A World on Fire

The best midrashim have a fairy tale quality: kings and princesses, heroes and villains, miracles and magic. We should not, however, mistake their enchanted world for simplicity. The best midrashim, the ones that invite us into a parallel universe of mystery and revelation, teach us the most important core values of Judaism.

At the beginning of parashat Lekh Lekha, which opens rather abruptly with God’s call to Avram, the Midrash takes a step back and asks: what prompted God to choose Avram, of all people, to preach God’s message in the world? Surely the choice was not random. By way of explanation, the Midrash offers this parable:

What are we to say, as we look upon a world on fire? How should we, as Jews, make sense of the chaos that casts a greater shadow by the day?

Reb Shalom Noah Berezovsky of Slonim teaches that evil forces in the world grow stronger as we – individually and collectively – approach times of revelation and spiritual growth. He writes:

In times like these, the voice of atheism and anarchy, of moral despair, cries out that there is no justice and no Judge; the voice of consequentialism and realpolitik stokes fear and argues that the ends will justify the means. Judaism compels us to reject both of these voices. Our tradition calls us to maintain and grow our emunah, our faith in the eternal mitzvot of respect human dignity; of protecting the stranger, widow, and orphan; of one law applied fairly to all. We are likewise summoned to act with kedushah, understanding that holy ends can only come through holy means.

In recent weeks, I have been drawn back to Rav Kook, reading and rereading his teachings. In the midst of the First World War, stranded in Switzerland and unable to return to Israel, Rav Kook found hope for the future in the midst of the chaos surrounding him:

Last week I had the privilege to study Rav Kook’s teachings with counselors at Camp Ramah in the Poconos, and we discussed the chaos and disruption that can come from voices calling for a new, better, more inclusive social order – and from the reaction against progress by those who cling to the old order. Exactly a century after Rav Kook wrote these words, he calls on us to amplify the voices of justice, compassion, and hope; to usher in a “new and wondrous creative reality” that values black lives and gay lives, Mexican lives and Muslim lives, old and young, of all gender identities, a world that values, above all else, the intrinsic human dignity that derives from the Divine Image within. The redemption Rav Kook promises lies not in some far-off future but here and now, just within our grasp if we reach for it:

Today we again travel through a world on fire. Amid mounting chaos and uncertainty, the voice of our tradition does not waver: the palace has a Master, whom we serve through emunah, faith, and kedushah, holiness in our words and actions. “Blessed is the one who fills his heart with hope for life and anticipation of deliverance, for he already sees the light of deliverance.” This time is our time, as Jews, to declare without qualification or apology our commitment to build a world of justice and equity – not some day, but now. Deliverance is here, if we can summon the strength to see it, hold it, and bring it into existence.

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Tags: Chaos, Midrash, Rav Kook