On this liminal day of in-betweens we bid farewell to the Jewish Year 5782 and usher in the new one - 5,783 since In the Beginning. Or so tradition goes.
On this auspicious day the Book of Words meets the calendar to remind us of due diligence. Before we judge or blame anyone for anything - including ourselves - have we asked all the right questions? Have we searched, pondered, inquired, tried to make sense of where some troubles or hurt come from?
The context for this poignant reminder, not just for big days in which new years begin, is found in today’s chapter - and is grim. Moses keeps on with his final speech, warning us, again, against false prophets and soothsayers, against the charisma of dangerous individuals who peddle foreign truths and fake news. He also warns us that entire cities and communities may be seduced by false idols and values harmful to the world’s wellbeing or at least to local point of view . What to do then? Before you start the war, he says, ask big questions:
וְדָרַשְׁתָּ֧ וְחָקַרְתָּ֛ וְשָׁאַלְתָּ֖ הֵיטֵ֑ב וְהִנֵּ֤ה אֱמֶת֙ נָכ֣וֹן הַדָּבָ֔ר נֶעֶשְׂתָ֛ה הַתּוֹעֵבָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃
“You shall investigate and inquire and interrogate thoroughly. If it is true, the fact is established—that abhorrent thing was perpetrated in your midst, then you must act. “
The call for inquiry resonates today as we are deep inside the process of Teshuva - return to center, the hallmark of the High Holy days. We all have voices within us, sometimes they feel like the buzz of big cities, impacted by doubts and delusions, old beliefs and traumas that might hold us from love. We may be holding on to what previous generations believed in but no longer serves who we are in need of now. What are the inquiries and questions that we are invited to ask today? What investigations of failures, false moves, or relationships that have gone sour can be opened up - with assumption of good will and an open heart? How can we begin to repair and start a new year ready to be better at being who we are?
The Book of Words goes on to detail what to do if our investigation turns up evidence that clearly indicates the source of harm. I choose today to name that part of my inherited heritage and legacy is texts like these, sacred texts that justify religious violence and fundamentalistic zeal in the name of truth and protection. I protest against this voice in my own life and at this historical moment. This voice of fear and rage, patriarchy at its purest, no longer serves us. Perhaps only as metaphor. And I own that my tradition also includes and welcomes the ongoing revision, questioning and change of what was history - to the new ways with which we interpret these texts, challenge their values, and commit to lives of integrity, diversity, courage and love. Torah is both what’s written in the book and how we keep telling and revising it, with honest hearts, an an eye towards truth, love and justice. Let’s make it happen this new year, and always. It begins by questioning reality, within.
Shana Tova.
Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections: Join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible, with daily reflections, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. January 2022-July 2025
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