In Tribute to My Senator

Growing up in Connecticut in the 1980’s I remember the buzz surrounding our State’s Attorney general, Joe Lieberman. Joe was born and raised in Stamford, CT and attended Yale University (in my hometown of New Haven). Although he lived in Stamford, Joe had family in New Haven that attended the same shul as we did. My friend’s parents set Joe up with his wife Hadassah. Joe would occasionally visit his family in New Haven, and he was the talk of the town when he attended the Young Israel of New Haven. Our pride in Joe became even greater when in 1989 he defeated incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker to become our US Senator.  An interesting fact about that first Senate victory (the biggest upset of that election cycle) is that Joe won with the support of conservative Republicans, including National Review publisher William F. Buckley.  Senator Lieberman became known as a pragmatist, willing to work with politicians from either party in order to further his goals and his agenda. He was also a centrist, unwilling to “sell his soul” to any ideology or party. He supported issues and causes that he was passionate about, regardless of which party sponsored them. A good example of this is that Senator Lieberman supported President George Bush and his launching of the Iraq War, even though it was unpopular among Democrats. This decision led to Joe losing the Democratic primary for Senator to a candidate who was purely aligned with the policies of the Democratic Party. Lucky for Joe, the winner of the primary still needs to win the general election. In 2006 Joe ran as an independent after losing the primary, and won the general election to retain his Senate seat.

Joe Lieberman will go down in history as the first Jewish person to run for Vice President. In 2000, Joe ran on the Democratic Presidential ticket as Al Gore’s Vice President, and he came with 537 votes of winning. (I understand that those who were living in Florida during the 2000 election recount still have anxiety whenever they hear the word “chad”.)

Not only was Joe Lieberman a Jew and a proud Jew; he was also an observant Jew. The headline on the newsite Yeshiva World News first referred to Joe as a Shomer Shabbos before mentioning that he was a US Senator. Being a Shomer Shabbos is a moniker that is within all of our abilities to attain and to celebrate. As my colleague and Joe’s Rabbi Daniel Cohen put it in an interview Wednesday, that at the synagogue, the late senator would be remembered as a “mensch par excellence” who — in spite of his lofty position — hung around to schmooze after services. “He was a senator, but at the same time, he sat in seats like everybody else, he enjoyed the kiddush like everybody else,” Cohen recalled, noting Lieberman’s fondness of cholent and whiskey. “When he walked home from shul, he got soaked on rainy days. He was one of us.”

“People always wanted to get his ear — like, how often do you have a senator who’s like, hanging out eating cholent with you? People visiting Stamford would be like, ‘He’s davening mincha like me?’” Cohen recalled, referring to the afternoon service. “But he gave everyone the time of day. He listened well.”

Joseph I Lieberman embodied the spirit of the Biblical Joseph: comfortable in the highest echelons of power while remaining true and proud of his Jewish identity. Our world today can use certainly use a voice and a perspective like Joe’s. With his passing, we all must do what we can to follow in his footsteps

The Korban Oleh V’Yored in Our Lives

One of the first terms that I learned when I was working at a Jewish Family Service in NJ was sliding scale fee. As a not-for—profit mental health facility, Jewish Family Services is committed to helping those in need, irrespective of a client’s ability to pay; so most agencies have a sliding scale fee arrangement. A person pays what s/he is able to afford, based on their income and financial situation.

One could say that the idea of a sliding scale fee structure is found in this week’s Parsha. Sefer Vayikra begins with an overview of the various types of sacrifices, and the circumstances surrounding the offering of each. Chapter Five teaches that there are some violations for which a Korban Oleh V’Yored is brought. A Korban Oleh V’Yored is a sliding scale sacrifice (Oleh V’Yored means “up and down”). One who is of means will bring a female sheep or goat as a Korban Chatat. If one cannot afford an animal then they bring two doves instead. Those who cannot even afford two birds are instructed to bring an offering of flour as a Korban. Korban Oleh V’Yored reminds us that our ability to have a relationship with G-d and to be a valued member of Jewish society is not dependent on one’s economic status. As long as one commits to the cause and they reach deep to do and to give as much as they can- then we appreciate their efforts and they are considered members in good standing within the community.

In explaining the “sliding scale Korban” the Sefer Hachinuch makes two points. First, quoting the Talmud, the Chinuch writes that if one has the means to afford a goat or sheep as their Korban but instead brings a less expensive sacrifice, that person has not fulfilled his or her requirement and must bring another sacrifice that is on par with their economic status. The message here is clear. People must be willing to honestly prioritize their financial resources and determine what it is they are able to give. The Torah warns us not to undervalue nor undercut our religious and communal obligations.

The second point that the Chinuch makes is that if a person of modest means overextends him or herself in order to bring a sacrifice that is out of their budget, that person has also NOT fulfilled their obligation of bringing a Korban Oleh V’Yored. It seems odd: after all, there is a rich tradition within the Halacha of Hidur Mitzvah, of spending more than the minimum in order to perform a mitzvah in a beautiful way. Why is it that a person of modest means who stretches to bring a more expensive Korban should be denied the opportunity?

The Sefer Hachinuch is teaching us the importance of living within our means. If a person cannot afford it, then s/he should not be buying it, even for the sake of a mitzvah. It’s a difficult lesson to take seriously in this country. After all, our government is 34 Trillion dollars (that’s twelve zeros) in debt. That works out to over $101,000 of debt for each person living in this country. Is it any wonder that personal debt has reached epidemic proportions?  The average household is burdened with 12,000 dollars of credit card debt. It has come to the point in this country that debt is good for your credit rating. A person with debt in most circumstances will be considered a better candidate for a loan than someone without debt.  Korban Oleh V’Yored teaches us the value of living within our means and of financial independence. The Torah is satisfied with different sacrifices from different people, so long as everyone prioritizes the cause and gives it their best effort.