In the weeks leading up to the Jewish New Year, why are we interested in cultivating moral courage?
Do not stand by the blood of your fellow: I am Adonai.
"Wait...what? You meant me?"
i.e. The moment we realize the command to act is intended for us...and we're not sure we have the skill or will to respond.
(17) Now the LORD had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, (18) since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him? (19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is just and right, in order that the LORD may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.” (20) Then the LORD said, “The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave! (21) I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note.” (22) The men went on from there to Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. (23) Abraham came forward and said, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? (24) What if there should be fifty innocent within the city; will You then wipe out the place and not forgive it for the sake of the innocent fifty who are in it? (25) Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (26) And the LORD answered, “If I find within the city of Sodom fifty innocent ones, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” (27) Abraham spoke up, saying, “Here I venture to speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes: (28) What if the fifty innocent should lack five? Will You destroy the whole city for want of the five?” And He answered, “I will not destroy if I find forty-five there.” (29) But he spoke to Him again, and said, “What if forty should be found there?” And He answered, “I will not do it, for the sake of the forty.” (30) And he said, “Let not my Lord be angry if I go on: What if thirty should be found there?” And He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” (31) And he said, “I venture again to speak to my Lord: What if twenty should be found there?” And He answered, “I will not destroy, for the sake of the twenty.” (32) And he said, “Let not my Lord be angry if I speak but this last time: What if ten should be found there?” And He answered, “I will not destroy, for the sake of the ten.” (33) When the LORD had finished speaking to Abraham, He departed; and Abraham returned to his place.
How often is the desire for moral courage connected to overturning an established practice or system? Disrupting a relationship or family system? Challenging or possibly unseating a position of power?
(12) When Mordecai was told what Esther had said, (13) Mordecai had this message delivered to Esther: “Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. (14) On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.” (15) Then Esther sent back this answer to Mordecai: (16) “Go, assemble all the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law; and if I am to perish, I shall perish!” (17) So Mordecai went about [the city] and did just as Esther had commanded him.
Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods. The liturgical movement must become a revolutionary movement, seeking to overthrow the forces that continue to destroy the promise, the hope, the vision. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)
(9) “I charge you: Be strong and resolute; do not be terrified or dismayed, for Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”
How might God's constant presence connect to the cultivation of moral courage?
"Show and Tell"
Try to set an example for them and inspire them. Your actions will have a very big impact on your children. Whenever you are faced with a very difficult situation, show your children that you are willing to take an unpopular stand because it is the right one. When you do this you give your children something that they will remember and reflect on every time they face a similar situation.
If you have grandparents or relatives who have done heroic things, their story can be told. If they lived during a war, tell your children about how they survived and fought for their country and for peace. Learning about the courage of the people close to them will have a strong impact on them.
If you do not know anyone close to home who has done these things, then there are always the great personalities of world history who you can use as examples. People such as Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and others who have acted courageously despite their difficult situations can energize your children and strengthen their convictions.
(https://www.wahm.com/articles/raising-good-kids-the-value-of-courage.html)
"Show Yourself"
"Show up"
"Vulnerability, I think, you know, when I ask people what is vulnerability, the answers were things like sitting with my wife who has Stage III breast cancer and trying to make plans for our children, my first date after my divorce, saying I love you first, asking for a raise, sending my child to school being enthusiastic and supportive of him and knowing how excited he is about orchestra tryouts and how much he wants to make first chair and encouraging him and supporting him and knowing that’s not going to happen.
To me, vulnerability is courage. It’s about the willingness to show up and be seen in our lives. And in those moments when we show up, I think those are the most powerful, meaning-making moments of our lives even if they don’t go well. I think they define who we are."
(Brene Brown, Interview with Krista Tippett, https://onbeing.org/programs/brene-brown-the-courage-to-be-vulnerable-jan2015/)
Prayer is either exceedingly urgent, exceedingly relevant, or inane and useless. Our first task is to learn to comprehend why prayer is an ontological necessity. God is hiding, and man is defying. Every moment God is creating and self-concealing. Prayer is disclosing or at least preventing irreversible concealing. God is ensconced in mystery, hidden in the depths. Prayer is pleading with God to come out of the depths. “Out of the depths have I called Thee, O Lord” (Psalms 130:1). Abraham Joshua Heschel