Prayer from the National Summit on Torture, September 12, 2008
By Rabbi Charles Feinberg
"Abraham came near, saying, "will You destroy the righteous along with the evil? Perhaps there are 50 righteous in the city; will you destroy it and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in its midst? Far be it from you to do such a thing like this: to kill the righteous with the evil-the same fate for both the righteous and the evil! Far be it from you! Will the judge of the whole earth not do justice?" Genesis 18:23-25
Up until this point in the biblical story, Abraham was a meek and obedient servant of the Lord. Faithfully, he leaves from his homeland, from his father's house, to a land that God will lead him to. While his wife becomes increasingly frustrated and skeptical, Abraham waits patiently to become the father of a child. Unlike Sarah, he never questions God's intentions or His good will.
Suddenly, Abraham wakes up! Not only does he challenge the Holy One blessed be He, but He challenges Him on His own terms. "Will the author of justice act unjustly?" "Will the judge of the whole earth not do justice?"
Will we have the courage to follow Abraham's example? Will we be courageous to challenge other people of faith and our fellow Americans? Will we have the courage to challenge our elected leaders to be faithful to the founding principles of this great Republic? Was not this Republic founded on the proposition that all human beings possess certain inalienable rights? Was not this Republic founded on the rule of law which means that no evidence can be hidden from the accused and that the accused has the right to confront and question his accusers? Above all have we not prided ourselves on our abhorrence of committing acts of blatant cruelty and torture?
God, give us the power to speak and we will speak these truths. Give us the courage to confront those who wish to shut their ears and harden their hearts. Give us the wisdom to teach so that others will understand that every human being is created in the image of God.
My teacher of blessed memory, Abraham Joshua Heschel, taught that the Bible harshly condemns idolatry because we human beings are the true images of the divine. When we pledge allegiance to an idol or other image of the divine, we are denying the divinity and holiness of each and every human being. We have tortured and maimed in the name of the god of national security! We have sacrificed our humanity by torturing others on the altar of a pagan god.
God, give strength to our voice; give us the courage to sanctify your Holy Name. And let us say Amen.
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