In week two of the Book of Exodus, the character of Pharaoh can be understood to represent evil in our foundational story as a people. This character orders the death of babies based on a perceived demographic threat. Tries to recruit midwives to do his dirty work and when they resist, calls on all his people to throw them into the river.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of evil. In one of his early homelies, he begins by saying “There is hardly anything more obvious than the fact that evil is present in the universe.” And in the years before his death, he often spoke of “the three evils…racism, poverty, and militarism.”
As we see so clearly the work today of someone who wishes to be a “new king,” we still see how evil persists. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s three evils tempt tyrants near and far, emerging in incendiary ways against groups of people they deem different and lesser. And from our ancient and our contemporary prophets, we are called to rise up. Let us heed both the Torah reading of this season of celebrating King, Hammer, Douglas, and others, and resist.
May the confluence of the torah reading with this important national holiday celebrate not just prophets ancient and modern, but the prophetic voice in each of us. Rising up, holding our nation accountable, and reminding ourselves and one another of the power of resistance in the face of tyranny and evil.
Shabbat shalom, Happy MLK Day, and Chodesh Sh’vat Tov,
R’ David
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of evil. In one of his early homelies, he begins by saying “There is hardly anything more obvious than the fact that evil is present in the universe.” And in the years before his death, he often spoke of “the three evils…racism, poverty, and militarism.”
As we see so clearly the work today of someone who wishes to be a “new king,” we still see how evil persists. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s three evils tempt tyrants near and far, emerging in incendiary ways against groups of people they deem different and lesser. And from our ancient and our contemporary prophets, we are called to rise up. Let us heed both the Torah reading of this season of celebrating King, Hammer, Douglas, and others, and resist.
May the confluence of the torah reading with this important national holiday celebrate not just prophets ancient and modern, but the prophetic voice in each of us. Rising up, holding our nation accountable, and reminding ourselves and one another of the power of resistance in the face of tyranny and evil.
Shabbat shalom, Happy MLK Day, and Chodesh Sh’vat Tov,
R’ David
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