HAFTARAH TEXT

People of Israel,
hear this word the Eternal has spoken about you,
about the whole crowd that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
You alone have I known of all the families of the earth--
therefore I will punish you for all you iniquities.
For the day of the Eternal draws near for all the nations:
As you have done, so shall it be done to you;
Your deeds shall come back to haunt you.
Amos 3:1,2

Amos is the first of the 'literary' prophets. He lived and prophesied around 784-748 B.C.E. during the reign of King Jeroboam. Like Moses, Amos was a 'reluctant' prophet. That is, he described himself as a sheep breeder and tended sycomore figs and was called by God to proclaim a message warning of Israel's destruction. He prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel against the immoral practices that he saw. His message was the classic prophetic message: that rituals and religious piety do not have God's approval when there is inequity between people and social injustice.

Judaism has never valued asceticism, and if one can afford good things, there is no sin in enjoying life. We don't have to suffer. At the same time, we must be careful that our enjoyment does not become the be-all and end-all. Those of us who are blessed with a high standard of living know that we should do more for those in the world without clean water, enough food or decent housing even though we don't always put that knowledge into practice.

Amos, a peasant coming from Judah, is similarly disturbed by the ill treatment of the poor. He is shocked by the lifestyle of the rich and famous in Israel's north country. His listeners were probably annoyed by his message, thinking, 'Hey, we're comfortable. Don't bother us.' But he wouldn't relent, and in passionate language, he castigates those hypocrites who exploit the poor. We think our situation is different; we don't enjoy our privileged life on the backs of the poor and the disadvantaged. Unless you've read 'No logo' by Naomi Klein and realize that the clothes we wear and the sneakers we buy are being produced by workers (often children) in Bangladesh under inhumane conditions and with no rights. I remember creative Youth group services with the climactic verse from Amos (regrettably not included in our Haftarah), "Let justice well up like water, righteousness like a raging stream" (Amos 6:24).

The job of Rabbis today, they say, is to 'comfort the afflicted' and 'afflict the comfortable.' And as we are in full swing of the season of consumer shopping, it is hard, but maybe more necessary than ever, to hear the message that the goal in life is not more 'stuff.' It is a challenge to teach children to understand the difference between: I need, and I want. (The sentence from your teenager: "I really need the new iPod nano" should be corrected: "I really want the new iPod.")

A few weeks ago (Parashat Lech Lecha) we talked about the possible meanings of 'being chosen.' The prophet Amos says something else: Being chosen means being accountable to a higher standard. As Peter Parker's Uncle Ben teaches him, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Amos might say, "With great affluence, comes great social responsibility." It's a message suitable for all of us, not just those with Spiderman's super powers.

I always feel like Scrooge at this time of year. Not that I mind the religious Christian celebration of Christmas; I realize that I live in a multicultural society. Rather it is the incessant marketing of mostly unnecessary products that irritates me. While we're celebrating the light of Chanukah and our freedom, one of our Chanukah gifts one night should be a donation to any number of charitable causes (Veahavta, Mazon) that increase social justice in the world. (Remember that donations made before Dec. 31 apply to this year's income tax deductions). See Rabbi Jeremy Schwart'z suggestions on our Chanukah pages for ways of making each night special without presents every night.

Especially looking back at the untold suffering caused this past year by the natural disasters that affected so many, helping to heal the world would make the candles glow just a bit brighter.