Op-Ed: What Obama Reminded Us
A Talmud story and President Obama’s inspiring talk to honor the victims and heroes of the Arizona shooting, reminds us all how to treat and respect children and adults.
First from the words of the President:
…We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us.
That’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model.
I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations…
The Talmudical Report on a Minted Coin Says it All
The Talmud relates a strange story:
ת“ר איזהו מטבע של ירושלים דוד ושלמה מצד אחד וירושלים עיר הקודש מצד אחר. ואיזהו
מטבע של אברהם אבינו זקן וזקינה מצדאחד ובחור ובתולה מצד אחר.
The Kings of Judea, residing in Jerusalem, minted their own coins. What was minted on the coin of Jerusalem? On one side, David and Solomon; on the other side—Jerusalem the holy city. Our Patriarch Avraham also minted a coin. What was on Abraham’s coin? On one side of the coin were an elderly man and woman. On the other side of the coin were a young boy and girl.
We understand why the Jerusalem coin had these images engraved on them. David and Solomon were the first permanent kings of Judea, the founders of the Davidic dynasty. David conquered Jerusalem, and made it the capital of the Jewish people. Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, turning the city into an international attraction, the spiritual center of the universe.
But why did Abraham choose these images—of an elderly man and woman, and a young boy and girl—to mint on his coin? Why did these images make their way into the coin of the first Jew?
The answer, of course, is that these images capture the essence of the Abrahamic legacy. Abraham was teaching us the how to “mint” the coin of a people for eternity.
The currency represents the wealth and power of a nation, of a country. We would expect Abraham’s currency to have on it a symbol of power and wealth. But Abraham taught us that his currency—his ultimate understanding of power—were the elderly and the youth.
In our culture and society we underestimate and confer little value on the elderly and on the youth. We value work, entrepreneurship, going to the office from 8 to 9, amassing wealth, success, business contacts. Children need baby sitters and Wii games to entertain them; the elderly too need to be entertained and engaged, but the stuff of life happens after adulthood before retirement.
[A Yiddish folk tale: An elderly widow and widower are living in Florida. They’d known each other for a number of years. At a dinner at their club, they were seated across from each other.
As the meal went on, the gentleman made a few admiring glances and finally gathered up his courage to ask, ”Will you marry me?“ After a few seconds of ”careful consideration,“ she replied, ”Yes! I will.“
The meal ended and they went their separate ways. Next morning, he was troubled. ”Did she say “Yes” or did she say “No?” He just couldn’t remember. Try as he could, he couldn’t recall and so with trepidation he called her.
First, he explained that he didn’t remember as well as he used to. Then he reviewed the lovely evening past. With a little more courage, he then blurted out, “When I asked you to marry me, what did you say?”
“Why,” I said, “Yes. Yes I will,” and I meant it with all my heart. And I’m so glad you called, because, truthfully, I couldn’t remember who had asked me!”]
But Abraham minted on his coin not the image of the king or queen of the time, nor the image of the cities he conquered or the real estate he possessed. On his coin he had an elderly man and woman, and a young boy and girl.
He understood that in order for there to be a nation there has to be an old man and old woman on one side—representing the generation that provides us with guidance, wisdom, life experience, and that transmits to us instructions of what we should and should not do.
The elderly in our tradition are not useless heaven forbid. They constitute our most valuable commodity: our link to our past. A nation without a vibrant link to its memory loses its compass and direction.
It is like a GPS without a satellite. In order to know where to go, you need to know your place in the “global positioning system.” Our elders place us “in context.” They tell us where we come from, and thus who we are today.
To ignore where we come from, and what they have been through, is to disregard who we are today. Our past generates our future.
Go O
nice to see the president doing the right thing here, all while palin sits in her rocking chair looking at russia counting her money and comparing herself as a victim of a modern day blood libel!!!! AS I
Milhouse
#1, you piece of dreck. Blood libel is EXACTLY the right term to describe what has been happening to Palin for the past few days. And you are part of it. Go to Hell.
