Are We Living Up to Our Billing?

Queen Elizabeth at the funeral of Prince Philip (Express)

The Torah could not be clearer.  We (the Jewish people) are a holy nation. The second of  this week’s (double) Parsha declares in its opening statement, ‘Kedoshim Tihiyu - Holy should you be. Although there are various interpretations of what this phrase actually means, I think its plain meaning should not be overlooked. Which is that our status as God’s chosen people comes with responsibilities that go beyond simply following Halacha. Although that is surely a large part of it since as one delves further into the Parsha there are descriptions of what God expects of us to do keep us holy. Thereby separating us from the rest of the world. 

But following Halacha is not enough. We need to exemplify our holy status in ways the world will better understand. Are we better in this regard than the non Jewish world? I wish I could say of course we are. But I find myself often seeing the best of non Jewish behavior being far better than the best of Jewish behavior. There are two events I came across over the weekend that illustrate that.

The first is how the British Royal Family handled the funeral of one of their most beloved figures, Prince Philip. Because of COVID every health protocol was followed to the hilt. There were only 30 people - close family members - at the funeral instead of the hundreds or thousands that might have attended.

Those that did attend were masked and socially distanced including the Queen. Even though she has been fully vaccinated she set the example by being masked and socially distanced both during the funeral procession and during the church service. This was all recorded and broadcast for the world to see.

Contrast that with the funerals of some of our ‘royalty’.  Where tens of thousands of us glom onto each other for hours at a time with very few people if any wearing masks. Contrasting how British royalty behaved versus how our ‘royalty’ behaved made me ask the question I all too often ask. Are we really better than them? Are our best people better than their best people? 

Unfortunately my answer is not what I wish it were. Instead what is more typical is the following. There are two right wing shuls in Chicago (that I am aware of - there may be more) which have completely abandoned masking and social distancing rules. In one case, they have actually restored the full Shabbos Kiddush in all its crowded glory. They completely disregard the guidelines issued by the most knowledgeable health professionals in the country. Without any real justification other than they are just plain tired of it all and believe that most of the Shul has either had COVID  and developed antibodies or has been fully vaccinated. 

The hubris of some of our rabbinic figures in positions of power that are nevertheless laypeople with respect to COVID saying they know better than the experts makes me believe that - not only are they not living up to their mandate to be holy, but may be responsible for making someone sick. Furthermore they are dangerously close to making a Chilul HaShem. Can you imagine what would happen if a TV investigative reporter and cameraman would show up at that Kiddush? Let us just  say that the reaction to a broadcast of that  would not be the same as it was to the broadcast of royal funeral.  

So the answer to the question of ‘are we better then them?’ - is no. We are worse. They are better. At least as it pertains to how the leadership of the UK responds to COVID versus how some of our leaders respond. 

There is more to being holy than davening with a minyan on Shabbos and then having a Kiddush afterwards. It requires us to behave in a manner that will lead the world to respect and honor us as God’s chosen people. Not look at us  as people whose leaders are so self centered that they break the rules that they and every one else should be following. 

The other event that gave me pause about our supposed superiority as a people happened this morning. A segment of a news oriented program featured a medic seriously wounded as part of the American forces that invaded the beaches of Normandy during WWII. In his incapacitated state he somehow  managed to treat himself and then save 12 other wounded soldiers. 

He survived and lived a long life - dying last week at age 100.  Whenever I see a story like this – which has been more times than I can count – I think of the many times I have heard inspirational heroic stories about religious Jews told by a rabbinic figure. Stories that end with the phrase Mi K’Amcha Yisroel?! ...loosely translating to: Who can compare to the Your people (i.e. God’s chosen people – us). 

Well…a lot of non Jews can. One might retort that these are exceptions. That people like that medic are the Chasidei Umos HaOlam - the righteous among the nations and I would agree. But I think that the same can be said about us. How many of us would be able to do what that medic did? Those that could are exceptional people. I’m not sure most of us could do what he did. I don’t think I would have been able to. 

This is why whenever I hear an inspirational story about one of us followed by Mi K’Amcha Yisroel I get a bit jaded. Because as the first story indicates, flaunting the rules of health experts is not what I think is meant by that phase. And as the second story indicates we are not the only people exhibiting that kind of heroism. I think about the numerous times I have heard heroic stories like that about non Jews. And realize that we do not have a monopoly on heroism.