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Edited on Thu Mar-11-04 05:21 PM by elfwitch
I thought I would share the sermon my rabbi gave on the Shabbat after he saw "The Passion". (Sorry it is so long, Moderators please do not delete)
March 5, 2004 Temple Shalom, Dallas
Thank you for being here this Shabbat. A day of rest and joy is also a time to be together to learn and take stock. So, sit back and relax, if you can. I have much to say.
On February 25th, Ash Wednesday, Mel Gibsons The Passion was distributed throughout the nation for its premiere showings. Some declared, He produced an anti-Semitic depiction of loosely connected New Testament texts and creative script writing! Some said, What did you expect from a rich, born-again conservative Catholic movie-star who accepts his fathers denial of the Holocaust, suffers from delusions of grandiosity and knows little about religious history or scholarship? Both are important comments.
By his own admission, Gibson faced a life of hardship that was not easily assuaged by his wealth or celebrity. In fact, his life was made worse by his success. Through drugs and alcohol and who knows what else, he encountered severe depression and bouts of suicidal tendencies. He found refuge in what had always been present in his life; namely, the familiarity with Catholicism touted by his father and which, until recently, Gibson, the son, did not entirely embrace. Now, at the bottom of an emotional well he believed he could not rise out of alone, he returned to the proverbial womb, the safe-place where parents and nurturing could be found. In his fathers presence, he was introduced once more to the teachings of a separatist traditional Catholic cult, if you will, where the tenets of Vatican II, decades of Jewish-Christian dialogue, and advances in religious scholarship were tabled in favor of a literal and conveniently idealistic reading of the Gospels.
For Gibson, whose life was a shambles, his movie project became his personal gift to Jesus, whom he believes saved him from his tribulations by bearing his burdens for him. So thankful was Gibson, he did what he knew best. Apart from building a church with his own money, he took roughly $30 million dollars and made a movie. Thats not a stretch for a man who made his fortune in Hollywood. What is a stretch is how Gibson went about creating his version of The Passion.
Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite, president of Chicago Theological Seminary, said in published comments last month, The movie was made from a script that selected certain scenes, deleted others, made up some and fashioned the whole into a story --- a fictionalized story as is done for any other Hollywood film. If we read the New Testament literally, as Gibson would want us to do, we would learn for ourselves that the Jews did not kill Jesus. If they had, Jesus would have died by stoning. Crucifixion was a cruel form of punishment by Roman authorities. Thistlethwaite further explains that historians from the period, such as Philo of Alexandria, describe Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler, as inflexible, stubborn and cruel. In Gibsons movie, Pilate is portrayed as vacillating and weak. Why, then does Gibson portray the Jews as enemies when the Romans are the direct evildoers according to scripture? She says, every hero needs an enemy. Where Pilate should have been the enemy, the Jews were cast as decisive and unbending. I would go a step further than she did. I would claim that Gibson had two goals. One was to tell the world what he had now come to know for himself; namely, had Jesus not died, his will on earth would have been fulfilled. Second, the Jews denied the world what God had sent in the form of his son. Therefore, to Gibson, the critical moment of his own religious experience was not the birth of Jesus or the hope that Christians find in the resurrection. It had to be the crucifixion, which was for Gibson, at once the end and the beginning.
But, Gibsons script was not a close reading of the NT Gospels at all. He departs from the Gospels to reflect the mystical visions of a 19th century German nun, Anne Catherine Emerich, an anti-Semite. According to Dr. Michael Cook, Rabbi and Professor of Jewish-Christian literature at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Emerichs writings and visions are closely depicted in the scenes where Jesus is tortured by Jews and where other characters are assigned anti-Semitic actions and words. Cook maintains that Gibson knows little of, or ignores, a century of recent Christian New Testament scholarship concerning what led to Jesus death.
To the president of the Chicago Theological Seminary, this film is not only dangerous for Jews; it is also dangerous for Christians. She calls the film a sado-masochistic portrayal of the death of Jesus; and the film more than deserves its R rating for the shocking and prolonged physical and emotional violence wreaked on the figure of Jesus. Dr. Cook fears that Gibsons powerful influence could have the effect of undercutting four decades of advances in Christian-Jewish relations.
For a moment, lets look into Torah. In the Book of Numbers, when Moses was told by God to assemble 70 elders, there were two men, Eldad and Medad, who were not counted among the 70, but who behaved as if they were. Joshua, Moses assistant at the time, ran to report them to Moses. Unalarmed by the development, Moses said, Would that we were all prophets In effect, Moses said that if we are so inspired, there is no limit to religious interpreters and perhaps, interpretation. But, to what end? I respect a man who is passionate about his faith. Would that we were all passionate about our Judaism? What would be our message to the world? Do we know enough to bear witness to our God, and the relationship we merit by virtue of our ancestors? Let me explain.
