Myths and Misconceptions Series

Jewish Family Identity Forum with Candace R. Kwiatek, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer

The Torah is a revolutionary document, likely one reason our American Founders found it so appealing. In fact, Jefferson evoked the revolutionary story of the Exodus when proposing the motto “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God” for the Great Seal of the United States. It recalls the tyranny of Pharaoh, who undermined the Israelites’ “unalienable rights” of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The motto’s logical conclusion is that, just as rebellion against Pharaoh was divinely ordained, rebellion against any such ruler is a divine obligation.

While the overall saying may be true, God is really in the details. For rebellion to be obedience to God, the leader must be a tyrant: Pharaoh decreed infanticide and supported slavery. He must have absolute power: Pharaoh’s word was law, and he wasn’t swayed by Divine warnings, plagues, his court, or his people. He must undermine “unalienable rights,” not just preferences.

And the tyrant must be given the opportunity to address the grievances or requests, just as Moses and Aaron gave Pharaoh multiple opportunities to relent. Biblically sanctioned rebellion isn’t a free-for-all.

But the Exodus isn’t the only biblical insurrection; throughout the Torah we find evidence of subversive ideas and actions. The reciprocal man-God Covenant was revolutionary. Direct conversations with God were radical. The rejection of magic and the outlawing of human sacrifice sabotaged nearly-universal practices. The reversal of firstborn inheritance rights by favoring character over birth order undermined long-held customs. The establishment of one law for stranger and citizen alike toppled standard practices. The Bible’s very purpose was to replace the ancient world’s values and practices with those having transcendent foundations in ethics and morality — a divine revolution.

While the Torah fomented revolution in the outside world, there were seditious forces at work within the ancient Israelite community as well. The golden calf. Threats to return to Egypt. Miriam’s challenge of Moses’ leadership.

Just what does the Bible have to say about rebellion, revolution, and sedition within the community, and how might its message be relevant today?

Jethro (Ex. 18)
As the Israelites encamped at Mt. Sinai, Jethro observed his son-in-law Moses acting as sole judge of the people. Jethro challenged, “What are you doing to the people? And why do you act alone? It is not good. It will wear you out.” He then offered Moses advice on how to lighten his burden and empower the people by setting up a system of courts. Approaching Moses in private, encouraging him to consult with God, and offering good counsel, Jethro acted with honor and caring and ultimately revolutionized the Israelite judiciary. The medium is the message.

The 12 Scouts (Num. 13-14)
Upon their return from investigating the Promised Land, 10 of the 12 scouts publicly announced their findings, saying, “the inhabitants of the land are powerful and enormous, the cities are large and fortified, and the land devours its settlers.”

Spreading calumnies, the scouts convinced the Israelites that it would be unwise to attack, and better to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt. Rebelling against God, against the Divinely-inspired mission of the Israelites, and against the foundational value of liberty, the scouts engaged in the unscrupulous tactics of skewing their report and offering only doomsday scenarios.

Furthermore, they attempted to pressure Moses and Aaron to acquiesce by making their report public at the outset. As a consequence, not only did the scouts’ rebellion fail but an entire generation — frightened out of faith in God and a vision for the future — was doomed to die in the wilderness. Even rebellion is guided by propriety.

Korah (Num. 16)
When Googling “Bible, rebellion,” Korah’s name is the first entry. Korah’s sedition was supported by hundreds of Israelite chieftains who complained to Moses and Aaron, “…all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord’s congregation?” In response, some were swallowed up by the earth and others by fire.

And yet, perhaps their mutiny was just, argues Yehoshua Engelman in Korach, for their rebellion was in pursuit of a Divine ideal. “How can one say to someone seeking closeness to God ‘you have enough’? Should Moses — or even God — be exempt from criticism?” But God is in the details. Rather than criticize Moses in private or give him a chance to reflect and respond, Korah gathered a large following of Israelite leadership and publicly challenged Moses and, by extension, God.

It is not enough to pursue divine ideals if the behavior is improper. Both intent and action must reflect the Divine.

Daughters of Zelophechad (Num. 27)
Because Zelophechad had no sons, his daughters proposed a revolutionary solution to retain their father’s property within the family: allow the daughters to inherit. They brought their unprecedented claim directly to Moses and the elders at the Tent of Meeting, explaining why they sought such a radical ruling. Moses took the problem directly to God who ruled in the daughters’ favor. Although radical and disquieting, the daughters’ reasonable and respectful request was founded in justice and met with approval by God and thereafter by the community.

Revolution is a right, the Bible seems to say, but it isn’t always right. A revolution’s foundation must be moored in biblical values and its implementation must reflect biblical ethics. It’s not just visions that are transcendent; God needs to also be in the details.

Family Discussion: How might you extrapolate the biblical lessons about rebellion, revolution, and sedition to a family context? To the business or volunteer world? To the political arena? For an interesting Chanukah exercise, consider how these biblical lessons apply to the Maccabean revolt.

Literature to share

Rising Sun, Falling Shadow by Daniel Kalla — In the 1930s, Shanghai was a haven for European Jewish refugees. A decade later, the invading Japanese established the Hongchew ghetto there and terrorized the Jews with threats of extermination, imprisonment, and torture. This stand-alone sequel to Kalla’s The Far Side of the Sky continues the story of a Eurasian nurse and her Austrian refugee husband who struggle to keep the Jewish hospital functioning in the disintegrating Shanghai world of the early 1940s.

Skullcaps and Crossbones: The Adventures of Shmuel Kafri by Yonah Klein — Targeted for the middle school set, this graphic (illustrated) novel introduces a little-known aspect of Jewish history. Tracing the tale of the real-life 16th century pirate Yaakov Koriel, archaeologist Shmuel Kafri discovers more than antiquities, buccaneers, and the Caribbean in this lively and adventurous historical fiction.

To read the complete December 2014 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.