Alan, thank you for writing this. I have followed your reflections on Mussar and Jewish values for some time, and I have always appreciated your emphasis on humility, balance, and the work we must do on ourselves. I have not often seen you address the political moment directly, and I am grateful that you did so here.
Your point about the need for “extreme” commitment to Jewish values really resonated with me. The challenge, as I see it, is that the Mussar path does not call us to be passive in the face of wrongdoing. I personally have not been passive and it sometimes gets me into trouble. But it’s “good trouble” as someone once said. Compassion, truth, humility, and care for the stranger are not just personal virtues. . . they are obligations.
I often think about the idea that evil requires permission. It does not always arrive dramatically. Sometimes it advances when ordinary people rationalize, look away, or decide that their other interests matter more than their moral commitments.
This raises a difficult question for me: how can someone who proudly identifies as Jewish reconcile that identity with supporting actions and policies that appear to violate so many of the values our tradition has spent thousands of years teaching us? The Torah’s repeated commands to care for the stranger, pursue justice, avoid cruelty, and exercise humility are not optional ideals.
At the same time, Mussar reminds me that the work begins within. It is not enough to condemn what we see in others. We must continually ask whether our own words and actions reflect the values we claim to defend.
Perhaps the most radical response to a world that seems increasingly angry and divided is exactly what you describe: to become more compassionate, more truthful, more humble, and more committed to human dignity.
Thank you for reminding us that joy itself can be an act of resistance.
You say many interesting things that spark thoughts, but since you ask a question, I will restrict my response to reflecting on your heartfelt question: “How can someone who proudly identifies as Jewish reconcile that identity with supporting actions and policies that appear to violate so many of the values our tradition has spent thousands of years teaching us?” My initial answer is that, one should not. We have a responsibility to hold true to our values because, in the view of our tradition, they are not just ethically good, they represent the will of God. The notion of mesirat nefesh comes into play here: sacrificing ourselves in defence of higher truths. But that absolutist response needs to be tempered because ethics is only one factor of several that can come into play in the real world. Survival is generally a higher priority still, and if survival is at stake, then I can see the possibility that a person would validly “support actions and policies that appear to violate so many of the values our tradition has spent thousands of years teaching us.” But the bar is high; life itself must be at stake. I see a lot of people flouting our ethical principles for political gain or for ideological reasons and I think it is the responsibility of a good Jew to call them to account. Here we have the mitzvah of tochechah — rebuke!! We are obligated to oppose those actions and policies because they violate so many of the values of our tradition. So it is not so simple and it should not be; we are called to be people of discernment.
Danny and I loved this post Alan. So relevant and such a great reminder of true Jewish values. We look forward to reading your next one. Joy is so important to each day and our animals can give us that on a daily basis. Look forward to seeing you when you come our way again!
Alan, thank you for writing this. I have followed your reflections on Mussar and Jewish values for some time, and I have always appreciated your emphasis on humility, balance, and the work we must do on ourselves. I have not often seen you address the political moment directly, and I am grateful that you did so here.
Your point about the need for “extreme” commitment to Jewish values really resonated with me. The challenge, as I see it, is that the Mussar path does not call us to be passive in the face of wrongdoing. I personally have not been passive and it sometimes gets me into trouble. But it’s “good trouble” as someone once said. Compassion, truth, humility, and care for the stranger are not just personal virtues. . . they are obligations.
I often think about the idea that evil requires permission. It does not always arrive dramatically. Sometimes it advances when ordinary people rationalize, look away, or decide that their other interests matter more than their moral commitments.
This raises a difficult question for me: how can someone who proudly identifies as Jewish reconcile that identity with supporting actions and policies that appear to violate so many of the values our tradition has spent thousands of years teaching us? The Torah’s repeated commands to care for the stranger, pursue justice, avoid cruelty, and exercise humility are not optional ideals.
At the same time, Mussar reminds me that the work begins within. It is not enough to condemn what we see in others. We must continually ask whether our own words and actions reflect the values we claim to defend.
Perhaps the most radical response to a world that seems increasingly angry and divided is exactly what you describe: to become more compassionate, more truthful, more humble, and more committed to human dignity.
Thank you for reminding us that joy itself can be an act of resistance.
(Love Dr. Pepper!)
Dear Uri,
You say many interesting things that spark thoughts, but since you ask a question, I will restrict my response to reflecting on your heartfelt question: “How can someone who proudly identifies as Jewish reconcile that identity with supporting actions and policies that appear to violate so many of the values our tradition has spent thousands of years teaching us?” My initial answer is that, one should not. We have a responsibility to hold true to our values because, in the view of our tradition, they are not just ethically good, they represent the will of God. The notion of mesirat nefesh comes into play here: sacrificing ourselves in defence of higher truths. But that absolutist response needs to be tempered because ethics is only one factor of several that can come into play in the real world. Survival is generally a higher priority still, and if survival is at stake, then I can see the possibility that a person would validly “support actions and policies that appear to violate so many of the values our tradition has spent thousands of years teaching us.” But the bar is high; life itself must be at stake. I see a lot of people flouting our ethical principles for political gain or for ideological reasons and I think it is the responsibility of a good Jew to call them to account. Here we have the mitzvah of tochechah — rebuke!! We are obligated to oppose those actions and policies because they violate so many of the values of our tradition. So it is not so simple and it should not be; we are called to be people of discernment.
Danny and I loved this post Alan. So relevant and such a great reminder of true Jewish values. We look forward to reading your next one. Joy is so important to each day and our animals can give us that on a daily basis. Look forward to seeing you when you come our way again!
Wishes for blessings, Laure & Danny. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.
Thank you Alan for your joyful perspective! Evie