We are living through some anxiety inducing as well as hope inspiring times.聽 We鈥檙e experiencing tectonic change in how we understand humanity that is finally allowing non cisgender and non hetero folk to get free.聽 We have technology that allows us constant communication and brings access of information to isolated peoples. 聽We experience the pain of the #metoo movement and the tsunami of exposed predatory behaviours in the entertainment industry which will hopefully result in real change regarding harassment and abuse women experience.聽 Simultaneously, we witness the unprecedented migrations of multitudes of humanity due to violent conflicts and diminished resources. We are also experiencing an upsurge to expressions of racism and xenophobia.聽 Each week brings news of mass violence, institutionalized discrimination, exploitation accompanied by morally reprehensible public statements made by world leaders.聽 On top of this we have a serious lingering threat of irreversible environmental degradation.聽
It feels like the religious sectors of society are considerably behind the curve and are often reactive, fueling chauvinist and nativist ideologies. Combining nostalgia and a false romantic sense of a glorified past with absolutist religious worldviews based on literalist readings of sacred text serves as a recipe for hate and destruction.
Religion needs to provide individuals and communities with a worldview that is informed by values, actions and lifeways that goad and support adherents to become upright, honest, caring, loving righteous humans; to be a mentsh.聽 Mentsh is a Yiddish word that comes from German meaning human, but has evolved to mean much more than that.聽 Gender is irrelevant to being a mentsh as is religion or ethnicity.聽 A mentsh is a person of integrity and moral substance.聽 The word kosher refers to permissible food, but its meaning is much broader. It literally means fit, worthy and appropriate.聽 In that light, a mentsh is a kosher human. Being a decent person falls short of being a mentsh.聽 There were decent people who acquiesced to apartheid in South Africa and segregation in the American South, who ignored the degradation and planned destruction of North America鈥檚 First Nations. Decent people are not mentshes.聽 A mentsh has a deep sense of obligation towards other and demonstrates this through positive action.聽
Being a mentsh is not taking prosperity for granted and understanding that prosperity at the expense of others suffering is not righteous.聽 It takes a community to sustain mentsh-hood.聽 Righteous communities understand that only through collaboration can we truly care for the most vulnerable with dignity. This means placing the marginalized into the center of our communal lives so they are visible, present and empowered.聽 We are responsible for one another. Helping others is not just a nice thing to do - it is what Divine Source wants us to do.
Mentshes understand that silence in the face of injustice is equivalent to agreeing with and supporting that injustice. Hillel, an important Talmudic sage, teaches 鈥渋n the place where there are no 鈥榤entshes鈥� you must be a mentsh.鈥� 聽One must always strive to be a mentsh. It teaches in Torah 鈥淛ustice, Justice you shall pursue.鈥� The Torah uses the word justice twice to remind us that we must be just in our pursuing of justice.聽 A mentsh always chooses to be on the side of the persecuted rather than the persecutor even when it is highly inconvenient.聽 Being a mentsh means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. The first step towards being a mentsh is to do something kind and meaningful for someone else.聽 Our world needs us all to be mentshes right now.
Rabbi Harry Brechner聽is Rabbi of Congregation of Emanu-El in Victoria, B.C.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, The Spiritual View,
