Need I Explain? (Vayeitzei)

Something happened the other day that really upset me.

I was sharing a project I have in mind of creating a women’s alliance of rabbis and other Jewish professionals along these lines.

The person asked me, “Why all women?”

I don’t know if they were being ironic or not; maybe I misinterpreted; maybe they were just pushing me to put it into words, but I was taken aback: need I explain “why all women” in this day and age to someone I thought would get it immediately?

It was along the same lines as the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, a young white guy of only 17 last year, who came heavily armed to a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin and murdered two people. The protest was against the police shooting of William Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse was part of a group responding to a call from an armed right-wing group for “patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from evil thugs.”

Need I explain that Rittenhouse was coming to protest against the protesters of police brutality?

Like so many white murderers before him, he is defending himself as having been on the defensive when he shot and killed two people. And he shed tears to show how sincere he is. But I heard that when he got bail, he was celebrating in a bar surrounded by white supremacists like him, chanting obscene things that did not illustrate any regret.

What’s worse, the judge in his case is a Trump supporter, and all the jurors are white except one.

Asking “Why all women?” is like asking why it matters that all the jurors in a case of a racist attack against a Black man are all white.

We are still living in times where women do not have agency over their own bodies.

In this week’s Torah reading, the status of Rachel as Jacob’s wife is threatened, at least in her eyes, which means in society’s eyes, by the fact that she can not give him a child.

She, like Sarah before her, becomes desperate and pushes her maidservant on her husband to give him a child in her name (like surrogacy today).

Leah, Rachel’s sister and the other, unloved, wife of Jacob, keeps giving birth to baby boys, each time hoping she will finally be loved.

Both of these women’s self-esteem and societal standing depend on their ability to produce children, especially male children. As a result, as my friend’s brilliant daughter will point out at her bas mitzvah ceremony this Saturday, these women, including of course, their maids, have no agency over their own bodies.

Should it still be a question, why all women in a group of rabbis?

Is the woman’s “right to choose” being threatened in this country?

Should we wonder at an all-white jury in a trial about racism?

Are we still living in Jim Crow times?

Every time I listen to the reports on the Climate Summit in Glasgow, I hear how our leaders are not doing enough. And it’s true.

But I make sure to also look at the photos of all the people protesting in the streets to demand more of our leaders. They remind me of the agency we do have.

And I listen to those who say it’s not too late to save life on our planet. I am inspired by young people like my friend’s daughter.

There may be powerful people out there trying to limit our agency, but we can find the allies we need, those just as excited about the projects we are creating that can have great power to effect the change needed in the world.

And I remind myself that there are more of us than them!

Will you say Amen?