MISHPATIM MISHPATIM 5784 5784
Joy Not Oy Joy Not Oy
Rabbi Andrew Shaw Rabbi Andrew Shaw ChiefExecutive, MizrachiUK
Something different this week.
It links two very disparate events and of course Parshat Mishpatim!
So, what were the two events? They both took place in London.
The first was the Arsenal - Liverpool game last Sunday and the second was the JPR launch of their latest findings from the Jewish Identity Survey last night.
Let me explain.
Arsenal v Liverpool was a very important game, probably a season defining one for Arsenal if they lost. Liverpool, at the start of play, were five points clear at the top, if they were to beat Arsenal, they would go eight points ahead, which many believed would end Arsenal’s title challenge
It was a tense game, up until the 92nd minute when Arsenal scored to make it 3-1 and secure the points. At that point the stadium erupted in joy and the Arsenal manager went running down the line, jumping and high fiving members of the crowd When the final whistle blew, the joy was palpable from the players. The Arsenal club captain Martin Odegaard reversed roles with club photographer MacFarlane, grabbing his camera to snap a few pics in front of the adoring fans.
The decision drew immediate criticism from Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports with the ex-Liverpool defender moaning:
“Just get down the tunnel! You’ve won a big game, you’ve got the three points, you’re back in the title race, just get down the tunnel I’m being serious, honestly ”
Ian Wright, a former player, snapped back:
“It’s like we can’t have any joy Don’t let them spoil the joy Keep doing what you’re doing. Whatever’s going to be, will be. Do not kill the joy. Keep doing what you’re doing My manager, celebrate with passion like you do because that’s what it’s about.”
And Martin Odegaard added:
“If you’re not allowed to celebrate when you win a game, when are you allowed to
celebrate? We’re happy with the win and we’ll stay humble. I think everyone who loves football, who understands football, they know how much it means to win this game. We keep working hard and we prepare for the next one, but of course you have to be happy when you win ”
Regardless of the fact that I am an Arsenal fan, I absolutely sympathized with the view that encouraged joy and celebration.
It also made me reflect on the many conversations I have had over the years in regard to joy and Judaism I remember, back in my Stanmore days, many members (mostly of the older generation) would moan to me about Purim and Simchat Torah: "I know I have to be here, but I don’t have to enjoy it!"
Rabbi Sacks once said to me "We have to stress less of the och and the oi and more of the joy!"
He was always determined to show the simcha and delight in Jewish living. It is not difficult, so much of the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly cycle of Judaism is focused on simcha. Whether the Shabbat experience, Hallel every Rosh Chodesh, the myriad chagim and semachot.
We all know the oft quoted verse from Rav Nachman ‘ MitzvahGedolahlihyotb simchatamid– It is a great Mitzvah to be happy always’ and of course David Ha Melach exhorting us to ‘‘IvduetHashembSimcha’Serve Hashem with joy! (Tehillim Tehillim 100 100) )
Which brings me perfectly onto last night – the release of the key findings from the JPR National Jewish Identity survey.
https://www.jpr.org.uk/reports/jews-uk-today-key-findings-jpr-national-jewish-identityhttps://www.jpr.org.uk/reports/jews-uk-today-key-findings-jpr-national-jewish-identitysurvey survey
It is a fascinating read, and required reading for Jewish leaders to understand where our community is standing on many issues
There is so much to discuss in the 119-page report, but I want to focus on the one area that links to the above discussion and was actually a major part of the presentation last night.
One of the areas of the survey, was for the respondents to answer how important eighteen different aspects of Jewishness were to them. These were very broad, and you had to answer whether they were very important, fairly important, fairly unimportant or very unimportant to you
The question in my mind, as I participated in the survey, is which of these eighteen aspects are crucial to my Jewish identity.
Of the eighteen, five were religious – keeping shabbat in some way, belief in God, keeping kosher, prayer and Jewish learning of texts
The main group covered various cultural and social aspects such a supporting social justice causes, supporting Israel, Jewish culture, feeling part of the Jewish people and socialising predominately with Jews
The results were very interesting Two of the top three across the survey of very important to Jewishness were:
When this was announced , there was an audible sigh in the audience. That is the most important! That defines our Jewishness? And this survey was done before October 7th!
We mostly define the most important aspects of Judaism as negative ones.
However then came a slide that was fascinating.
They showed the answers across each denomination – and they were very, very different They ordered each denomination's answers of the eighteen from the highest to the lowest percentage of respondents who said ‘very important’ to the specific aspect
So, ‘Remembering the Holocaust Remembering the Holocaust’ which was number one overall, was not number one across all denominations. For most, but not all.
Non-Practising 1st
Progressive 1st
Traditional 1st
Orthodox 9th
Charedi 13th
It was similar for ‘Combating Anti Semitism Combating Anti Semitism’ which was 3rd overall.
Non-Practising 2nd
Progressive 4th
Traditional 4th
Orthodox 12th
Charedi 16th
Someone said to me, what she found amazing was that it was 16th out of 18 for the Charedi community, yet they are the community that suffers the most from Anti Semitism, how can that be? I smiled, and told her ‘That maybe true, but it doesn’t define their Judaism’.
So what does? For that we need to look at ‘ Observance of Shabbat and Kashrut of Shabbat and Kashrut’ and the level of importance across the denominations.
Non Practising 15th and 17th
Progressive 11th and 17th
Traditional 10th and 13th
Orthodox 2nd and 6th
Charedi 1st and 2nd
Do I think remembering the Holocaust and combating anti semitism are important –of course, they are crucial but they do not define me as a Jew
As we read this week:
‘AndhetooktheBookoftheCovenantandreaditwithinthehearingofthepeople, andtheysaid, "AllthattheLordspokewewilldoandwewillhear."’ (Shemot24:7 Shemot24:7)
It is indeed 24/7 – the observance of mitzvot, the understand that ‘ KiHemChayeinu vOrechYamenu- For they are our life and the length of our days, and we will
meditate on them day and night. That is what defines me as a Jew.
We have a holy challenge ahead of us. We must demonstrate to the Jewish world the joy and the fulfilment that living a life of Torah and observance brings us That Judaism is there to be lived and loved. Yes, life is not always easy and many people hate and revile us but that should not affect who we are and what we believe and practise.
So Arsenal:
Celebrate your win with joy and passion – show that it really means something.
And to our wonderful Jewish community:
Celebrate your Judaism, your Torah, your Creator with Joy and passion, show that it really means something
Today of all days we should recognise the joy of Torah and Hashem
As the Gemara famously says in Taanit:
MishenichasAdar, marbimbSimcha -As soon as Adar has entered, we increase in joy and happiness!
Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom
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