Sermon - February 20, 2009
What Noah teaches us about Madoff 2/20/09
Are you angry at disgraced financier Bernard Madoff? Well, there's a toy just for you! (
One of the vendors at this week's Toy Fair is offering the Smash-Me Bernie, a $99.95 Madoff look-alike doll that wears a devil-red suit and carries a pitchfork. It comes with its own hammer - so you can pulverize it.
Phoenix, Arizona-based ModelWorks is behind the caricature Mini-Me figures, which can be customized to look like celebrities or whomever a buyer chooses.
Unfortunately (my word) the toy fair is open only to the industry and runs through Wednesday.”
NPR last Saturday morning:
Scott Simon spoke about: The Peanut Corporation of
COMMENTATOR DANIEL SCHORR: I'll tell you, I constantly marvel what people will do for money, whether it be a Mr. Bernie Madoff or whether it be a peanut corporation. The idea that you would wittingly send out stuff for people to ingest which you know - because there'd been a test - contains contamination, it's almost mind-blowing to me.
SIMON: But these are only allegations until proved in court.
SCHORR: These are allegations, except there have been documents which I've heard quoted which indicate that that really did happen, you know. In
But this isn't
AND - A-ROD, Alex Rodriguez, batting hero of the NY Yankees admits to his use of illegal substances for 3 years, in the early part of this decade. He was injected his cousin.
US senator from Illinois Roland Burris, appointed to the senate to fill President Obama's seat admits that while he did not raise money for the former Illinois governor – is proven he lied because while he didn't raise money – but as proven, he certainly tried!
What’s going on in the world?! What kind of world do we live in?
Greed on Wallstreet. Greed on the baseball field. Greed on the political front. Where will it end? Or does it?
How do we act or compete or behave in light of these kinds of actions we witness almost every day? Does our own behavior change according to the situation we're in?
I debated about whether or not to speak about this tonight, bringing the news into this holy space on Shabbat. Sometimes, I hate to pick up a newspaper or turn on the news because I know it’s going to be bad news. It’s going to be something I don't want to hear. Something I’m embarrassed about. Something I’m disgusted about.
Some of you know that I'm studying Torah with our oldest son Josh every Sunday night. We're working our way through Genesis and a couple of weeks ago got to Noah and the story of the Flood. From what appears in Genesis, it seems that Noah may have confronted somewhat of the same situation. Not the stock market or politics or sports but massive unrestrained evil at all levels causing God to make the decision in His own disgust with the world He had created, to destroy all living things (except the fish and those on the ark).
But why did God save Noah? We don’t know much except that, as Genesis says, Noah was “Ish tamim b’dorotav.” "He was a pure, blameless, innocent person in his generation." Obviously he was a better representative of humanity than other contemporaries. Obviously HE was chosen to be the family from which all other humans would emanate. But what made him so special?
In their attempt to understand this extremely concise verse -3 words! – the rabbis ask: How good was Noah? On the one hand, was he good when compared to his generation (a totally evil, lawless generation)? OR would he have been as exemplary when compared to another, better generation? How good was he?
A key question. Today, cheating is so rampant that perhaps a little skimming, a little looseness with the books, a minor stealing that “won't hurt anybody” is OK. After all, we might think, compared to Madoff or the execs who ran their companies into the ground while enjoying very golden parachutes – what do our actions compare? We might think they hardly count.
Let’s vote: is it easier or more difficult to be good and act honestly today or back in the 40’s 50’s 60’s or 70’s? Does cheating mean something different today than it did some years ago? Is there an “absolute” meaning for cheating or does it change over time or from generation to generation? Is what is right always right? Or does it change based on the times?
Some rabbis take the view that Noah would not have been quite as blameless if he had lived at the time of Abraham. Noah was good – but as the Torah says – he was good ONLY in comparison to the generation in which he lived. Others say to be good in THAT generation, the generation that brought down the flood upon the earth – then he must have been REALLY good! After all what would it take to work on Wall Street today and NOT cheat, misrepresent, or steal? What is the standard of behavior we should aspire to? As "good" as the rest? Or simply "good" REGARDLESS of the behavior of the rest.
[READ] 9 "These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God."
These are the generations of Noah-Noah was a righteous man Since Scripture mentions him, it tells his praise, as it is said (Prov. 10:7): “The mention of a righteous man is for a blessing.” - [Pesikta Rabbathi 12]. Another explanation [for why the names of the children are not mentioned immediately following: “These are the generations of Noah”]: To teach you that the main generations [progeny] of the righteous are good deeds. — [Mid. Tan. Noah 2]
In his generations Some of our Sages interpret it [the word בְּדֹרֹתָיו] favorably: How much more so if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it derogatorily: In comparison with his generation he was righteous, but if he had been in Abraham’s generation, he would not have been considered of any importance. — [Sanh. 108a, Gen. Rabbah 30:9, Tan. Noach 5]
Noah walked with God But concerning Abraham, Scripture says (below 24:40): “[the Lord] before Whom I walked.” Noah required [God’s] support to uphold him [in righteousness], but Abraham strengthened himself and walked in his righteousness by himself. — [Tan. Noach 5]
Would Noah have even stood out if he lived at another time? Could you or I have withstood the pressure to cheat or steal or act dishonorably (or would we have even cared)? Can we now? Perhaps the Torah can teach us.
The whole field of Ethical relativism – the theory of whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced. The same action may be morally right in one society but be morally wrong in another. In other words, there are no universal moral standards -- standards that can be universally applied to all peoples at all times.
However, most ethicists (and probably most of us) reject the theory of ethical relativism. Some claim that while the moral practices of societies may differ, the fundamental moral principles underlying these practices do not. Perhaps the strongest argument against ethical relativism comes from those who assert that universal moral standards can exist even if some moral practices and beliefs vary among cultures. For example, we can acknowledge cultural differences in moral practices and beliefs and still hold that some of these practices and beliefs are morally wrong. The practice of slavery in pre-Civil war
Concl: "Two creatures of a most peculiar kind also found refuge in the ark. Among the beings that came to Noah there was Falsehood asking for shelter. He was denied admission, because he had no companion, and Noah was taking in animals only by pairs. So Falsehood went off to seek a partner, and he met Misfortune, whom he associated with himself on the condition that she might appropriate what Falsehood earned.
The pair were then accepted in the ark. After the Flood, when they left the ark, Falsehood noticed that whatever he gathered together disappeared at once, and he went to Misfortune, his companion, to seek an explanation. Misfortune said the following, 'Did we not agree to be accepted by Noah into the ark on the condition that I might take what you earn?' and Falsehood had to depart empty-handed."
Empty-handed Falsehood giving over what he gathered to Misfortune. The image is powerful – Falsehood has NOTHING. And it all falls and ALWAYS to misfortune.
How so very true – EVEN TODAY!