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Change We Can Believe In

The following was written by Mendy Kaminker, editor of Chabad.org's Hebrew site.

So who will be the Democratic nominee? While that's still unclear, what is clear is that Barak Obama is emerging as the surprise of this election. If he wins the nomination, he should first thank his campaign manager for the brilliant slogan: "Change we can believe in!"

The slogan is right on target. Change. What a beautiful word! Who doesn't want change? The employer wants a change that will give him a revenue boost, while the employee wants change in order to get a raise. The father wants change in his relationship with his son, while the mother wants change in the way her mother-in-law treats her.

But yesterday I was listening to the radio, and a rabbi was asked to comment on this topic. "A lot of people talk about change," he said. "But when my grandmother used to light Shabbat candles, she would pray, 'G‑d, please make sure that everything stays the same...'"

It's easy to understand the grandmother's sentiments. Back in her times, no news really was great news. If no new pogrom was on the horizon, that itself was a reason to celebrate.

So I was left confused. Is change good or bad? What does Judaism have to say about it?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe and the Chabad movement are great examples to study. Long before anyone thought of the concept, the Rebbe encouraged us to use all the high-tech tools to facilitate the spread of Judaism and Torah. When others viewed the radio as a negative force, the Rebbe called upon his chassidim to use this new tool to broadcast goodness and Torah. Before most even knew of such a thing called "internet," there was a Chabad chassid, Rabbi Y.Y. Kazen OBM, who was the "Chabad Representative to Cyberspace." The Rebbe demanded that Judaism adapt—discard shtetl mentality and enter the Information Age.

But when it came to Jewish law and principles, the Rebbe never compromised. He insisted that the Torah is everlasting, and we can never change it even one iota.

Is that a paradox?

Well, maybe we have here the answer to our question. Change is good, but as long as you are not running away from the basics. When making a change, we need to be sure that it's based on the solid grounds of the 3000 years-old Torah. Then, our change will be real, lasting—and productive.

So you want a raise? Great. But make sure that the steps you take are based on age-old standards of decency. Don't step on your coworkers or insult your colleagues.

Who will win this election? I can't predict. One thing I'm sure, though: change is possible. You can believe in it. You can do it.


Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Feb 15, 2008
Dear T. Karp
1. The rich get government subsidies? Are you joking? Who gets free healthcare? Who gets welfare? Who gets food stamps? Who gets subsidized housing? Who gets PELL grants?

2. American Jews may not have wanted big brother government when they aligned themselves with the dems, but thats what they got, and that's what they'll get if Clinton or Obama win in November.
Posted By Y. Rubinoff

Posted: Feb 15, 2008
To Mr. Rubinoff
The Torah supports neither 'conservatism' or 'liberalism' exclusively. It is above and beyond both of these, and other mundane labels. It could be construed though that Torah mandates a 'conservative' personal life, 'balanced' with a 'liberal' social conscience. The Torah teaches 'not to turn to the right or the left', nor to favor the rich or the poor in judicial matters. Presently, the rich receive the bulk of government subsidies, and have a way unfair advantage in judicial matters; and in large part due to that, some of our conservative leaders also don't take responsibility for their actions. Jewish Americans originally aligned with the Democrats not because they wanted 'big brother government', but because they recognized that government must work for everyone, and not just for those who are presently playing the incarnation of Pharaoh. We remembered what we went through when we were at Goshen. From there we have effected change ever since. Yasher koach!
Posted By Thomas Karp, New Haven, Ct.

Posted: Feb 15, 2008
Hey Thomas,
I think the Torah supports conservatism. The Torah teaches that one must take responsibility for his actions, not rely on big brother government.
Posted By Y. Rubinoff, Kharkov, UKRAINE

Posted: Feb 15, 2008
effecting change
This leaves the question for you as to how to effect change though non-Jewish sources:

All of the Presidential candidates this year are non-Jewish. How then do you as Torah Jews vote for one of them?

All of them, Democrat or Republican, are going to espouse values that are not 'kosher' to one extent or another.

I would like to respectfully suggest that you might focus on the issue of labor: Most American Jews originally aligned with the Democrats on this issue, and based on a Torah 'perek'; that you all (including my ancestors) were oppressed labor under Pharaoh; not on social issues against halacha, like abortion-on-demand and appeasing the likes of Saddam Hussein. You might 'reconnect' with Jewish Democrats on this one issue, and then encourage them to make teshuva from there in other areas of their lives. That would also effect profound change in non-Jewish American political life: Return Jews to their roots; return Democrats to their 'root' issue.
Posted By Thomas Karp, New Haven, Ct.

Posted: Feb 14, 2008
dear mendy
mendy! very nice, keep it up!
Posted By bentzy rostov

Posted: Feb 14, 2008
Grandmother who prayed for things to stay the same
I'd like to interview that rabbi's grandmother. She probably was born in Europe and never properly acclimated to life in the Unites Sates. I bet she'd freak out from the Internet. She'd prob. be one of those people who kept their money under the mattress wouldn't buy things online, even if she had a credit card.
Posted By J. Papara

Posted: Feb 14, 2008
Can we have more?
Hey, this guy is right on target. Change is great, but not when it means dumping all we've accomplished in the past in the waste bin!

Can Rabbi Kaminker write some more?
Posted By Mandy, El Paso, TX


 



By Mendy Kaminker   More by this authors...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Rabbi Mendy Kaminker is the editor of Beit Chabad, the Hebrew edition of Chabad.org.

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