"Tzedek, Tzedek tirdoff"
The above in Hebrew says "Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof." Translated: "Justice, Justice shall you pursue."
There is perhaps no greater mitzvah (commandment) for a Jew to follow then this one. It is the one that demands the most out of a person, the most selflessness to achive. Because pursuing justice does not mean you always have justice. To truly pursue justice, one must step outside of their own identity, their own concerns and help those to whom we have no other connection then the most important and fundamental one - we are all human beings. And as human beings it is our job to defend eachother and to support one another even if occasionally that flies back in our collective faces. The other day, a good friend tells me that this other friend of his has had an incident that is described in the July 8th entry on his journal here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/peeinginthedark/
As a Jew, and as a queer person, I think we owe a debt of gratitude to those who fight the ignorance around them at the cost of their own safety. Those who pursue justice beyond themselves.
"May America remain loyal to the declaration of independance,
and apply them to ever-widening areas of life.
May our country be free from oppression, persecution, and unjust discrimination. May we overcome racial, religious, and class conflicts; and may we be restored as a haven of refuge for the victims of injustice and deprivation.
May we learn the art of living together, and come to understand how to appreciate the differences, to reconcile clashing interests, and to help one another achieve a harmonious and abundant life.
May we acquire the wisdom to choose honest and capable leaders who will govern us by democratic and ethical principles.
And may the enterprise of our American people be blessed that we may utilize the resources the good of this land for the good of all the world."
- 1945 Reconstructionist Jewish Sabbath Prayer Book.
"I will not..."
I will not choose silence,
Because silence kills.
I will not sit still,
Because idleness breeds ignorance.
I will not stop fighting,
simply because it causes a fuss.
I will not close my eyes,
Because too many are blind already.
Because we must heal where there is hurt,
Soothe where there is pain,
Give when others take,
And love
When
Others
Hate.
- Matt Richard, 2003.
That's all for now, folks. Shalom.