Distinctively Jewish

This Shabbat is very special for several reasons – all of them linked to Sarah K-F, who becomes Bat Mitzvah today. First and foremost, today is a unique moment in Sarah’s life as she leaves childhood behind, and starts on her journey towards adulthood. It is also very unusual because Sarah chose this particular Shabbat to celebrate her coming of age – and, consequently, also the portion from the Torah that she will be reading. Sarah’s thirteenth birthday occurred while I was away on Sabbatical in Israel. She decided to postpone her Bat Mitzvah until after my return, and celebrate it on the day that we read from what is, arguably, the most important text in the whole of the Torah.

Jewish communities throughout the world read through the Torah – the Five Books of Moses – in an annual cycle. Each week on a Shabbat morning – and also, traditionally on Mondays and Thursdays – each congregation reads a portion from the Five Books, which are written in black ink by a scribe on a scroll made of parchment, which is rolled onto two wooden poles, referred to as the atzey chayyim, ‘the trees of life’. At this time of the year, we are following the Book of Leviticus, the third book, which lies at the centre of the Torah. Leviticus is a strange book for modern people to understand. Describing the rules and rites regulating the system of worship during Temple times, it seems completely antiquated and unrelated to contemporary life. And yet, at the heart of Leviticus, we find the portion from which Sarah will be reading today – K’doshim, known as the ‘Holiness Code’ – containing teachings that are as relevant and significant for us now as they were in ancient times.

Sarah chose the day of her Bat Mitzvah and so, the portion. She also chose exactly those verses from the portion that she wanted to read – in two sections: Leviticus chapter 19, verses 9 to 18, and verses 32 to 37. In these sixteen verses, we find the ethical teachings that are central, not only to Jewish life, but also to the life of humanity as a whole; teachings about the just treatment of all sections of the society – the poor, the stranger, the neighbour, the worker, the consumer, the aged, and the disabled – and the necessity for honesty, courage and love in human relationships. It could all have been promulgated yesterday – and, indeed, the government’s new ‘Equality’ legislation contains the same spirit of fairness and justice.

The contemporary relevance of the ethical teachings in Leviticus chapter 19 for our own day and for all peoples – not just for the Jewish people – raises the question of what – if anything – is specifically Jewish about them? At the time that they were formulated, they were unique, and expressed a different code of religious practice from that of all the other societies round about. Together, with the other rules of personal and ritual behaviour, the ethical teachings spelt out what distinguished the people Israel from other peoples.

But millennia have now passed. Most peoples and religions today express very similar ethical teachings. In the Gospels of Christianity, we find Jesus the rabbi, repeating the teaching we find at Leviticus 19, verse 18, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Similarly, the third of the five pillars of Islam concerns the practice of charity – and the Arabic word for it, Tzakat, is closely related to the Hebrew word, Tz’dakah, meaning ‘righteous’ or ‘just’ giving. What is more, like Jews, Muslims put a major emphasis on the practise of religious teachings, making the rules of Islam the basis of the conduct of everyday life. So, neither the ethical teachings we find in Leviticus 19, nor the emphasis on putting them into practice in our daily lives is a unique feature of Judaism.

I mentioned earlier that the section of teachings set down in Leviticus chapter 19 is known as the ‘Holiness Code’, and indeed, the portion takes its Hebrew name, from the first distinguishing word of the portion, K’doshim – the plural word for ‘holy’. The Holiness Code opens with these two verses:

The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: / ‘Speak to all the congregation of the Israelites, and say to them: "You shall be holy; for, I, the Eternal One, your God, am holy".’

So, if the ethical rules in Leviticus 19 are no longer unique today, and the emphasis on action, on the practical application of the rules, is not unique either, then the understanding of the Divine surely is? In one sense, of course; each religious system expresses its own unique theology – its own understanding of God. But, despite their different ways of speaking about the Divine, certainly all three Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – the three traditions, which trace their roots to Abraham, are essentially monotheistic, believing in One God.

