dark version of Akedah is in acknowledging our darker impulses.  But this is not an invitation to despair; it's a call to action. Psychological research tells us that self-awareness is the first step toward self-improvement. Studies on the "shadow self," a concept introduced by Carl Jung, reveal that confronting our hidden fears and desires allows us to control them rather than letting them control us unconsciously. By accepting that we are capable of both good and evil, we empower ourselves to consciously choose the path of righteousness.
 
The inability to comprehend that we—or our people—are capable of evil can lead to disasters. It is dangerous to think you cannot do anything wrong to others. When we don't allow ourselves room for doubt and self-reflection, we risk losing control of our dark side.
 
A famous experiment, originally conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in the 1960s, showed how ordinary people could inflict harm on others when instructed by an authority figure. Participants believed they delivered electric shocks to a "learner" each time an incorrect answer was given.  Shocks increased in intensity with every wrong answer. Despite hearing cries of pain and agony (which were staged), many participants continued administering shocks because they were told to do so.
 
You might think that this only applies to the past. Recently, this experiment was replicated in Poland, where researchers found similar results: a significant number of participants were willing to administer what they thought were painful, clearly harmful electric shocks under the guidance of an authority figure.[1]
 
The original experiment was conducted shortly after WWII. Fifty years later, people are still capable of following harmful orders. Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil" remains relevant.
 
The biggest failure of our generation isn't a lack of resources or an insufficient legal system—it's the belief that we've already learned the lessons from the past. The conviction that we're morally superior to previous generations will lead us to repeat the catastrophes of previous generations. The illusion that we are incapable of evil will ultimately open the door for evil among us.
 
Instead of pointing fingers at others, we should examine our own shortcomings. Instead of demanding apologies, perhaps we should be the first to offer an apology. Instead of seeking enemies outside, we must confront the flaws within ourselves. The biggest enemy for all of us is not outside – it is our reluctance to be honest with ourselves.
 
The world where children are bombed and die from hunger has no future. There is no competition in suffering, no winners in wars, and no justice built on the blood of innocent people.
 
We live in a world where wars have become a norm again. We live in a world with religious extremists, terrorists, political corruption and crime. In such a world, we need to be honest about ourselves and stop believing we are immune from these curses. In such a world, we need messengers who would stop brothers from killing each other and teach people to say, ‘I am my brother’s keeper!’ We need people who would become God’s messengers and prevent Abraham from killing his son. We need people who would choose the version where killings are stopped, not where murder is a God’s command. We need such people on all sides – in Israel, in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Iran, in Russia, Ukraine and all over the world. Nobody thanks people for starting wars. Wars break the lives of many people and place a burden of trauma on many generations. The end of any war is always a source of gratitude for many people and the beginning of healing.
 
In a world where facts are less important than ideology, let us be the messengers of truth.
In a world where people do not talk to each other, where divisions persist, let us choose unity over discord. Let us talk to our brothers and sisters of all countries, faiths and opinions.
In times when the past is often overlooked or perverted, let us face it with honesty and courage.
In moments when truth is uncomfortable, let us embrace it as a catalyst for growth.
In a world where people force you to take sides, let us take the side of humanity.
In a climate where being openly Jewish is unpopular, let us be proud of who we are and show others the best in us. Let us also celebrate and value any religion and culture, however difficult and awkward the first steps towards it might be.
In an era of wars and mistrust, let us be kind to our neighbours.
In the year when many rules were broken, let us promise to be on the side of order and law.
In the year when many people no longer see hope in the future, let us be the source of hope. Let us stop waiting for someone else to give us hope and instead become an example of good deeds, support for others and self-reflection. Let us become the light and a source of hope for others.
 
This is who we are and this should be our New Year’s resolution! Oh wait…
 
Shanah Tovah — wishing you a good and sweet new year filled with peace, wisdom, and honesty.
 
 
Rabbi Igor Zinkov

[1] Doliński, D., Grzyb, T., Folwarczny, M., Klebaniuk, J., & Krzyszycha, K. (2017). Would You Deliver an Electric Shock in 2015? Obedience in the Experimental Paradigm Developed by Stanley Milgram in the 50 Years Following the Original Studies. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8(8), 927–933. DOI: 10.1177/1948550617693060

 

Fri, 14 February 2025 16 Sh'vat 5785