Do Not Stand Idly By

        Our seventh graders are in the middle of a unit in Advisory called “Do Not Stand Idly By.”  In this unit, we target the importance of standing up to injustice whether in your own lives, among your peers/ school, or in the world at large and particularly as it affects the Jewish community.  The unit begins with an issue facing the Jewish community today and first educates and empowers our students to be upstanders and do something.  This year our students are becoming educated about the war in Gaza, and how to stand up for Israel when it comes to the accusations Israel is facing in the world. The students learn about political action and the power that even they as students have.  The second part of the unit will focus on being upstanders when it comes to situations like bullying and mistreatment of others, for example.

The students learn about the psychological phenomenon called the bystander effect.  Why is it that when people see injustice happening they often do nothing? Social psychologists point to two reasons.  1. Diffusion of responsibility- if there are others looking on as well, they will all assume that someone else will intervene and therefore they do not. 2. Social influence- people monitor the behavior of others during a situation to determine how to act. If no one else is doing anything, then they conclude that help is not needed. 

In this past week’s parasha we saw a prime example of an “upstander” that of Moshe Rabbeinu. Rabbi David Fohrman points out that after the Jewish people commit Cheit Haegel, Hashem addresses Moshe, 

 לֶךְ־רֵ֕ד כִּ֚י שִׁחֵ֣ת עַמְּךָ֔

Go down because your nation has corrupted themselves. 

The word שִׁחֵ֣ת is the same word that was found right before the flood at the time of Noach:

יבוַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹקים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כָּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ

12And God saw the earth, and behold it had become corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.

The last time the word was used (during the time of Noach) to describe a group of people they were destroyed. 

And, in fact that is what Hashem suggests to Moshe in 32:10, 

וְעַתָּה֙ הַנִּ֣יחָה לִּ֔י וְיִֽחַר־אַפִּ֥י בָהֶ֖ם וַֽאֲכַלֵּ֑ם וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה אֽוֹתְךָ֖ לְג֥וֹי גָּדֽוֹל

Now leave Me alone, and My anger will be kindled against them so that I will annihilate them, and I will make you into a great nation."

Hashem’s plan was similar to the time of Noach- just like Hashem destroyed the world and started afresh with Noach, Hashem had intended to do with Moshe. 

But, unlike Noach who went along with Hashem’s plan, Moshe began arguing with Hashem. 

וַיְחַ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י ה’ אֱלֹקיו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לָמָ֤ה ה֙’ יֶחֱרֶ֤ה אַפְּךָ֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹצֵ֙אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּכֹ֥חַ גָּד֖וֹל וּבְיָ֥ד חֲזָקָֽה׃

But Moshe implored his God saying, “Let not Your anger, God, blaze forth against Your people, whom You delivered from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand.

Rabbi Fohrman continues to compare the characters of Moshe and Noach in a number of ways. The word וַיְחַ֣ל is found twice in the story of Noach (Bereishit 8:10, 9:20, albeit with different meanings).  Both Moshe and Noach lived in a תיבה- Moshe in the ark that his mother put him in to save his life and Noach in the ark he built. Both men were isolated for 40 days and 40 nights - Moshe at Har Sinai and Noach in the ark. And, Rabbi Fohrman points out that when Hashem told Moshe to leave Him alone and not defend Bnai Yisrael he says: הניחה לי- which has the word נח “lurking right there, in the middle of the word…saying in effect “And, now Moses…הניחה לי-just be a Noach to me…Noach left me alone when I told him I’m going to destroy the world. Why don’t you leave Me alone too? “

However, Moshe doesn’t listen and he implores Hashem who finally says:

וַיִּנָּ֖חֶם ה' עַל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר לַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת לְעַמּֽוֹ

God then reconsidered the evil He had said He would do to His people.

In the whole five books of the Torah the word וינחם only appears in one other place…as Rabbi Fohrman would say “You guessed it…”  

וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם ה' כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ

And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart.

Both have the same words, but Moshe helps create a different ending in the story. 

And, this is consistent with what we know about Moshe from before- the one who gets up to kill the Egyptian beating a Jew- standing up for the victim.  Then, he sees two Jews fighting and he intercedes. And, later he stands up against a “gang of shepherds” who were harassing Yitro’s daughters at the well.  Moshe was an upstander  As Rabbi Fohrman notes, “He always intercedes to save those in peril, no matter how powerful the aggressor. He never remains a mere bystander.”  That was the quality Hashem was looking for in a leader for the Jewish people. 

But the underlying quality that Moshe had, we see in Shemot 2:11, right before he goes out to save the Jew being hit by the Egyptian. וירא בסבלותם- “He looked at their burdens” and Rashi adds:  נָתַן עֵינָיו וְלִבּוֹ לִהְיוֹת מֵצֵר עֲלֵיהֶם- He directed his eyes and his heart to be distressed over them. That is what empathy is- he felt their pain in his own heart. 

As we approach Purim I like to call that an “Esther moment.” (This term is based on a term that I read in Rabbi Dani Cohen’s book What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone? Creating a Life of Legacy which he calls an “Elijah moment.” Interestingly enough, there is a children’s book by the name “Your Esther Moment”- which I have not read).  Esther had become queen and Mordechai asked her to approach Achashverosh on behalf of her people. Esther responds to Mordechai that anyone who approaches the king without being called will be put to death. This is another reason why people do not stand up to injustice, that we discuss in Advisory. People are afraid of the negative consequences they might suffer if they stand up for what is right.  

Mordechai responds,  

כִּ֣י אִם־הַֽחֲרֵ֣שׁ תַּֽחֲרִ֘ישִׁי֘ בָּעֵ֣ת הַזֹּאת֒ רֶ֣וַח וְהַצָּלָ֞ה יַֽעֲמ֤וֹד לַיְּהוּדִים֙ מִמָּק֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וְאַ֥תְּ וּבֵֽית־אָבִ֖יךְ תֹּאבֵ֑דוּ וּמִ֣י יוֹדֵ֔עַ אִם־לְעֵ֣ת כָּזֹ֔את הִגַּ֖עַתְּ לַמַּלְכֽוּת:

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your father's household will perish; and who knows whether for a time like this you attained the kingdom?"

Mordechai challenges her to be an upstander, and not a bystander and stand up for her people. She could have easily lived in luxury the rest of her life despite what was happening to her people.  Moshe could have easily lived in Pharaoh’s palace for the rest of his life, ignoring the plight of the Jewish people or could have allowed Hashem to make him into the start of a new nation after Cheit HaEgel, ignoring the plight of his people.  But, they were upstanders and would not stand idly by. 

One other reason we discuss for why people often remain bystanders and not upstanders is because they are afraid they will be considered “snitches” or “tattlers.” We stress the importance of telling an adult when something “unjust” or “wrong” is going on, even when it involves one’s friend. There is a difference between tattling to get someone in trouble and telling to get someone help.  When a friend is headed for trouble, we as loyal friends must do something. And, part of making that move is understanding the consequences of remaining silent. Most importantly, we try to help our students see that there are adults in their lives who are trustworthy and will try not to reveal the source of their information, if possible. 

Both Moshe and Esther are role models as “upstanders” for our students and for all of us. 

Advisory Update:

Sixth Graders:  Students discussed what to do when they experience conflict with a friend.

Seventh Graders: Students discussed the topic of BDS when it comes to Israel.

Eighth Graders:  Began their unit on substance abuse and focused on the dangers of alcohol.