Rabbi’s Update 3/21/2025

Dear Friends:

I have been calling my class in Pirkei Avot “Wisdom from our Sages” and last night we had an example of how a text which is almost 2000 years old can shed light on things which are happening today.

We began by looking at Chapter 2:10-11 of Pirkei Avot which contains sayings attributed to Rabbi Eliezer in Mishnah 10 and Rabbi Joshua in MIshnah 11.

You may have at some point heard about or studied the story of the “Oven of Akhnai” which appears in the Talmudic tractate Baba Metzi. The main protagonists, or more properly antagonists, in this story are Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua, so we looked at this story.

Briefly, Rabbi Eliezer finds his arguments in a certain case rejected by the rest of the rabbis so he resorts to a series of miracles to prove that he is correct, but his colleagues continue to reject his perspective. Finally in exasperation he calls on a heavenly voice to proclaim that he is right, whereupon Rabbi Joshua quotes the statement in Deuteronomy that the Torah is “not in heaven.” Shortly thereafter, Rabbi Eliezer is excommunicated by the rest of the rabbis.

Why is Rabbi Eliezer subjected to such a harsh punishment? Because the Jewish judicial system has an established procedure and by calling on all sorts of miracles and refusing to accept the majority opinion, Rabbi Eliezer was rejecting the legitimacy of the system and operating outside its norms. From someone who is sworn to uphold the law, this type of behavior is intolerable.

The parallel to current events is quite clear. The United States has a constitutional system wherein Congress makes the laws, the Executive executes them, and the Judiciary determines their meaning. When the executive branch disagrees with a judicial ruling, the established procedure is to appeal. It is not to call for the impeachment of judges who issue rulings the executive doesn’t like, and it is not for the executive to simply ignore rulings it doesn’t like. From someone who is sworn to uphold the Constitution, this type of behavior is intolerable. 

As Benjamin Franklin once said, we have “a republic, if you (meaning all of us as Americans) can keep it.” Our Sages have given us an example wherein those who are supposed to uphold the law but instead undermine it have forfeited their place in the system by their own actions.

As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.

As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by. 

Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Charles L. Arian