A Reflection About January 6, 2021

 For days now, I have been thinking about how I would address the painful sight of seeing the Capitol in Washington, DC being breached violently by individuals who were wanting to not only destroy property, but also wanting to harm people and the very fabric of our democracy.  It is one thing to harbor different political views from one another which can be discussed and debated and quite another when a sitting president uses his position of power to stir one's following into a frenzy that is bent on harming those who are considered "the other."

There is no doubt in my mind, that there can be no tolerance for hatred. There can be no tolerance for an attempted coup (an  attempted illegal, unconstitutional seizure of power by a political faction).  The darkness of the organized gathering was not only a nightmare for our country, but for all free nations witnessing the attempted siege.  For me, hearing the frenzied chanting, seeing the sights of anti-Semitic slogans on t-shirts, seeing the confederate flag being waved in the halls of our country's legislative chambers, leaves me with little choice but to say that such chaos is totally wrong.

In Judaism, we understand that there are arguments which are permissible.  These are the arguments "for the sake of heaven."  In other words, the arguments that are had not for the sake of victory. They are arguments which hope to determine what is the best course of action for all involved. What Trump did as he addressed his assembled supporters, was not for the sake of heaven.  He knew the outcome of his words would not be benign.  He was working to delegitimize the voice of the voters, of the Congress, and of anyone who did not go along with his definition of what would need to happen to ensure that he would remain president although losing the election. 

What frightens me is  the hatred that has been unleashed, which looks at others as illegitimate, non-human.  Yes, individuals have the right to speak, to discuss their views, to give voice to the injustices they feel they have suffered. It is not one's right however to sow the seeds of hatred and fear. Listen to these words that Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z'l, wrote about in his book MORALITY.  "Resist with all your heart and your soul any attempt to substitute power for truth. And stay far from people, movements, and parties that demonise their opponents."  Words have the power of life and death. There must be accountability for words that have led to death.