| Dear {{first_name}},
The Torah has a number of מצות/mitzvot in it, 613 to be exact. Each of those commandments matters a great deal and none are to be “elevated” or “demoted.” One of the commandments we’ve seen on full display in the modern State of Israel is called פדיון שבויים/pidion shevooeem/redeeming the captives. We are obligated to do everything necessary to rescue prisoners and hostages. The non-Jewish world has been aware of this Jewish obligation for some time and has resorted to kidnapping and holding Jewish people captive to extort our community. This was a practice in the middle ages in Europe and it continues today in conflicts involving Israel. It’s a tension we’ve seen time and again as people with evil intentions have been able to extort and/or force us, and other communities, to make hard choices.
This value came to light twice this week in our world. The first case was one I had a distant connection to and the second one directly involved Israel. Danny Fenster grew up in Huntington Woods, MI less than a mile from my childhood home. He attended my middle school and my high school. He’s a bit younger than me and so we never overlapped in school, but we have many overlapping friends and organizational involvements. After graduating from Berkley High School six years after me, he went to university to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in writing and pursued a career in journalism. He found himself involved in various causes including working to help make life better for communities in areas of Asia. Most recently, he found himself working in Myanmar, Burma, and was the editor for a paper there. Earlier this year, he was at the airport about to board a plane home to the US to visit his family in Detroit. He was arrested at the airport and placed in a prison with little to no communication with the outside world. Just last week, on November 12, he was sentenced to 11 years on made up charges. I’ve been following this whole saga on Facebook as part of the “Bring Danny Home” group. Suddenly, on Monday, November 15, he was freed when the former governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, met with the military government in Myanmar and brokered his release. This has become Governor Richardson’s post elected-official career, running his foundation that works for diplomacy around the world.
Danny is now back home in Huntington Woods, has had an opportunity to rest and most importantly he is reunited with his family. His wife will be arriving from Myanmar next week. Through all of this, the US government was unable to play a large role because they don’t recognize the government of Myanmar. It’s a military government that rejected the last elections and staged a coup and the US adheres to the policy of not negotiating with terrorists and/or criminals.
This all happened while a similar crisis unfolded in Israel and Turkey. Two Israeli citizens, drivers for Egged bus lines, were vacationing in Turkey when they were arrested and accused of espionage. Mordi and Natali Oaknin were arrested for taking pictures of the home of Turkey’s President and were accused of being spies for Israel. Throughout the week, leaders from Israel have been contacting Turkey and letting them know this was an enormous mistake and that they needed to release the Oaknins. All of this was kept secret until the couple returned to Israel this morning. They are now at home with their family and are able to move forward.
Both of these are examples of captives and our obligation to secure their release. Both of these are examples of just how important it is to never give up hope and to recognize we all need to be aware of, and fight for, those who are being held captive. It’s so incredible that we’re able to welcome these former prisoners back home and that they are now able to be with their families.
Throughout the Torah, we find a number of narratives where people were held against their will. In this week’s reading, VaYishlach, we learn of the rape of Dinah. The text says that Dinah went out among the daughters of the land in which she, and her family, were living. The next verse says that a prince of the land “took” her and laid with her by force. While taking is sometimes understood as a consensual act of marriage, in this case it is understood that he took her against her will and abused her. She was held captive by him and would eventually be rescued by her brothers.
Captivity is not always a physical and/or literal state of being. There are metaphorical and spiritual ways of being enslaved or being held prisoner. Many of us have met people who fit this description and a number of us have ourselves been captive to far too many things. There are times we can liberate ourselves, but quite often we need the help and support of those around us to be freed. So many people in our community generously joined me in helping to liberate those held captive by homelessness and helped me surpass the $5,000 goal in raising money for the Covenant House. Thank you so much for making that happen. The sleep out is tonight and I look forward to sharing reflections with you. So many of us know people who have been held captive by addictions of all sorts and many of the litany of issues that go hand in hand with addiction. Many of us have loved ones and friends who are paralyzed by mental illness. Many of us have had fights ourselves to be released from some sort of imprisonment and have been able to find the freedom we crave, need and are entitled to enjoy.
As we prepare to enter the Hanukkah holiday, we need to be cognizant that while reaching the time of the year when the majority of time each day is covered in darkness, we spend our time bringing light into existence. When we place a Hanukkiah in our windows, we are not only publicizing the miracle, which is the technical reason for displaying the flames, but rather we are also delivering the Jewish message of bringing light into our world even in the darkest of times. May we all be blessed with freedom of all sorts and may we all find our place in the fight to bring it to all those around us.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Hearshen |
