In the Aftermath of the Destruction in Our Nation’s Capitol
Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt
| Rabbi Weinblatt addressed the disturbance in our Nations Capital on January 2, 2021. Below is a copy of his remarks: I, like most of you have many thoughts about what happened this past week. One of my earliest memories of going to the US Capitol was when I attended with my parents the inauguration of Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Later I worked as an intern in the House of Representatives for two different members of Congress. As a rabbi I have been honored to give invocations before the Senate and House of Representatives, and met with members of the Senate and Congress, attended meetings and lobbied there. It is a sacred place, hallowed ground, described by some as the “Temple of our Democracy.” In fact, I concluded my invocation to the House in May of 1988 by quoting the Book of Psalms and the Book of Genesis by saying, “Truly Your majestic presence fills the whole earth.” For as Jacob exclaimed, “How full of awe is this place. Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.” The ransacking of that place, the place where our democratically elected representatives deliberate and legislate was a desecration of all we Americans hold sacred. The scenes of pilfering, looting, destruction by the angry crowd remind us not only of the fragility of our democracy, but of the danger of anarchy and mobs, especially mobs that are incited and provoked. It may be in anticipation of this kind of danger that Pirke Avot records Rabbi Hananiah as having said 2,000 years ago, “Pray for the welfare of the government, for if the people did not fear it, they would swallow each other alive.” Let me share with you some other insights of our tradition which are relevant. Our tradition teaches us – Words matter. Our tradition teaches us –Truth matters. Our tradition teaches us – Leadership matters. Our tradition teaches us – Individuals are responsible and accountable for their actions. In light of these considerations, there is no way to try to paint what happened as anything other than what it was. There is no justification for trying once again to point fingers at imaginary groups as the culprits or source of the violence. The Wall Street Journal described what happened as, “…an assault on the constitutional process of transferring power after an election. It was also an assault on the legislature from an executive sworn to uphold the laws of the United States.” The evidence is pretty clear that the crowd was riled up by the former mayor of New York who called for “trial by combat” along with other speakers, including our President who stirs on, incites and uses his supporters for his own narcissistic allusions and ambitions as he called upon the crowd to march on the Capitol because of his unproven claims that he won in a landslide. We have had 56 quadrennial presidential elections in our history, which means 56 people have lost their quest for the nation’s highest office. 55 of those times, the one who lost was gracious in defeat, wished the victor and the nation well and accepted the outcome, even when there may have been grounds to contest or object to the results. Now is the time for courage, leadership and grace. It is time to stop the denigrating, degrading and belittling of opponents. It is time for the president and those who support him to acknowledge that the election is over and that Joe Biden will be president, so that we can heal and come together as a nation. The prophet Jeremiah taught the importance of being responsible citizens. On the eve of our exile, he proclaimed, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” In that spirit I conclude with the prayer I recited in the House of Representatives those many years ago: The prayer I humbly offer to You, dear God, on behalf of the leaders of this great Nation, and in this hallowed assembly is one of thanks. We thank You for the many blessings You have bestowed upon this land, and its people; for the noble goals of our Founding Fathers, and for living in a country with elected Representatives devoted to bringing those ideals and the promise of that vision into reality. For abundant resources and wealth, for unprecedented intellectual greatness and achievements. We are ever appreciative. In that spirit, we pray, for the ability to share the precious gifts of life and liberty, of freedom and equality. Help us to conserve and preserve our resources for the benefit of future generations. Help us to use our prosperity for the betterment of all. Help us to use the gifts of wisdom and the God-given talents of our people with prudence. Bless us with the strength and desire to strive to create Your kingdom here on Earth. In that context, we pray that the elected Representatives of our people in whom we have placed our sacred trust shall be guided by wisdom and compassion, by truth and justice. As the Psalmist recognized, “Truly Your majestic presence fills the whole Earth.” For as Jacob exclaimed, “How full of awe is this place. Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not.” Amen. |