And yet, perhaps, there is something distinctively Jewish in the statement we read at the beginning of Leviticus chapter 19. Verse 2 finishes with the words, ‘I am the Eternal One, your God, Ani Adonai Eloheychem. In the Torah, the theme of the relationship between God and the people Israel is reiterated again and again. That is chiefly because the relationship with God signifies the centrality of relationships between people. Significantly, the phrase, Ani Adonai Eloheychem, ‘I am the Eternal One, your God’ is repeated seven times in Leviticus 19 – at the beginning, towards the end, and five times in between. And so, these words not only provide the frame for the Holiness Code, but they also teach us that relationships lie at its heart. The Holiness Code is not directed to the leaders of the people, to those responsible for the political, legal and economic system of the society, although one rule clearly concerns the behaviour of judges (:15); it is primarily addressed to each and every individual, and the relationships between each and every person. And so kol-adat-b’ney Yisrael, ‘all the congregation of the Israelites’ are commanded to be ‘holy’ as God is ‘holy – and this involves each and every person caring for the most vulnerable in society, and dealing honestly with others.

Significantly, in outlining our ethical obligations, our responsibility towards the stranger is mentioned twice (:10; 34): As with the poor, we are exhorted to set aside food for the stranger (:10), but our obligation extends beyond economic considerations, for a very important reason. We read at verses 33-34:

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not oppress him; the stranger shall be like the home-born among you, and you shall love him like yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

And then, verse 36 ends with these words: ‘I am the Eternal One your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt’. Ani Adonai Eloheychem asher hotzeiti etchem mei’eretz mitzrayim. So, the last time the phrase, ‘I am the Eternal One your God’ is used, it is clear that our relationship with the Eternal One does not centre on God; rather it teaches us that the source of our relationship with God as the Jewish people lies in our experience of liberation from oppression: Just as God challenges oppressors and liberates the oppressed; so we must challenge oppression and liberate the oppressed. Ultimately, that’s what it means to be ‘holy’ as the Eternal One our God is ‘holy’; that’s what it means to be a member of the Jewish people. Just laws are not enough; our task, individually and collectively, is to practise justice and compassion, recognising that our relationship with God is expressed in our relationships with one another.

Sarah – you certainly chose a special portion – and I know you have a few things of your own to say about what you have learned from it before you read from the scroll. Right now, I want to say a few words about you. In a deep sense, you didn’t just choose K’doshim – Leviticus 19 – this central text chose you: It was meant for you. Like many young people you would like to help change the world – and the big items on your agenda are famine, poverty and war. But as you put it to me, you are also concerned with how people treat each other ‘closer to home’, including ‘the way young people treat each other’. In tune with the spirit of your portion, you feel that social problems are not just about the huge global issues, and are not just about the terrible deeds perpetrated by other people; they are also about how each one of us behaves in our daily lives.

Friendship is very, very important to you – and I only have to look around the congregation now, to see just how many friends you have – some of whom you’ve known since you were a toddler at nursery. You don’t just have lots of friends, you are a loyal friend; your friendships are deep and committed. You seem to have understood from a very early age that connecting with people matters. That’s what you like about being part of this community; the way in which people here support one another. For you, it’s not enough to love your family – and you do love your family – even your younger brother – deep down; you know how important it is to reach out to others. Maybe that’s why English and Drama are among your favourite school subjects, because you like interacting and communicating with others. What makes you happy – apart from sun, olives, and doing well at school – is making other people happy. And one of the great ways you make other people happy is with your sense of fun. I think one example says it all: Apparently, you were the only pupil in the history of your primary school ever to receive a head teacher’s merit award for ‘Shark Wrestling’! Well, not exactly, wrestling with an actual shark, but managing a particularly impressive mime of a shark wrestle in a drama class.

Sarah – when you were preparing for your Bat Mitzvah you decided you wanted to use the service, which focuses on ‘tradition’. You like the traditions of Judaism, and when we discussed wearing a tallit, the prayer shawl, which represents an individual’s commitment to Jewish life, you said you wanted a traditional one – and it is lovely to see you in the tallit which your maternal grandfather gave your uncle for his Bar Mitzvah. You also told me that you like – and I quote – ‘the sense that I’m part of something special.’ Sarah you are special, and today you are becoming part of something special – a chain of tradition going back over four thousand years; a chain of tradition, rooted in relationships, and in the conviction that religious commitment is about our commitment to our fellow human beings. And that’s why, although this is your day, you wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for the guidance of your teachers – in particular, Andy Cable – the love of your family, the support of your friends, the warmth and encouragement of your congregation, and all the generations of your people that have gone before you. May the Torah portion that you have made your own, and the experience of becoming Bat Mitzvah, be a source of inspiration to you always as you continue your Jewish journey.

And let us say: Amen.