Does God Need a Press Secretary?

Parashat Emor, Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Rabbi Paul L. Saal, Congregation Shuvah Yisrael, West Hartford, CT

It seems to me that God could use a good press secretary. You know, like C.J. on the classic TV show West Wing. Though she is a semi-fictional creation of Hollywood, C.J. is the perfect prototype of the professional spin-doctors who protect and often augment the images of public figures. And C.J. is the queen, a virtual Wonder Woman. Her impressive resume includes being able to drink whiskey like a sailor, banter like a roast master, and respectfully issue moral correctives to her superiors. Most importantly, though, she can really work a pressroom, answering all the questions that she wishes and skillfully deflecting those that would cause embarrassment to her boss, President Jeb Bartlett. And by the end of a press conference, it only seems reasonable for us to forgive the Prez for lying to the American public about his bout with MS, and forget that a ship full of US citizens is being held hostage in neutral waters. No matter what has occurred, when C.J. is done, the President’s reputation is left intact. After all, that’s what a press secretary is supposed to do, and that is precisely why it seems to me that God might need one—since, in the absence of one, pale imitators have assumed the role.

Of course, in reality God is above reproach and doesn't need any spin doctor. He has nothing to hide or explain away. But God does have multitudes of would-be press secretaries, people who presume to represent him, and his reputation in the world today suffers accordingly.

It is no wonder that Americans grow ever more cynical regarding organized religion. I think few people were totally surprised by the sexual abuses exposed in recent years within Catholic parishes, since the rumors have flown around for decades. But I do believe most people are appalled by the level of cover-up that appears to have occurred among those in high authority in the church, since their authority comes ostensibly from God.

But despite the recent falling from grace by Catholic clergy, we cannot place the entire responsibility of soiling the name of the Creator upon their collective backs. What of the moral indiscretions by the leadership of Liberty University, or some of the largest Evangelical megachurches? Haven’t they been lecturing us for ages about the higher morality God expects of us?

And even our own Jewish religious leaders have not been immune from various moral miscues, and rumors of abuse and misogyny continue to leak out of haredi communities. But lest the cynics and the skeptics have their way, let’s remember that for every religious leader that has been found morally wanting, there are many more who humbly serve God to the best of their ability. And ironically, the accusation of hypocrisy often leveled against the religious would not be possible unless it were already presupposed that they establish and live by higher standards.

This is the core value of today’s Torah portion and is the reason why Leviticus 22:32 has been called “Israel’s Bible in little.” It contains both the solemn warning against Chillul HaShem, profaning the Divine Name, and the positive injunction of Kiddush HaShem, the sanctification of God’s Name by each Jew with his life and if necessary, with his death. “You are not to profane my holy name; on the contrary, I am to be regarded as holy among the people of Israel; I am Adonai, who makes you holy” (CJB).

Throughout the history of our people Jewish martyrs have practiced Kiddush HaShem. Myriads of Jews walked to the gas chambers during the Shoah reciting the Shema, reminiscent of Rabbi Akiva’s heroic defiance of the Romans, blessing the Holy Name as he was flailed alive. And no greater act of Kiddush HaShem was performed than by the crucified Messiah who cried out in his final agony and resolution, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

How sharp is the contrast between these selfless acts and the self-promoting claims of some religious hucksters who package God and sell his Holy Name like any other commodity. They call this marketing effort well-planned and efficient; I call it unethical and mercantile. But most of all I am appalled at the simplistic presentation of the divine mysteries, and the casual dismissal of the historic Jewish experience. A lifetime of experience reminds me that God’s highest values cannot be bartered through kitschy advertising slogans.

Irreconcilable is the distance between the greatest sacrificial act the world has ever known and the banality of some evangelistic programming. Lost in the world of religious ballyhoo are the words, “Be holy because I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2). These words, of course, appear in natural juxtaposition to the commandments that follow, therefore daring to suggest that more be expected from the fraternity of God than the mindless recitation of slogans and endless recruitment for the primary purpose of group affirmation and acceptance.

Would it then be advisable for the Messianic Jewish community to be silent, to withdraw into a collective shell of self-absorption? Some would argue that this is already happening, and, to a certain extent, I do not believe they are altogether incorrect. The question, though, is where we find the appropriate posture between timid introversion and adolescent vitriol. The answer, I would imagine, is not really one of posture but rather of attitude.

Do we imagine that we are somehow better than others with whom we share the local real estate? As we seek to understand our identities in Messiah, do we see ourselves gratefully disengaged from societal ills? Or are we willing to live in the creative tension as “new creations in Messiah,” and as human beings who share with all people a common experience in all of its joys, sorrows, pains, hopes, and delights? What particularly do we make of the Jewish people? If the Jewish people are truly our people and not merely an abstract theological construct, we should be able to affirm and appreciate the collective wisdom, worthy values, hopes, and aspirations of both the historical synagogue and the rest of the present-day Jewish community, despite our differences.

If we hold to the notion that God’s work of creation is magnificent, though tainted by the persistence of evil, life as we know it can still be deemed glorious. We should not sidestep our opportunity to bring hope into the world by demanding adherence to a few hackneyed presentations of doctrinal formulations. After all, Yeshua opposed every narrow-minded ideologue that placed their own particular understandings above the needs of those about them.

Since Yeshua commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is incumbent upon us to enter deeper relationships with others in our community, even if they are not in agreement with our particular doctrinal assertions. This is not to suggest that we in any way compromise our most highly valued principles, but rather that we practice these principles through normal engagement and consistent actions. By entering into a culture-engaging faith, we may affirm God’s creative power as expressed in such human endeavors as art, literature, drama, and music. We recognize intelligence as a God-given agency for the discernment and discovery of truth. If we are going to make a qualitative difference in the world about us, redemptive activity in the broader community is essential. Involvement in the spheres of medicine, the arts, politics, humanitarian endeavors, and all such society building efforts by extension would appear to be a divine mandate. Feeding the poor, reaching out to the helpless, the homeless, the emotionally needy and weary, stand tall amongst the prophetic pronouncements of the Scriptures.

Life everlasting rings hollow if it is merely an ephemeral concept divorced from life as we know it. But if Olam Haba (the Age to Come) informs Olam Hazeh (the Present Age), eternal life truly begins anew each day – and we become agents of God’s redemptive work, putting a heavenly spin on what might be construed as otherwise unpromising news from a world often mired in hopelessness.

Abraham Joshua Heschel would have made in my mind the most wonderful of Press Secretaries for the Holy One. His words, though right-sized and humble, should be an encouragement to us. “Great is the challenge that we face every moment, sublime the occasion, every occasion. Here we are contemporaries of God, some of His power at our disposal.”