Sholom Rubashkin and the Human Element

I have been thinking a lot recently about the court proceedings against Sholom Rubashkin in Iowa. Let me preface by saying that I am deeply opposed to any and all unethical and illegal business practices. I believe that it is the lofty responsibility of every Jew to represent the paradigm of a person of profound faith in God and scrupulous commitment to Torah with the utmost commitment to ethics and good citizen behavior. The actions that Sholom Rubashkin did personally, and the actions for which as CEO he is ultimately responsible for, are inexcusable and represent a severe lapse in ethical reasoning. Sholom Rubashkin should and must face the punitive consequences for his actions.

My colleague Shmuly Yanklowitz in a column in The Jewish Week argued that the Jewish community in campaigning for a punishment other than life in prison, the punishment being asked for by the prosecution, is demonstrating a public display of our wrong priorities. What about the workers arrested in that now infamous raid? Why isn't the Jewish community collecting signatures on their behalf, Shmuly asks. ("One must consider priorities in these cases and the message sent by defending the owner's case...")

I agree with Shmuly that the case of the workers should be addressed and the workers dealt with compassionately. I commend organizations such as The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs for making immigration reform a central piece of their agenda. However, caring about the workers does not by necessity demand ignoring Sholom Rubashkin. In asking for a life sentence the prosecution is clearly interested in utilizing this case as an example to all would-be offenders. I am opposed on moral and religious grounds to the concept of excessively punishing one person to set an example for others. First, it turns a real human being into a means towards an end. Secondly, it ignores the fact that all matters of din (judgement) must be tempered by rahamim (mercy) and a court that exercises only pure din is an unjust court.

For these reasons I have decided to support the campaign to seek a sentence that both reflects the severity of his crimes and is tempered with mercy.

Is Judaism Boring?

Dr. Erica Brown in her recent opinion piece in The Jewish Week addresses the question of boredom and Judaism. Why do so many people find services boring? Shabbat meals boring? Torah study boring? Is there something inherent to the services, the meals, the study, the social action, etc that is boring or is it something else?

She writes in one of the most telling quotes from the article:

One of the reasons we fail to look within is that we blame others for our boredom. If a child is bored, it’s a parent’s fault. If school is dull, it must be the teacher. If shul is tedious, it’s probably the rabbi. The poet Dylan Thomas once said, “Something is boring me. I think it’s me.” When boredom strikes, it may be time to look in the mirror.

The first time I seriously thought about boredom was in a class with Eitzah: Center for Congregational Leadership. One of the directors of Eitzah, Dr. Bill Kahn, challenged us to seriously think about why we get bored. He pushed us to stop blaming the environment, the program, whatever but to rather look at ourselves. Dr. Kahn argued that boredom often times is a defense mechanism to protect us against whatever we are engaged with.

Ever since that class I have tried to assess the moments I get bored. Sometimes I get bored of assessing why I am bored but there are times when it leads me down a path of real reflection and introspection.

I wonder what a larger conversation with members of a synagogue or a Jewish organization would look like around boredom. Instead of ignoring the bored expressions of members, what would it be like to direct that boredom head on?

In any case, I highly recommend reading the whole piece by Dr. Brown. It is well written and quite thought provoking.