Civility or Mob Rule? A Rosh Hashanah Sermon

The late Joshua Lederberg was a molecular biologist, Nobel laureate, founder of the school of medical genetics at UW-Madison, and … I can’t leave this out… a rabbi’s son.

Dr. Lederberg defined civility simply but with great depth: “All of civility depends on being able to contain the rage of individuals.”

Think about this and its implications: Lederberg didn’t tell us what civility is, but what it is not – civility means that individuals must control their rage…

Look at the news – any time, any day.

Unrestrained anger is the order of the day!

Along the same lines, 2,000 years ago, in the Pirkei Avot, Ben Zoma asked: Who is is mighty? He who subdues his evil inclination, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.”
Strength – real strength – lies in self-restraint.

Recently, Congressman Joe Wilson did not show such self-restraint during a recent presidential address to the joint Houses of Congress.

Congressman Wilson did apologize to the President. Maybe it was heartfelt, maybe it wasn’t. We do know that the President graciously accepted the apology. The House leadership on both sides expressed their dismay at such an egregious breach of the rules.
So, what’s the problem?

The reaction has been unbelievable. On one hand, there was a huge reaction against Wilson’s comment. However, a whole movement sprang up overnight that backed Wilson’s outcry and made him a folk hero.
And why? What did he do? Speak “truth to power”? No!

Wilson was incredibly rude, chose the wrong venue, and committed a gross breach of Congressional rules!

His was a breach of truly historic proportions – such a thing has never before happened in those halls.

A partisan battle over censorship erupted. It was NOT a partisan issue, simply a matter of whether or not Congressman Wilson was setting a precedent.

Regardless, Congressman Wilson – whether he’s a racist, a hero, or a publicity seeker at the expense of public discourse – is now the story.

Even scarier, Wilson’s rudeness and breach of long-established etiquette succeeded. After all, who now remembers the President’s speech?

Disrespect has ballooned over the last few years into a mob mentality that spans way beyond the world of politics.
Unfortunately, the nation has also watched:

• Town halls degenerating into yelling matches across the country. You could say there was little civil discourse, but with everyone screaming and nobody listening, there was no discourse at all.
• Mob rhetoric that has moved from angry to inflammatory to … in some quarters … encouraging violence.
• Re-emergence of white supremacist militias
• Blatant racism mixing into political issues.

Saddest of all, the planned – angry – demonstrations of 9/12.

Why single the “rallies” of 9/12 as the saddest?

Remember 9/12, 2001 – the immediate aftermath of 9/11?

We came together – as a nation – in a spirit of unity and patriotism. People couldn’t do enough for each other. People flocked to their houses of worship.

We were proud – so proud – to be Americans.

On this last 9/12, we not only displayed massive dis-unity, we watched the spread of incivility … rage … spread its toxicity.

It’s doubly ironic, because the avowed purpose of the 9/12 rally was to: “bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked, we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the values and principles of the greatest nation ever created.”
What a wonderful mission, who could object? Our country is so divided, and we need so badly to heal.

However, the reality didn’t come even close to the promise. It turned into a day of hate and anger.

Marchers even waved the Confederate battle flag – the symbol of a history of slavery and secession!

People protested, but it’s hard to tell exactly what they were protesting.

The main focus seemed to be hatred for the president. Obama’s picture was displayed: in clown-like white-face, as Hitler, as Frankenstein, as the devil, as a tribal witch-doctor, his hair decorated with a large bone -- but my vote for most audacious – offensive – sign goes to: “The zoo has an Africa n and the white house has a lyin’ African.”

Some of the protestors dressed as Colonials – ready to fight the revolution?

Judging from live video feeds, the crowd’s anger was definitely palpable.

Yes, obviously the goal of the march was for national unity, but unity in what?

Anger?

Hate?

They opposed several government initiatives, as is their right – even their duty – but even there, the protests were unclear in direction and often framed by false rumors and hate speech.

No one here would dispute the right to free speech and peaceful assembly guaranteed by our Constitution.

The 9/12 protestors were within their rights.

I just don’t understand the point, let alone the growing disrespect people show each other in these “debates.

Going back to Dr. Lederer: “All of civility depends on being able to contain the rage of individuals.”

Yet we …. today, celebrate the expression of rage. It’s all over television. It’s become the favored method of political discussion.

If we look closely at ourselves, we’re liable to find that we, too, deem it okay to speak sharply, even yell at others,

Civil discourse has deteriorated into people shouting each other down and relying on talking points and sound bytes, whether or not they’re true.

We must to be able to discern facts from lies. On Yom Kippur, when we ask Hashem to forgive our sins, we’re going to ask forgiveness for things that we have said.

Our Creator knows the answer to these questions, but do we look into our hearts in order to answer honestly?
• Did we speak the truth?
• Did we shame another by spreading lies?
• Did spreading a lie … whether or not inadvertently … did we cause so much damage that repair might not even be possible?

When we’re speaking the truth … and we’re sure it’s the truth … we still have a Jewish obligation. If our information will shame someone, we must be certain that sharing it will contribute to the greater good. It must be for a constructive purpose.

As for yelling and interrupting, DO you listen to people when they’re shouting?

Most of the time, we either shut down listening or worse, yell back!

Jewish tradition takes a dim view of anger. For instance, we see in Talmud: “Bar Kappara taught: A man who is bad tempered achieves nothing but his bad temper.” (B. Kid 40b-41a) or `` Resh Lakish said: When a man becomes angry--if he is a sage, his wisdom departs from him; if he is a prophet, his prophecy departs from him.” The Talmudic rabbis even applied this too Moses when he was angry!

We have Rav Mani bar Pattish who said: When a man becomes angry, even if greatness has been decreed for him by Heaven, he is reduced from his greatness.” B. Pes 66b.

Why is this so?

When anger … let alone rage … clouds our thoughts, we do not think clearly. Modern brain imaging techniques even show that with anger, we disengage the part of the brain that helps us think rationally.

There will always be angry fringes on all parts of the spectrum.

I’d like to return to the phrase I mentioned earlier from the Pirkei Avot. There’s so wisdom embedded there:
Ben Zoma said: who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: from all who taught me have I gained understanding.
Who is is mighty? He who subdues his evil inclination, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.
Who is is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as it is said: “when you eat of the labor of your hands, you will be happy, and all will be well with you — in this world, and it shall be well with you— in the world to come.
Who is honored? He who honors his fellow-men, as it is said: “For them that honor me, I will honor, and they that despise me shall be despised.”

Take this as a package, we have a recipe for a civilized world. And if not the world, then we at least start with ourselves.

Here’s how we can start:
• WE must resist the urge to fall into the angry rhetoric swirling around us
• We must check and re-check our facts, as destructive rumors can spread quickly – virally – through our culture, making it hard to know what to believe.
• We must treat all people with respect, whether or not we agree with them. Certainly, this extends to our elected officials, including the President, regardless of our politics.
And finally, we have another teaching from the Pirkei Avot: “In a place where there are no people, strive to be a person.”

It means: when the world spins madly about us, and core values seem washed away … hold firm, cling to those core values, and be a mensch.

Who knows, maybe others will learn from our example?

Whether or not we are lucky enough to positively impact others, the world needs every bit of sanity we bring it.

May our deeds find favor in the sight of the Kadosh Baruch Who … may our own deeds write us for blessing in the Book of Life.