In Jewish life, narratives are important. We understand the centrality of Telling our
Story. That’s why we gather every year
for Passover, to recount our deliverance from slavery to freedom. That’s why we read the Torah publicly, every
year, through the Shabbat morning readings.
By repeating the story again and again, we inscribe it indelibly in our
consciousness. We make it our own.
In his drash this week, Rabbi
Lord Jonathan Sacks points out that in American civic life, the story, the
words, is the key. He points out how, in
all the important monuments in Washington DC, the walls of the structures are
covered with the words of the person memorialised therein. He explains how this shows that, for his
American cousins who see themselves as a Covenant People, the Story is key. For each person remembered as great, their
words are presented as proof of that greatness.
Their words tell that person’s Story.
They offer an important glimpse into the person’s thinking that caused
them to rise to greatness. In
egalitarian America, these words are key.
Rabbi Sacks also points out that, in
his native Great Britain, the monuments do not display the subjects’
words. In all cases he cites, the only
words inscribed on the monuments, are the person’s name. In the case of Churchill, the inscription
does not even include his given name! His
surname is enough to identify him. Nelson
Mandela and David Lloyd George apparently needed their given names. Not mentioned by Rabbi Sacks, on one of
London’s monuments the words of the subject are inscribed – on Nelson’s Column
in Trafalgar Square. There, one finds: “England
expects every man will do his duty.” I’m
guessing Nelson said this to his crew as the battle of Trafalgar began. But Rabbi Sacks’ word are well-taken; in memorialising
her heroes, the British Empire has a different approach than the United States,
where Rabbi Sacks now lives. He asserts
that this difference is attributable to the British seeing their country as a
bastion of tradition and place. This is,
of course very different from the national self-image in America.
Earlier this week, the world witnessed
a particular American ritual where the national story – according to the
sitting president – is told. In the
annual State of the Union Address, the President tells the national story and
lays out his vision for the year to come.
It’s a very intricately choreographed ritual, with accepted tropes.
This weekend, we will celebrate
Australia Day. The celebration resembles
the American way of Telling the National Story, more than the British way which
assumes the Story is not the key thing. Over
the last few days, individuals being honoured with nominations for the Australian
of the Year Awards, have been showcased on the ABC. The use of these people’s stories to tell the
greater National Story hints to me, that Australia’s self-image more resembles
America’s than Great Britain’s. Australia’s
national conscious requires the use of individual narrative in a way similar to
the way that America’s leads her to preserve not only the deeds, but the words of
those seen as exemplars of the national spirit.
In Judaism, and in the national
civic life of the USA and of Australia, we understand the importance of
narrative. To the point that in all
three places, we preserve and repeat the words of those who have come before
us. The words are so powerful. They are themselves, witnesses to the
greatness of the nation.
How unfortunate that many
individuals waste words in the spreading of gossip. Gossip is almost always injurious to its
subject, whether intended that way or not.
I can tell you how gossip with me as its subject has affected me
recently. I mention this not to whinge
and say, Woe to Me. Rather, I
mention it to illustrate the danger of the practice of spreading rumour.
During our recent absence of three
weeks from the Gold Coast, I’m aware that there were rumours flying around that
I was looking for a job in the USA.
This, to ‘rescue’ us from Australia.
So let me lay the rumour to rest:
I did not go job hunting during my recent visit home. We went to visit our children, my mother, and
my siblings…period. If we leave
Australia in the near future, it will not be because I’ve lined up a job in the
USA, or anywhere else. It will be – iff
we should happen to leave Australia – because of visa issues. Period.
Associated with the above rumour,
was that I was expected to make a Big Announcement last Friday evening at this
service. Presumably, it would be the
announcement that Clara and I would be leaving Australia because I’d taken a
job elsewhere. So of course, last week
there was no such announcement forthcoming.
Perhaps whoever was propagating this rumour now feels silly for having
done so. And will use that silly feeling
as a motivator to avoid spreading rumours next time. And I use the term ‘silly’ because in this
case, the rumour was not ill-intentioned, and its negative effect would appear
to have been limited.
But many rumours are spread
maliciously, the information contained in them being not only false but adverse
and spread solely for the purpose of discrediting he subject person. Once again, I can give a personal example –
one of a rumour about me that is circulating right now. Apparently it is being said by someone in the
local community, that Rabbi Levy is un-kosher because he apparently cannot read
from the Torah. Now it may very well be,
that the person spreading this rumour is not aware that I’ve read Torah
publicly, countless times during my time on the Gold Coast. But the person, to whom the rumour was
repeated – and who reported its propagation to me – certainly is aware
and has witnessed my reading Torah any number of times. I don’t mention names and specifics because I
do not want to publicly shame anybody here, only to illustrate the dangers of
gossip. You can see the dangers inherent
when people gossip-monger. It is
therefore everybody’s responsibility to put a stop to the practice. First, to learn to hold one’s own
tongue. And second, when on the
receiving end, to rebuke the person spreading the rumour. Especially when the person on the
receiving end is actually in the position to dispute the rumour factually.
To illustrate how easy it is to fall
into the trap of spreading, and responding to gossip, I must relate a true story
that occurred yesterday and today, and which embarrasses me. Someone offered a piece of juicy gossip about
another person in the community. I didn’t
object or rebuke, because it was something I already knew – so no harm done. But this morning, the person phoned me and apologised
for saying it. They were entirely
sincere in repenting of what they’d said. But in truth, I was the culprit because
I hadn’t even gently rebuked them at the time.
Everybody has been asked, and
probably many times, What’s Your Story? There’s a loaded question! It might be asked to mediate a dispute between
two parties. Or by a magistrate trying
to arbit a lawsuit. Or simply by a
friend, trying to get to the bottom of a rumour. It can be asked ironically, the emphasis on Your
implying that the person’s version of the story is understood from the
get-go to be not true. It can be asked
in frustration, in trying to get to the bottom of some matter. It can be asked in amusement. It can be a clever pick-up line in a singles’
bar…not that I’ve used it in that way, at least not recently! Or, it can be asked with none of the above
baggage. It can imply that each one of
us, in recounting any particular events, has a unique view based on the facts as
we’ve observed them, as well as the particular ‘baggage’ that we bring to
our view of those facts.
Each one of us has his or her
individual Story. And our nations have
their collective Story. That includes
the Jewish Nation. We repeat Our Story
every year, lest we forget it. We repeat
Our Story each year, lest it cease to define us. We repeat Our Story every year, lest we lose
our sense of collective purpose.
Let’s dedicate ourselves anew to the
re-telling of Our Story whenever the opportunity presents itself. Perhaps if we do so, we will lack the time
and energy to spread, or give ear to, “stories.” Think about it. Shabbat shalom.
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