D’var Torah – March 20
| Shabbat Shalom.
I hope this finds you all well. |
| It saddens me, almost to the point of tears, and makes my blood boil, every time I hear about the infamous murder of poor Kitty Genovese in New York in 1964. 28 year-old Kitty was returning home from working a night shift when she was brutally stabbed. Her attacker initially fled but then returned and stabbed her again, raped her, and ultimately left her to die. If this wasn’t horrific enough, it was erroneously reported at the time that 38 individuals had either heard or seen her murder, including Kitty’s prolonged screams and cries for help, and all but one or two did nothing to stop the attack or help Kitty in some way; or told the police when they arrived that they didn’t see or hear anything.[1] The shock and outrage that 37 out of 38 people allegedly did nothing led to intense moral and ethical discussions about the very nature of the human condition, and to the development of the psychological principle known as the “Bystander Effect”.[2] Every time I hear her name I am appalled, sickened, disgusted, and, most of all, heartbroken.
I was reminded of Kitty Genovese when I read one of the mitzvot in this week’s parsha of Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1-5:26). In Leviticus 5:1 we read: “And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity…”* Maimonides, in his work the Mishneh Torah, tells us succinctly that this means, “Anybody who knows evidence must testify in court”.[3] A lot of people have grown up being told and hearing things such as “mind your own business,” “no one likes a tattletale”, “keep your head down and your mouth shut,” “always say, ‘I didn’t see anything’”, and of course, “snitches get stitches”. Why? Self-preservation and a fear of violent reprisal or retaliation against both them and their loved ones, being ostracized, becoming involved in something that you have no interest in, or even in gaining a reputation that you can’t be trusted. It’s these well-known messages and reinforced mores that keep good, everyday people silent. There are costs to this silence. If someone refuses out of fear to testify in court, an innocent man may hang or an otherwise guilty rapist, murderer, terrorist, or drug trafficker could go free and continue their reign of terror. This is far from some obscure academic theory or a logical exercise, it is as real as real gets. Need proof? Look no further than Kitty Genovese. One of the great heroes of the Jewish people, acclaimed author, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel taught, “What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander” and “silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”[4] “If you see something, say something” is far more than a catchy slogan. It is not only what keeps society moral, but indeed society functioning altogether. Several years ago I watched the Netflix series Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. It was frightening to see entire countries that were quite literally held hostage by powerful drug cartels who employed wide-scale violence, terrorism, bribery, corruption, intimidation, retaliation, and retribution to further their illicit activities, and who overtly displayed a complete disregard and total disdain for the rule of law. I thought to myself, how does a society get to such a place, and perhaps more difficult to answer, how does it come back from there? Perhaps the answer can be found here: earlier this year, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in a speech to our nation’s top admirals and generals and senior enlisted leaders, brought up the “Broken Windows” theory of policing. He said “If you let the small stuff go, eventually the big stuff goes, so you have to address the small stuff.”[5] Secretary Hegseth brilliantly hit the nail on the head. Things do certainly start out small. A tree starts out as a seed. And that seed grows. And that seed grows and grows until you have a tree. And then you have more trees. And before you know it, you have entire forests. But those trees and those forests are ultimately dictated, implanted, defined, and directed by those seeds. So if we tell our kids at a young, impressionable age- saplings if you will, “mind your own business”, “keep your mouth shut”, and “always say ‘I didn’t see anything’”, then that’s who they’ll develop into as adults, leaders of their communities, and influencers of our society. We will quite literally reap what we sow. But, if, on the other hand, we teach them the story of Kitty Genovese, the mitzvah (commandment) of Leviticus 5:1, the immortal words of Elie Wiesel, the lessons of Narcos, the “Broken Windows” theory of policing that Secretary Hegseth reminded us of, and the sacred call of Deuteronomy 16:20 (tzedek, tzedek tirdof- justice, justice you shall pursue), we will reap a far more just and holy community. Bizrat HaShem, with God’s help and in honor of Kitty Genovese’s memory, may “if you see something, say something” always triumph over “snitches get stitches.” Wishing you a Good Shabbos and a peaceful weekend. |
| Bivrakha, |
| Rabbi Aaron |