There isnt anyone here tonight, including myself, who hasnt faced terrible dilemmas, crushing blows, overwhelming odds, and wondered, Why, God? Why do I and my children hurt so? Consider the young parents whose child is diagnosed with a debilitating or terminal disease? Think about the spouse who is faced with divorce and questions his or her own self-worth? How does a head of household feel about himself or herself when a job is lost and bills are mounting? Arent these the times when we want to know the way? Arent these the times when we say to ourselves, I need help? These are precisely the times when we want to know what to do, how to do it, and accept help from those around us, and also from God.
Salvation --- to be saved --- is a Jewish idea. It was originally a Jewish idea. It is more often heard in Christian settings, but it is precisely a Jewish concept. Heres the difference. In Judaism, salvation is personal. It is between God and each of us to find our way over lifes obstacles to wholeness and peace. With help from family and friends, therapists and counselors, rabbis and cantors, wholeness, peace and contentment can be found. But, dont underestimate the potential that is found in knowing that God, in Judaism, loves unconditionally. The Hebrew prophet Hosea, speaking Gods words to the Israelites, said, I betroth you to Me forever; with faithfulness and love, I make this covenant between you and Me for all time. Its easy to find God in times of joy. At weddings and upon receiving good news, we feel lucky and blessed. Perhaps its harder to find God in times of misery. Here, now, God is a source of comfort and courage. In the presence of a sick child or a dying relative, Gods strength is invaluable to frightened parents or a mournful spouse. The Torah teaches, Man does not live on bread alone, but on anything that God may give. God is a source of all that we need whenever we need it.
In Christianity, salvation, being saved, depends on having faith in Jesus and letting him bear the sins and burdens of ones life. It is vicarious salvation. You will hear faithful Christians speak of Jesus working through them; letting Jesus bear their burdens; and Jesus freeing them from sin. By sin, they mean original sin. You and I, Jewish men and women and children were not born in sin. Our parents did not commit a sin in the act of conceiving us. We were born with a blessing and with potential to make life all that it can possibly be. With Gods blessing, our life began with a pure soul, eager to be taught, and motivated to participate in a world that needed us. Gods presence is all around us, Gods spirit is in us, and the soul that God planted within us when we were born was then, and continues to be a pure one. Every morning, a worshiping Jew recites the words, Elohai, neshama shenatata bi, tehora hi The soul you have given me, O God, is a pure one! Adonai, the One God, is our salvation. Hear it in the words of the Avot prayer we recite every day and on Shabbat, Melekh Ozer uMoshiah uMagen You are our King, and our Help, our Savior and our Shield.
The wholeness we seek in our life is also a reflection of the wholeness we seek for the world. We hope for that day when the Messiah will bring redemption and peace, and every day is Shabbat. As Modern Jews, we do not wait for a human Messiah, but rather a Messianic age. Why? Over centuries, including the generation of Jesus, there were many false Messiahs. They did not speak Gods words, but rather their own; they claimed to be more than human and told their followers to worship them. Jews are waiting, but while we are waiting, we are partners with God in lifes everlasting renewal. We feed the hungry, we clothe the naked, we house the homeless, and in the small corner of the world we live in, we strive to make a difference because we can and because we know that we must. We call it tzedakah, and we call it mitzvah. But, let me say this.
Tzedakah is not charity. Tzedakah is justice. Charity comes from the Latin to give out of love. Tzedakah comes from the Hebrew to be righteous. If I dont know you, how can I love you; and when I get to know you, what if I still dont like you. My responsibility to you as a fellow human being is to do a righteous deed for you, to restore justice where there is poverty and hunger. It does not preclude loving you, but it doesnt depend on it, either. If youre hungry, I feed you.
And, while Mitzvah is a good deed, it is something else first. Every mitzvah begins, according to the Hebrew, as a commandment. I cannot be shy when I say that anyone can do a good deed, but only a Jew does a mitzvah. How can it be so? Because a mitzvah is a commandment, and if its being commanded then it must have a commander, and the commander is God. Now, whom is God commanding? God is commanding the Israelite people, the Jewish people, who accepted the gift of Torah and all its teachings, to do them faithfully.
The story of our people and the source of our salvation and peace are found in Torah, which is a complete and eternal covenant God makes with the Jewish people. Every Shabbat morning at services, as we prepare to read the Torah, I make a point to say before the congregation, God so loved our people, that God gave us Torah. I encourage you to know this by heart. By way of Torah, we have what is required to bring about a time when the world will be one and at peace. Then, it will be as our Sages have also taught us, that the Messiah will come on the day after the Messiah is needed.
