SEPTEMBER 19 • 2024 | 39

RENEWING OUR IDENTITY
When we tell the story of our peo-
ple’s past, we renew our identity.
We have a context in which we can
understand who we are in the pres-
ent and what we must do to hand
on our identity to the future.
It is difficult to grasp how sig-
nificant this was and is. Western
modernity has been marked by two
quite different attempts to escape
from identity. The first, in the
18th century, was the European
Enlightenment. This focused on
two universalisms: science and
philosophy. Science aims at discov-
ering laws that are universally true.
Philosophy aims at disclosing uni-
versal structures of thought.
Identity is about groups, about
us and them. But groups conflict.
Therefore, the Enlightenment
sought a world without identities,
in which we are all just human
beings. But people can’t live with-
out identities, and identity is never
universal. It is always and essen-
tially particular. What makes us
the unique person we are is what
makes us different from people in
general. Therefore, no intellectual
discipline that aims at universality
will ever fully grasp the meaning
and significance of identity.
This was the Enlightenment’s
blind spot. Identity came roaring
back in the 19th century, based on
one of three factors: nation, race or
class. In the 20th century, national-
ism led to two World Wars. Racism
led to the Holocaust. Marxist class
warfare led eventually to Stalin, the
Gulag and the KGB.
Since the 1960s, the West has
been embarked on a second
attempt to escape from identity, in
favor not of the universal but the
individual, in the belief that iden-
tity is something each of us freely
creates for him- or herself. But
identity is never created this way.
It is always about membership in
a group. Identity, like language, is
essentially social.
Just as happened after the
Enlightenment, identity has come

roaring back to the West, this
time in the form of identity pol-
itics (based on gender, ethnicity
or sexual orientation). This will,
if allowed to flourish, lead to yet
more historical disasters. It is a
major threat to the future of liberal
democracy.
What was happening in
Jerusalem when people brought
their first-fruits was of immense
consequence. It meant that that
they regularly told the story of who
they were and why. No nation has
ever given greater significance to
retelling its collective story than
Judaism, which is why Jewish
identity is the strongest the world
has ever known, the only one to
have survived for 20 centuries with
none of the normal bases of identi-
ty: political power, shared territory
or a shared language of everyday
speech.
Clearly, not all identities are
the same. Characteristic of Jewish
identities and others inspired by
the Hebrew Bible are what Dan
McAdams calls “the redemptive
self.” People with this kind of iden-
tity, he says, “shape their lives into
a narrative about how a gifted hero
encounters the suffering of others
as a child, develops strong moral
convictions as an adolescent, and
moves steadily upward and onward
in the adult years, confident that
negative experiences will ultimate-
ly be redeemed.” More than other
kinds of life story, the redemptive
self embodies the “belief that
bad things can be overcome and
affirms the narrator’s commitment
to building a better world.”
What made the biblical story
unique was its focus on redemp-
tion. In partnership with God, we
can change the world. This story is
our heritage as Jews and our con-
tribution to the moral horizons of
humankind. Hence the life-chang-
ing idea: Our lives are shaped by
the story we tell about ourselves, so
make sure the story you tell is one
that speaks to your highest aspira-
tions and tell it regularly.

W

e are just about halfway
through my favorite
month of the year, Elul.
It is my favorite, not only
because it is the month my
first child was born, but also
because it represents the start
of something new. A new
school year, new season, new
activities. It prepares us for
a new year as we get ready
physically and spiritually to
celebrate the High Holidays.
This year, as my children
began new schools or new
grades, I thought a lot about
new beginnings and how
we mark those starts. We
might celebrate with new shoes or
ice cream; new backpacks or first
playdates. Or we might celebrate with
blessings, offering our thanks to God
for allowing us to get to these special
moments.
In our Torah portion this week, we
read from the book of Deuteronomy,
near the end of the Torah. As Moses
speaks to the Israelites, giving
instructions about commandments,
he also reminds them that they are a
part of a sacred covenant with God.
This mutual promise requires loyalty
to God in return for blessings and
reward.
The Torah portion begins by telling
us that when the Israelites first settle
into the Promised Land, they should
take some of the first fruits of the
land they harvest and bring them to
the priest as an offering to God with
this message, “I acknowledge this day
before your God that I have entered
the land that Adonai swore to our
ancestors to assign us.
” (Deut. 26:3).
These ancient Israelites also marked

their new beginnings with a prayer and
a blessing, a recognition that this was
a moment to be acknowledged and
celebrated. A moment to offer a
thanks to God for allowing them
to reach this new place and new
time.
The prayer the Israelites offered
was a simple one: a story about
who they are, what their journey
looked like and why they are there.
After that story, the prayer was
recited and Moses reminded them,
“
And you shall enjoy, together
with the Levite and the stranger in
your midst, all the bounty that the
Lord your God has bestowed upon
you and your household.
” (Deut.
26:11).
These verses present a four-point
plan for the Israelites as they enter
a new place. First, bring offerings,
remembering there is something
beyond us. Then, recite a blessing,
remembering where we came from.
Share with others, remembering we
have obligations to others. Finally,
celebrate and enjoy life!
What a perfect way to honor a new
beginning. A story, a connection and
joy. After all, with each new grade
that my children begin, I am certainly
sharing their stories, connecting with
friends and teachers and parents,
reveling in the joy of their growing and
doing and learning.
As we look forward to the month of
Elul giving way to the month of Tishrei
and our new year beginning, may we
all find moments to mark, beginnings
to celebrate and stories to share.

Rabbi Arianna Gordon is the director of

Education and Lifelong Learning at Temple

Israel in West Bloomfield.

Marking New Beginnings

SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION

Rabbi
Arianna
Gordon

Parshat

Ki Tavo:

Deuteronomy

26:1-29:8;

Isaiah 60:1-

22.