The Time of Stealing: Thoughts on Parashat Vayetzei - Rabbi Michael Marmur (Translated by Rabbi Ma'ayan Turner)

In Genesis Chapter 31, in a speech filled with pathos and anger, Laban the Aramean accuses his son-in-law Jacob of three forms of theft:

The first theft, the “theft of the heart,” refers to the pain caused by loss and estrangement within the family. Losing loved ones feels like having one’s heart stolen. Rashi interprets the second theft as a “theft of mind,” meaning deception and trickery. The third theft relates to the religious realm: Laban accuses Jacob of physically stealing his teraphim (household idols) and, metaphorically, of “stealing” his faith and way of life.

Laban the Aramean is not alone in suffering the pain of this threefold theft. Our contemporary era can also be described as a time of thefts — theft of the heart, theft of the mind, and theft of the divine. We live in the time of stealing.

Just a few days ago, our friend Jesse Burke lost his son, Staff Sergeant Zamir Burke, who fell in Gaza. Those whose own loved ones are captives of war or killed in the war, have had their heart stolen and shattered. In Israel, in Gaza, and in Lebanon, so many lives have been cut short, and so many hearts have been stolen. The lake of sorrow has overflowed its upper limits and it continues to rise.

Theft of mind is also rampant. Recently, we have witnessed attempts to undermine the media, disqualify political parties, and silence voices in the education system that express opinions deemed dangerous. In ordinary times, we should engage in a nuanced discussion about the limits of free speech, but in these days of crisis, one thing is clear: attempts are being made to steal our minds, and we must not accept this.

The third type of theft is also under way. There are efforts to hold the Holy One hostage, to hijack tradition and religion. There are those who assume that Judaism sanctions and even encourages a messianic-racist-militant approach. To my mind, such an assumption amounts to an act of theft. They are stealing our God.

How should we respond in this time of theft and pain? What remedy exists for the stolen heart, what ray of light for the stolen mind, what repair for the stolen divine? I wish I had the answers.

I do know, however, that in the coming days, many friends and supporters of Rabbis for Human Rights will respond to theft with an act of giving. Our annual crowdfunding campaign will not solve the regional or global crisis. It will not mend shattered hearts and confused minds. Yet participation in the campaign will help our organization raise and amplify its voice.

Rabbis for Human Rights continues to protest, to show up, to give aid, to teach, and to demonstrate that heart, and mind, and faith persist. Every person, as they are able, is invited to take part in the campaign in the coming days, if only to feel that against all theft and loss, there is still the possibility of giving and of hope.

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