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Parshat Bo: Exodus 10:1-13:16;
Jeremiah 46:13-46:28.
W
e know that significant
the Jewish people near the end of his life
numbers of Jews in Detroit
that, instead of mediating between them
are disconnected from the
and God, he told God how terrible they
organized Jewish community. True,
were. "I am moved by zeal for the Lord:'
there are many reasons for
he said, "while the Israelites
us in Detroit to feel proud of
have forsaken Your covenant,
ourselves — our relatively
torn down Your altars and
high level of synagogue affili-
slaughtered Your prophets:'
ation, our Federation's suc-
With prophets like this, who
cess in attracting new donors,
needs enemies?
Finally, Jeremiah exempli-
our strong support of day
school education — but even
fied the type of prophet who
as we congratulate ourselves
balanced his allegiance to
on our successes, we must
both God and the people.
also note our challenges and
The book of Lamentations,
Rabbi
failures.
traditionally attributed to
Jonathan
We have a growing number
Jeremiah, accuses both sides
Berger
of families, young and old,
of falling short: "We may
whose connection to Judaism
have rebelled and sinned:'
and the Jewish community is tenuous at
says the poet of Lamentations to God,
best. Our synagogues have collectively
"but You have not forgiven:' By seeing
fewer members than they once did; our
merit and fault on both sides, the proph-
religious schools, day schools and youth et is able to fulfill his role of mediating
groups are smaller than they used to
between God and the people.
be; and many other communal orga-
And what happened to each of these
nizations have shrunk as well. Some of
prophets? Both Jonah and Elijah's
this decline is due to emigration from
careers came to an end after their flaws
Detroit — but certainly not all.
were exposed; one is not fit to be a
And so, the biggest challenge faced by prophet, it seems, if one's loyalties are
our synagogues and agencies today is
too strongly tipped toward one side or
this: How can we engage these individu-
another. Jeremiah, on the other hand,
als and these families in our communi-
proved his worth, and God spoke to him
ties while remaining true to our values
again and again.
and our missions?
The key — as essential for lay-leaders,
Our rabbis, in a wonderful midrash
rabbis, and other professionals as it is
on our parshah, offered some wonderful for prophets — is balance. If we find
advice. There are three types of proph-
ourselves constantly venting frustration
ets, they say: one who favored Israel at
at the unaffiliated, it might be time for
the expense of God; one who favored
us to find a new career — we cannot be
God at the expense of Israel; and one
leaders if we feel only contempt for our
who balanced the two. Who were these
population. If we abdicate our core mis-
prophets, and what was their fate?
sion just to attract the unaffiliated, doing
Jonah, according to this midrash,
anything just to get people in the door,
favored Israel at the expense of God.
we are abdicating our responsibility to
Why, when God instructed him to travel our values. We cannot remain trapped in
to Nineveh and call for repentance, did
our present confines, but we also cannot
he try to run away? Because he knew the simply "meet the people where they are"
residents of Nineveh would immediately if it means forgetting who we are. Only
change their evil behavior, and he feared through the hard work of finding com-
that the Jewish people would look bad
mon ground can we effectively reach out
in comparison. So, say the rabbis, Jonah
to those who, for now, are distant from
flouted God's command in an attempt to the warmth of our community. ❑
help the Jewish people.
Jonathan Berger is rabbi-in-residence at
And who was the prophet who
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in
favored God at Israel's expense? It was
Farmington Hills.
Elijah, who felt such bitterness toward
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