In the midst of our Jewish life and blessings came Mel Gibsons The Passion. The two most important words in the title of the movie are Mel Gibsons. This isnt the NT account and it isnt mainstream Christianitys account, either. But, that doesnt mean it wont make a difference, because it will. Here are the questions I believe we must consider tonight:
1) Will the movie raise anti-semitism in the U.S.? The answer is two-fold. The rise and fall of anti-Semitism will probably be unaffected by the movie in the short run. But, over time, the incidents of anti-Semitism from arenas we may not be able to forecast will rise. This movie is one of the greatest marketing tools for evangelicals and missionaries for Jesus since the NT, itself. For all visual learners, this movie tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way. Christian boys and girls for generations to come will be raised on this movie. With the text by their sides they will view this movie and draw inferences. The result will set back Jewish-Christian dialogue in ways that we cannot adequately predict. In turn, our goal must be to enhance opportunities for Jewish-Christian dialogue. We must be willing to invest time and money in organizing ways to teach, to partner, and to show our community that Mel Gibson got it wrong. This isnt being defensive; its being pro-active.
2) Will anti-Semitism rise in Europe? Yes. France has currently restricted the showing of the movie, but it cant last forever. The answer is Yes.
3) Is the movie anti-Semitic? I believe that Gibson set out to make a movie that was his gift to Jesus. Along the way, he forgot that hes part of the human race where people of all backgrounds and faiths strive politically, socially and religiously to serve their god and do good for others. As a result, he produced a movie that is anti-Semitic. There isnt a kind image of the Jew in this movie. When Satan passes through the crowd of Jews standing around the tortured Jesus, the image is made perfectly clear.
4) Should Jews see the movie? No. This isnt our movie. It isnt their movie either. Its Gibsons movie. From all that I have learned about Christianity and all the friendship I have enjoyed with Christian clergy and neighbors, it is the hope they find in Jesus that propels them, not the tortured bloody end of his life that Gibson magnifies.
5) Do we need to be afraid? We can only be afraid of things we do not understand. If you are feeling afraid, rest assured that, first, many of our friends in faith communities do not blame the Jews as Gibsons movie portrays it, or as history once reported it; second, if there is something we dont understand, then we must learn it for ourselves and teach it to our children.
To continue our learning, I asked Rivka Arad to prepare for our congregation, a booklet of information that can begin our journey to greater understanding and less fear about these issues. With support from congregants and the Union for Reform Judaism, this booklet is for you to use and to consider. Take one on your way from the sanctuary, tonight.
But, let me urge you in one more way. We give so much Judaism to our children that we sometimes fail to give Judaism to ourselves. Judaism is precious in its wisdom, its beauty, its hope, its salvation, its love of God, and in its awareness of Gods love of us. The world needs adult Jews and Judaism. If you dont join us in worship often, try to be here. Jews pray. If you havent studied with us or read a Jewish book, begin now. And, if you havent spent enough time in the Jewish community or the synagogue, its time. This is not a commercial. One hour a week or two programs a month at Temple can nourish a Jewish soul. Mel Gibson hoped to change the world, to convince our children and us of his way. Better to embrace more than ever before what is especially ours. Better to return to our God, who abounds in kindness, faithfulness and love. Survivors of the Holocaust have taught generations of Jews and non-Jews, alike, Never Again! Their memories and the hope of a future they were denied will always be our burden, but it will also be our blessing and theirs. Next week, we will begin a new path to continue the interfaith dialogues we have enjoyed, and to enhance our programs for the sake of a future we can all count on, faithfully. Please dont lean on your clergy, alone. It truly takes a village, a community, to raise generations of children who know how to love their neighbors unconditionally. Your help will be needed.
As I have said before tonight, Gibson isnt interested in his return on investment in cash, but he did well; however, he is passionate about his return on investment in faith. To him he has already earned his place in heaven; to the rest of us, he has yet to earn his place among us where Truth, with a capital T, is still being worked out between people of different faiths with peaceful purposes.
In my 14 years as a rabbi, and in all the years before, my Christian neighbors and I have shared only positive experiences. They are members of my extended family, too, as is the case for some of you. They are not obstacles to my faith and they are not thorns in the side of my parents. With love and understanding, we have mended our ways for the better, for the good.
I have thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to you tonight. I trust that I achieved what I set out to accomplish, but I recognize that I couldnt say everything that needed to be said. Thus far, this is my message and my passion. Some of you are still wondering to yourselves, Did Rabbi Lyon see the movie? On Wednesday night, I saw the movie. After all that I have read on the subject, I did not need to see the movie to be qualified to say what I did tonight. Neither do you. But, I can tell you that after seeing the movie, I felt profoundly good about what I was raised to believe and have confirmed for myself. Following the movie, I said to myself, Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh HaOlam, SheAsani Yisrael, Praised are You, Adonai, Ruler of the universe, Who has made me a Jew.
AMEN and AMEN.
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