Struggling on the Same Page with Respect - November 3, 2010

Some pre-Shabbat, post-election day thoughts…

Rebekah wondered
why the twins that were yet to be born
were “pressing against each other inside her.”
She asked God, who told her that these two children
would become two nations and go their separate ways
and that the elder would serve the younger.
The blessings they would receive from their father, were, in the end,
the blessing intended for the other
after the younger, Jacob, was prepared by his mother
to appear to be his first-born brother Esau.
Those blessings spoke of abundance for both sons, dominance by one, but eventual independence and self-sufficiency for the other.

As we consider the results of choices we just made in voting booths
along with our fellow citizens,
we may wonder if we, the American people, are like Jacob and Esau,
two nations struggling with and pressing against each other,
when, in fact, we are one nation with great diversity of background
and, of course, opinion.
Some would say that the leaders chosen are the result of a pendulum
that swings back and forth with prevailing public sentiment,
but there is still a hope for the possibility of moving forward
in one way or another, with some leaders and citizens realizing
that compromise might give everyone more of what they want and need
in their daily lives.
So the struggle will continue, but it is one that can yield results when we remind ourselves that we are brothers and sisters that ultimately share a common belief in freedom and justice.
We can still affirm that “We the people” means a productive partnership between leaders and citizens who come from many cultural backgrounds, many faiths, many nations, all who have something to contribute to the welfare of our national community.
May our many insights, strategies, ideas, values and beliefs come together in a dialogue across our communities and states that can bring us security, true partnership, mutual respect, and hope.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry