The Earthquake in Haiti and the Dignity of Man

This past Tuesday, an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale devestated Haiti with massive loss of life.  I pray for those whose lives were lost, and for the families who lost loved ones in this natural disaster.  Looking for how the Jewish community reacted to this tragedy was interesting.  The American Jewish World Service, amongst many other Jewish organizations, came to the rescue with relief funds.  Israel was even one of the first nations on the scene to help out.  What was disconcerting was the Orthodox reaction, or lack thereof, to what is going on in Haiti. 

One of the negative stereotypes of Jewish people is that "they keep to themselves" or "they only care about their kind."  It's sad to say that there are some Jews, most notably from Hardeim communities, that feel this way about people who are not Jewish.  The Orthodox Union did not put out any statement [of prayer] whatsoever.  I was surprised to see that even an organization such as Uri L'Tzedek, an Orthodox organization for social justice, didn't even issue anything on the matter.  Chabad's attempt to respond was weak.  They only seemed concerned about getting kosher food to a select few (i.e., observant Jews), thereby perpetuating a steretoype that does not even apply to a grand majority of Jews.  There are millions going through devestating times, and you're worried about getting kosher few to a select few?!

Why should I be getting so uptight about this?  After all, I'm a libertarian who believes a [Haredi] Jew has the right to donate to whatever organization he'd like.  It is his right as an American citizen.  But that's not what I'm disputing.  I'm disputing the "us versus them" mentality that is primarily, but not exclusively, in the Orthodox community (especially the further to the Right you go).  These are the sort of people that won't acknowledge, let alone socialize with, a non-Jew. It makes me flinch so much because it is so anathematic to Jewish teachings.  In spite of what some might believe, Judaism believes in the inherent dignity of man and that being "created in His image" (Genesis 1:26) means that everyone, Jewish or not, should be treated respectfully.  Just a few examples from Jewish literature:

1) Genesis 1:26 states that Adam was created in His image.  This citation gives us plenty of insight.  This verse doesn't sway many in the frum community.  Texts, such as the Chassidic one entitled Tanya, states that only Jews have to deal with having their animal soul fight with their G-dly, implying that people who are not Jewish don't have a G-dly soul.  [Side note: I took a class at a Chabad about this text, and when non-Jews were brought up, I was told that "we don't have to worry about that because it's not of significance"....enough said]  Even with their meager attempts at spiritual elitism, they have an important fact to contend with: the Bible states that being created in His image began with Adam.  The fact that the concept of a neshama (soul) began with Adam is telling because Adam was not Jewish.  Chronologically speaking, the declaration that each individual is unique and has infinite value because he was created in His image was declared long before there were even a Jewish people to speak of.  If G-d had wanted to say that the Jewish people were superior to everyone else, He would have made such a declaration to Abraham, not Adam.  The fact that it was made to include the entirety of humanity, we cannot view this spiritual haughtiness as valid.

2) Midrash (Sanhedrin 4:5) states that Adam was created first and alone was because nobody could come and say that "my ancestor is better than yours."  We are all descended from the same man, and because of that, we are all related.  That fact is another important biblical point that ties us together.

3) Leviticus 19:18 states that "you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself."  There two sides to this discussion: one is that your neighbor is someone in the general vicinity, and the other is that neighbor refers to your fellow Jew.  The proponents for the former would argue that because we live in a multicultural world, our definition of neighbor has changed with the times.  The proponents for the latter say, "nope!" because all of our neighbors were Jews, and that's the mentality we have to maintain, even in the Diaspora.  For argument's sake, let's say that Leviticus 19:18 only applies with "fellow Jews."  Even if you try to justify not socializing or even talking to a non-Jew based on that reading, you're still commanded to love a non-Jew.  I'm sure many are figuring out how I came up with that one.  Here's how I came up with it:

כְּאֶזְרָח מִכֶּם יִהְיֶה לָכֶם הַגֵּר הַגָּר אִתְּכֶם, וְאָהַבְתָּ לוֹ כָּמוֹךָ--כִּי-גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם, בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: אֲנִי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.