Hate speech wasn-t the cause ...But
The President’s speech fits right into Crown Heights today.
Thank you Anschelle Perl for you deep insight.
It is customary (very active custom) for the one who speaks hate speech to admonish the others to stop speaking hate speech and promoting machloikess.
Yashekoach.
moishy
obama is a soineh yisroel and turned this horrible sad incident into a pep rally and gain politically from those killed. he hates this country and US
Yitz Trou
Perl’s wisdom are pearls of wisdom!
Keep it up.
Laughing out loud
Why were the back’s of all of the seats at this supposed memorial plastered with Obama signs like you do for a campaign rally and where were the representative clergy of any religion? What Obama reminds me is how ignorant and easily lead the Jewish Community is.
To #2
What are you so angry about? Why are you so protective and defensive of a goy?
Go O, ti # 2
thanx for proving my point!
What-s the point of this article?
Some people never learn.
to #4
please back up your claims. president Obama has done nothing to hurt israel
#4 to #10
first, you ignored what i said about him using this tragedy to his benefit and in hopes with politically raising his numbers. second, obama has no respect for israel. telling netenyahu not to build apartments and houses in OUR land? imagine someone telling the us, not to build anywhere on US soil because it might offend an arab. besides that, i said he is a soineh yisroel, he hates JEWS, he hates rich white people, he hates this country and like all liberals, they think they are better than everyone else and think they can save the world. if you are not a minority
(besides yidden) if you are not black, poor etc he hates you. if they could have it their way, we would all be equal = SOCIALISM. I cant blame you for being naive, a little less than half this country falls for his BS. he is THE WORST president this country has seen.
To #10
Maybe ignoring and disrespecting Bibi, in case you did not hear the new or read the story of Obama punishing him by making him sit waiting for him for over one hour while he had leisurely ate dinner during his appointed time to meet with BiBi the (the leader of Israel) The fact people like you do not see through Obama is alarming because it is not that hard.
to #11
You claim that Obama has no respect for Israel because he has told Netanyahu that continued building in the West Bank would not be helpful. And this is different from the Bush administrations position ho exactly?
http://www.foxnews.com/stor…
You claim that Obama hates Jews and rich people, but loves ALL liberal people. Um, I hate to break this to you, but Jews are probably the wealthiest white people in this country and they are overwhelmingly liberal.
You claim that liberal people think they are better than everyone else, and only like minorities, yet you manage through the magic of mental gymnastics to claim that they also want everyone to be equal.
Oh, by the way, it is the “conservative” Jews in Crown Heights, Boro Park, Williamsburg, Monsey, Lakewood, Kiryat Joel etc, who rely on “socialist” welfare programs such as food stamps, earned income credits, Medicaid, Head Start etc, far more so than their liberal counterparts in Long Island, Manhattan, and Westchester County.
Irrational hatred has consumed you.
to 13 from 11
He wants these “rich liberal jews” to pay higher taxes JUST BC they EARNED more money. these jews are liberal, you’re right, and would have no problem seeing a two state solution god forbid. The capitalist system isnt about “need” or “want” its about oppurtunity. just because i make 1,000,000 a year and you make 30,000, why should i pay more in taxees? me making a million didnt take away money from anyone else! the market simply produced it.
Libs think they are elite and want everyone UNDER them to be equal, absolutely.
Bush might not have been the best president, but he had a love for israel unlike obama who does not care what happens to jews and would love to see palistine yemach shemam be part of an israeli state.
welfare has been around long before obama came around, its promarily used by lazy african americans who dont want to get a job. other people in ch need it and others take advantage. and anyone whos o n welfare doesnt want it to stop so therefore the “rich need to pay more taxes” WHY on earth should i pay more taxes just because i earned my money and these people r too lazy to get a job? shame that some of our own have fallen for obamas bs. hes not fit to be president and as a jew, that alone, u should not be for his policies.