Sermons & Stories

To hear Rabbi Charlie deliver this sermon, click HERE

Shabbat Shalom!

This week is Shabbat Shira – the Shabbat of Song, named after the Song of the Sea in Exodus, chapter 15. After the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites sing a song of freedom – only to be followed by complaining due to a lack of faith. We know that they will eventually make it to the Promised land, but it will be a long and windy road. The fable I share tonight reflects the importance of trust and the understanding that not every promise leads to the Promised Land. It’s based on the work of 13^th Century Hebrew poet, Joseph ibn Zabara and retold by Jewish storyteller, Peninnah Schram (Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another, and summarized in The Jewish Story Finder by Sharon Barcan Elswit).

At one time, many wild animals lived together comfortably in a land of plenty. Times were good and even though they are friendly, the fox always worries that the leopard, his neighbor, will one day decide to eat him. He comes up with a plan to get the leopard and his family to move.

After greeting each other warmly, the fox describes a beautiful new place to live – it’s a paradise, a Promised Land. He tries to convince the leopard to move to this amazing area right away. The picture the fox paints is so compelling that the leopard seems open to the idea, but he wants to first consult with his wife.

It turns out that the leopard’s wife does not want to move and she’s very suspicious of the fox. To explain why she doesn’t trust the fox, she tells her husband a story about how the fox tricked his friend lion with a phony headache remedy that ended with the lion being tied up. She stresses that if the fox thinks the new area is such a paradise, then he should move his family.

The leopard knows his wife is very wise. But he’s uncertain and shares his doubts with the fox. The fox also knows how wise the leopardess is, so the fox quickly shares three more stories. One about a goldsmith who ends up with his hand cut off because he listened to his wife. The second is about how King Solomon tested a married couple's loyalty to each other, with the wife failing the test. And in the final story a woman quickly forgets her dead husband and even dishonors his body to take up with a new-found love.

Hearing these three tales of wifely betrayal, the leopard shuns his wife’s council and orders his wife to move with him to the new home. Successful in his manipulation, the fox takes over their old home. And when the paradise turns out to be an area that is prone to flooding, the leopard and his entire family greatly regret his decision.

This story has been told and retold for over 700 years and it pairs so well with our Torah reading. Together they reflect some of the mistrust that seems to pervade our society today. The Israelites in our parsha have seen so much difficulty that it’s hard to trust that things can be better. The fox turns out not to be trustworthy at all. He’s only looking out for himself. And instead of defending himself, he just verbally attacks someone else. And there’s the leopardess, who see through the manipulation, but also relies on verbal attacks.

The leopard is interesting. Many would condemn him as an idiot and say that he got what he deserved. I can understand and empathize with that point of view. In addition, I see the leopard as a tragic figure – relying on the advice of others, uncertain, and ultimately placing his trust in someone not looking out for his best interest.

I feel like this story is missing a character – someone who can ask the question to both the fox and the leopard… “Why move? What could be better? Aren’t we already living in a paradise where a leopard and a fox can live side by side? Can’t you recognize the good things you have? It may not be perfect, but maybe we could improve it together.”

It would be nice to have a character like that – both in our story and in life – to help us understand that it is possible to climb our way out of the cycle of mistrust by cutting to the heart of the issue and help us see things in a new light – a bridge builder who can help us cross the chasms that divide us. Maybe we could even be that character in our own story. Maybe…

Shabbat Shalom.