[SPONSORED] February release of Sh'ma explores escalating gratuitous hatred

Dear Readers,

Each month, Sh’ma Now, a monthly distilled “conversation” that brings together an array of voices around a single theme, explores what Jewish wisdom teaches us about big universal questions. This month, we explore the Jewish sensibility of “sinat chinam” — gratuitous hatred. According to the Talmud (Tractate Yoma 9b), the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. because of the baseless hatred that filled communal life. As the editor-in-chief, I was drawn to explore this theme, given the current polarization of American politics, and the demonization of some vulnerable segments of American society. I was curious about the increase in antisemitic incidents, and what it means that incivility has become the new norm. This seemed like just the right moment to examine such hate-filled times.

I asked Rabba Dina Brawer to introduce readers to some of the primary sources that address sinat chinam, including the writing of Rabbi Eliezer Papo, who wrote a 19th-century guide to ethical living, Pele Yoetz. He wrote that sinat chinam — and all forms of hate — are self-delusional. Brawer brings into the discussion the role of moral judgment, and turns to the work of contemporary psychologists to clarify the role that cognition — intuition and reasoning — plays in making judgments. She wonders about how we — as individuals and as a society — can move beyond hatred. She writes: “Learning to pause after an initial judgment, reflect, and (re)consider our opinions in light of other perspectives is essential. Listening to others, reassessing our claims of certainty, and developing empathy are initial steps to healing sinat chinam.” Reading Dina’s essay, I thought about the work of civil rights activist and author Bryan Stevens, who has addressed some of the most hate-filled chapters of American history, and yet writes that we can only make change if we are hopeful: “Hopelessness is the enemy of justice.”  Read more.

Shaul Magid, a professor of Jewish Studies at Indiana University and Dartmouth College and research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of America, provides a concise history of the idea of “civility.”  Rather than a way of discussing agreed-upon collective behavior, civility has a troubled history, associated with “power, policing and colonialism.” He writes, “Today, ‘civility’ is largely a term that those in power — including but not limited to liberals — use to express a style of privileged discourse on matters of dire concern. Its usage implies that cultural and political behavior coheres to a set of principles. Civility is a policing tool that determines what can and cannot be said.” He goes on: “Civility supports not tolerance but control. And control is often a way to maintain power by determining the rules of the debate that will almost always seek to benefit those already in power.”  Read more.

Mik Moore, the founder of Moore+Associates, a strategic consulting firm focusing on policy and electoral politics, writes about the new wave of antisemitism in the United States.  He writes, “Trump has radically shifted the ‘normal discourse’ on a wide range of issues and behaviors, including antisemitism and other forms of bigotry. The new normal for American Jews is to witness or experience antisemitism and see it tolerated or even sanctioned by the most powerful people in the U.S.” Read more.

Ariel Evan Mayse, an assistant professor of religious studies at Stanford University, examines what the Hasidic masters thought about cultivating a disposition of joy — even in dark times. “This optimistic posture is described by the Hasidic masters as a matter of choice rather than circumstance.” He goes on to write that joy “fosters connectivity and enables meaningful encounters with others.” The masters urge us to resist “baseless hatred through offering kindness; one must subvert it by transforming it into something different.” Read more.

In NiSh’ma, our simulated Talmud page, four commentators address a line from Martin Buber’s book, The Way of Man According to Hasidism: “The origin of conflict between me and my fellow man is that I do not say what I mean, and that I do not do what I say.” Buber’s writing in general, and this line in particular, challenge us to turn from blaming others to seeking a clearer understanding of our own behaviors and culpabilities. Jay Rothman, president of the ARIA Group, a U.S.-based international association of conflict engagement and community development practitioners and action researchers, writes: “The common approach to conflict, and difference, is to distance and blame the other side. An alternative approach would have us ask: What does this conflict most essentially have to do with me? What does it mean for me? Buber answers: ‘everything’.”  Zoe Jick, the associate director of Jewish Content at the Palo Alto JCC, writes about the difficulty in turning one’s gaze inward to locate the essence of the conflict. And while that might be difficult, she stresses the importance of strengthening our practice of apology. Read more.

Please take a look at the online PDF and our discussion guide, Consider and Converse,

which offers a variety of suggestions, including activities and prompts for informal conversations. Download the issue and bring it, along with the guide, to a Shabbat table or gathering of friends. And remember to sign up for our monthly eblast about each upcoming issue of Sh’ma Now.

B’vracha,  

Susan Berrin

Sh'ma Now Editor-in-Chief