Ekev
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25
This week we continue Moses’ sermons to the Israelites. In what is one of the core sections of the portion, Moses gathers the evidence of Israel’s rebelliousness, particularly the golden calf incident. He goes on to remind Israel that after the tragic affair of the golden calf, God renews the covenant by instructing Moses to make a second set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments.
Moses then recounts, “The Eternal further said to me, ‘I see that this is a stiffnecked people. Let Me alone and I will destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make you a nation far more numerous than they.” It is as if God is saying to Moses, “If you don’t hold me back, I will destroy the Israelites. Don’t let me alone if you know what’s good for your people!” We are left with the implication that Moses can actually restrain God from destroying Israel. Midrash understands this as a hint for Moses to do just that by praying for the people Israel. God is saying, “Yes, actually, I DO think Israel should be destroyed, but Moses, I want YOU to show me how badly you think I should save them by praying.” This is not the only time we see God interact with prophets in this way. This becomes part of their mission as prophets to pray to God on the people’s behalf. For example, Samuel says that he would sin against God if he failed to pray for the people, and Jeremiah begs God to protect him in return for his “pleading in their behalf, to turn Your anger away from them.”
The Israelites were really quite fortunate to have Moses always there to argue for them, to advocate for them, to pray for them. Moses, of course, knew that he would not be entering the Promised Land, and yet he still acted on the Israelites behalf. How lucky that they had a leader with such conviction! Not all peoples are so fortunate.
As you know, the people of Darfur have suffered far too long. Those who have survived the genocide, have been subjected to a dreadful and wretched existence. Who is their Moses? It is not the government of the United States, which has yet to step up to the plate in the way that we all know they should. It is not the United Nations, which has STILL failed to deploy a peacekeeping force. Who is their Moses? Who is their Samuel or Jeremiah? Who is their prophet pleading on their behalf? Tonight, we mark Shabbat with our Darfur Shabbat Service. The San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition recently established Darfur Fridays to keep Darfur activism alive. By taking on the responsibility of being activists against this genocide, we can be the Moses that the people of Darfur truly need. Just as Moses was not going to enter the Promised Land, we are so very far from Darfur. However, just as Moses continued to advocate for the people, we must continue our pursuit as Jews of justice and mercy. By lobbying our legislators, donating to the cause, and spreading the word to our friends and family, we can fulfill the role of the prophet. We can exert the same kind of power that Moses dared to exert over God. The shirts we will wear tonight say “On Our Watch: Stop Genocide in Darfur.” Let us be the prophets that the people of Darfur so desperately need. On this Shabbat and until the horror is eradicated, let us, as Moses did for the Israelites, pray on their behalf.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Korn
Back