"The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."           -Leviticus 19:34   

Interesting--this verse resides within the same chapter as "love thy neighbor."  Having grown up in a non-Jewish home, having my entire family not be Jewish, as well as most of my friends, it's strange to think of them as strangers.  But for those of you who aren't really keen on viewing non-Jewish as neighbors, i.e., viewing them as strangers, you're still commanded to love him.  I'm sure that the next response is, "Steve, גֵּר means convert, not stranger."  That's the interesting thing about Hebrew, like any other language.  A word can have more than one meaning, and based on context, we have to figure out which meaning works best.  So let's presume that in this verse, it means convert.  "The convert that dwells amongst you, you shall love him as yourself; for ye were converts in the land of Egypt."  Did that not make sense to you either?  That's the point!  That would be because "stranger is the correct definition in this verse.  It doesn't matter how you view someone, stranger, neighbor, family, or friend, you are still commanded by the Torah to love them. 

4) HaShem emphasizes His love for all of humanity, and this concept is well-played out in the book of Jonah.  The story of Nineveh, who were pagans, is so important.  It teaches about repentence and that HaShem cares about all humans.  "You cared about that plant, which appeared overnight.  And should I not care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left " (Jonah 4:10-11).   This story of pagans repenting is so essential that it's part of the Yom Kippur service. 

5) The righteous of all nations, not just the Jewish one, have a share in the World to Come (Tosefta Sanhedrin 13:2). 

Needless to say, HaShem cares about all of His children.  When many are suffering in anguish, much like this earthquake we are talking about, we cannot just ignore it because "it's not a Jewish problem."  News flash: loving people is a Jewish issue!  Our hearts should be pouring out to these people like our hearts did with the Mumbai terrorist attack about a year ago.  I was relieved to read an article from Aish, an Orthodox organization, about Israel and Haiti.  I do like the fact that they pointed out that Israel has a stellar record when it comes to providing humanitarian aid, and that this incident was no exception. What was most intriguing was their response as to why Israel is so eager and responsive when it comes to humanitarian aid.  The answer: Torah!  Who is our role model for developing such empathy?  Moshe Rabbeinu, also known as Moses.  It wasn't enough for him to intercede when a non-Jew was treating a Jew badly (Exodus 2:11), or when two Jews were quarreling  (ibid 2:13).  It was the third test, the dispute between the Midian daughters and the harrassers depicted in Exodus 17.  Rabbi Benjamin Blech describes it as such:

He [Moshe Rabbeinu] was now in a foreign land. Neither the offending bullies nor the harassed maidens had any relationship to him. He knew not the victims or the assailants. Simply put, what was happening before him had no personal connection to his life -- other than the fact that fellow human beings were in danger and he was in a position to help. The third and final test was the one that we are faced with every time a situation arises when it is not our family, our people or our nation is threatened but only other human beings with whom we share but one thing -- our common creation in the image of G-d.  It was because Moses passed this final test of his character that he became our greatest hero. It is with this characteristic that he must also serve as our ultimate role model.

It was not enough for Moses to stop injustice against a Jew or a quarrel amongst two Jews.  His true test was caring for two parties of non-Jews that he didn't even know.  Passing this test was what merited him to lead the Jewish people.  His compassion for others reached people outside of his niche.  Moses realized that in order to be great, you have to realize that every man is good because he is created in His image.  And to actualize that in lives, we cannot just do nothing.  As R. Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "The opposite of good is not evil; the opposite of good is indifference. In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible."  If the Jewish people possess the character traits of being merciful, modest and performing deeds of kindness (Yevamot 79a), we need to be able to transcend nationalistic borders and reach out to those in Haiti because when a fellow human being is in distress, can we really turn a blind eye and still think of ourselves as pious, or even ethically sound?  That is why I urge people to donate tzedakah, whether that would be to the American Jewish World Services' relief fund or to Red Cross.  A contribution will not only help out those in need, but also help Jews fulfill their mandate to be a light unto nations.