Shmini 5771 Blessing for Lord Stanley Fink Rabbi Aaron Goldstein 26 March 2011

Moses said to Aaron:  “Approach the altar (Lev 9:7).” Aaron was ashamed to draw near but Moses said to him: “Why are you shamed? For this you were chosen (Rashi)!” The commentators say that it was because of this shame he had that he was chosen. But it could also be read otherwise: that the goal of being chosen was to reach this state of shame. Thus Scripture says about the giving of the Torah: “so that God’s fear be upon your faces in order that you do not sin (Ex 20:20).” Aaron was one who “loved people and brought them near to Torah,” which the sages took to mean that he even bought sinners close so that they would be ashamed of themselves and repent. So did God mete out to Aaron that God would draw him near to be high priest over all Israel. Aaron was deeply ashamed of himself; this is the token of true perfection. The rabbis said that this refers to shame and that the purpose of Israel’s coming near to Mount Sinai was to merit shame.

The rabbinic concept of bushah, shame, is one that is developed in a number of directions. Naturally, they rail against those who bring shame upon others, but as with the Sefat Emet with whose words with which I began, there is sense of shame linked to humility. As Arthur Green states: “We have lost too much of the sense that blushing or shame at a disgraceful act is a sign of good breeding.”

I think that there are interesting signs of shame within our contemporary society. It is as if we are becoming able to blush once more and that it is perceived not as a sign of weakness. Rather, one who has the shame to be uncertain, truly reflects the times we live in. To my knowledge there are no mighty economic theorists who assert with perfect assurance that the answers to our problems are wholly clear. To my knowledge there are no political scientists who have designed a perfect political system and who posit a political path that truly rewards the entrepreneur and the same time as banishing poverty and providing responsible stewardship for the planet we live on and the environment we live in. To my knowledge, there is no strategist who has mastered the conflicts of our time and knows how east and west, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Jew, developed and under-developed states, can chart a path to harmony.

When I listen to commentators of our time, whether it be on the economy, politics or global problems such as conflict or the environment, there is a statement of certainty when summarizing our present but when questioned, an expression of the uncertainty of the future.

There is almost a sense of shame. When society in the last century contained master economists, great statesmen and religious leaders who inspired the people with their confidence and certitude, how can a single mind grasp the complexity of our new world in this century. Have we even the system to bring together the greatest of minds to synthesise their thoughts into a direction. I have even seen some blushes.

Whilst leaders in this country and France have undoubtedly provided direction with Libya, there is a blush when one talks about Bahrain, Syria and Yemen. A single event such as the killing of a British woman in Jerusalem can provide a blush of doubt, that pronouncements against Israel without acknowledgement of the complexity of the daily reality of Israelis are questionable. That just a week after the ambiguous responses to the killing of family members on a settlement and in the week when 3 members of the same family were killed in Gaza.

The prophet Jeremiah stated: 8:9, 12 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Eternal One; and what wisdom is in them?...were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush.

When we come to pray, when we draw near to our contemporary altar, the blush of the high priest Aaron is a mark of perfection. A blush leads one to evaluate the direction in which we focus our energies. A blush makes us open to seeking out others whose shame draws them near to us. A blush opens our minds and hearts to cross divides established by ancestors, divides of religions, politics, state borders, culture and economic theories.

Eternal God, allow us the ability to blush. May our shame and doubt of our own abilities, the sense of surprise at our successes, open ourselves to the need we have in others and their need for us. May those sensibilities heighten our celebration of life, a life lived in the real world that contains blemishes as well as perfections, the sacred and the profane. My they strengthen our delight and joy when we succeed. Eternal God: be with us as You were with our ancestors; never leave us or forsake us; incline our hearts towards You, and lead us in Your ways.

Amen.