The Potential for Celebration & Korakh

As we enter the 4th of July, we are supposed to be celebrating.

I came to my friends at the beach for the week—and to see the fireworks.

It will be fun to see after so many years of not.

But I find it hard to celebrate our country’s history at this point in history.

Maybe I’ve always had a hard time celebrating our country’s founding.

I wasn’t brought up to revere our Founding Fathers.

Am I unpatriotic?

Absolutely not.

Just as I won’t let the far Religious Right co-opt the word “religious,” so I won’t allow anti-gun control, anti-abortion people co-opt the word “patriotic.”

I love my country, and I demand that it be better—that it do better.

It has to do better.

As much as I hope to enjoy watching fireworks on a beach, I also have a real problem with them.

They’re terrible for the environment.

They’re terrible for the air, terrifying to animals (birds might abandon their babies, dogs either hide and can potentially be killed running from them…)

They also have the potential to terrify humans.

Not to mention the increase in mass shootings on and around July 4th.

Many people—maybe all Americans at this point—have PTSD due to gun violence.

I know that whenever I hear fireworks in New York, I never quite know if it’s fireworks or a gun I’m hearing.

I’m sure my blood pressure rises.

Then there’s the Supreme Court ruling that gave Trump immunity for all past acts.

That bit of news doesn’t add much to the potential for celebration.

The potential for a future king in a country that is supposed to despise kings…well…

Interestingly, there’s something about power-grabbing in this week’s Torah portion.

It’s in the story of Korakh and the people who join him in rising up against Moses.

Do they deserve the harsh punishment they get, being swallowed up by the earth at God’s command?

On the other hand, do they deserve immunity for their actions?

Do they want shared power with Moses, or do they want total control?

That, we can never know.

But what we do know is that we would all like there to be potential for celebration.

To me, this is not one of those moments, but I want there to be.

May there be a reason to celebrate our country in the coming months.

And until then, I’m going to hang out with my friends, and be in community.

I hope you do, too, however you feel about what’s going on in our country.

And please say Amen.