Unsavory History

Eliana Myers

My name is Eliana Myers and my d’var Torah discussion is taken from today’s Torah reading, which is Behar-Bechukotai. My Torah portion is in the book of Leviticus and my Haftorah is taken from the Book of Jeremiah.

That being said, although I will begin by summarizing both the Torah and Haftorah aspects of the service, my discussion will predominantly focus on the reading from the Torah.

My Torah portion deals with property rights in the land of Judea. Specifically, it discusses that the terms of property leasing are defined by the concept of the Jubilee year, which states that all property leases shall revert to the original owner every 50th year, which is called the Jubilee year.

The original owner, or perhaps a better term would be original custodian, is defined as the original Jewish house or family who was given the property when the Jews first occupied the land of Canaan. I say custodian because these “caretaker families” are acting on behalf of the true property owner, who is God. Therefore, the Jubilee year is the year that God reclaims proprietorship of property in Judea, and orders the economy of the Jews accordingly.

I specifically used the term “property” in this summary because the laws discussed feature both property as land and property as human beings. In particular, and with regard to human beings. The Jewish law states that no chattel slavery can exist between or amongst Jews. This is because on the Jubilee year, any Jew in bondage to another Jew is returned to the original owner, who is God.

Therefore, chattel slavery between Jews cannot exist. At most, a Jew who is serving a punishment for wrongdoing or owing debt is an indentured servant until the Jubilee year, at which point he or she regains their autonomy.

However, the same cannot be said for non-Jews held in bondage by Jews. In this case, non-Jews are most certainly permitted to be chattel slaves indefinitely and, furthermore, there are no minimum standards of care with regard to how Jews must treat these non-Jew chattel slaves.

My discussion will focus on the complicated legacy that this Torah portion leaves us as Jews.

When my process of writing this d’var Torah started, I met with the rabbi and I brought up the fact that I was surprised by what seems like an institutional acceptance of chattel slavery in Jewish law, and the fact that it seems difficult to make sense of this practice enacted by a people, the Jews, who have suffered so much at the hands of others.

Obviously, when I look in the mirror, I see the legacy of two different groups of people who have suffered much. It occurred to me to ask the rabbi whether or not Jews owned slaves in America before the Civil War.

I found out that one of the biggest slaveholding plantations in South Carolina was owned by the Jewish Mauritz family, and that the oldest continually operating synagogue Congregation Beth Elohim, in Charleston, South Carolina, was built by slaves belonging to a one David Lopez Jr., who had migrated from London as an originally Spanish/Portuguese Jew. I’m sure I do not need to remind the congregation about the Spanish Inquisition, though many of you today may be surprised to learn that Lopez cited this Torah portion in support of his slaveholding practices.

After this discussion with the rabbi, which left me dissatisfied, my family and I traveled led to Washington, D.C. to visit the Holocaust museum. This experience shook me to my core as a Jew. However, it was not lost on me that the Holocaust museum and the Museum of African American history are quite literally about 500 yards from one another on virtually the same block in our nation’s capital.

Unfortunately, I have no answers as to how Jews can reconcile these two diametrically opposed aspects of our legacy, both sides of which are encoded in our holiest text. And I am aware that I, in particular, am a part of both these sides in history.

That being said, I am grateful that Judaism promotes discussion and citizenship above all things. As I get older, I realize that perhaps this is an aspect of becoming an adult that must be confronted and handled with self-awareness. And as I grow, I believe this aspect of my Jewish identity is something I will carry forward, even as I try to reconcile the moral complexities I am beginning to realize exist within our tradition, and indeed, within our daily lives.

I supported the cooking of food at the synagogue to provide food for the homeless and the hungry. Cooking food to deliver to the homeless is a meaningful and important activity for me. It allows me to connect with my community, give back to those in need, and practice the principles of tzedakah and chesed.

I believe that it is important to take care of the less fortunate members of our community, and cooking food for the homeless is one way to do that. By coming together with friends and family to prepare meals, we are able to provide a warm and nourishing meal to those who may not have access to regular meals. It is a small gesture, but one that can make a big difference in someone’s life.

It is a reminder that we are all part of the same community, and that we all have a responsibility to help each other.

I would like to thank my mom and my step-dad AJ for supporting me in my bat mitzvah journey. I would also like to thank my brother Elijah for coming into my room and interrupting my lessons with Joanie. 🙂 I would also like to thank my teachers. And most importantly I would like to thank Mrs. Joanie for teaching me everything that I needed to know for this service. I would also like to say sorry to Mrs. Joanie for yawning whenever I was singing a prayer. And lastly, I would also like to thank Rabbi Jon who officiated my conversion when I was 7 and has been a kind helping hand ever since. Shabbat Shalom!

Eliana Myers of Chester Springs is a rising eighth-grade student at Lionville Middle School and a member of the Beth Israel Congregation of Chester County.