Editor’s Note: In the spirit of reconciliation and in the willingness for Rabbi Parnes to meet with us and hear my/our heart in this matter was an opportunity for an apology at the offence that I may have caused by my poor analogy in the editorial of March 21, 2021. It was not my heart's intent to cause heartache and was received as such by Rabbi Parnes. He also shared his message to his congregation that he gave on the Saturday prior [April 4, 2021].
In his parting comments attached in an email that enclosed his congregational sermon/address with permission to publish, he said,
“Today marks Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day [April 7/8, 2021].
It is somehow poignant that we move forward from this sad and powerful moment in the spirit of Tikun/Repair. May our world also move decisively forward both in body and spirit."
Blessings,
Rabbi Parnes
We choose to do the same and are thankful for the friendship that has been established in the spirit of reconciliation.
Rabbi Parnes' Sermon
We are coming to the end of the celebration of the freedom festival of Pesach [Passover Celebration].
What a remarkable concept for a festival. For eight days we forsake bread and eat matzah. All jokes and disparaging comments aside with regard to the nutritional value of matzah being in the box that it comes in or the effect it has on our digestive system, or observing that the person who takes pleasure in eating the bread of affliction is a Matzochist. At no point was I tempted to eat bread.
I both enjoyed eating the matzah and relished the moment when I would eat bread again. I realized that as a result, the act of observing Pesach achieved its goal of providing an appreciation once again of what freedom means and how important it is.
This week I received a call about an article that was written in a local Moose Jaw paper. The senior editor frustrated with lock down and the governmental restrictions upon our rights and freedoms had decided to express her concerns.
At one point in the article she alluded to these restrictions being like the holocaust. Needless to say it was inappropriate and caused hurt and elicited a number of strong objections. I was contacted by media and asked to respond. The paper had withdrawn the article and expressed regret but had not actually apologized and there was still the matter of it having been posted on social media.
When I was interviewed I was told that some had called for the resignation of the writer and was asked how I felt about that. As much as I was concerned that what the writer had done was wrong, I did not know this person or where they were coming from any more than those who were calling for such judgements. Without more information about this person should one go straight from critical to judgement?
It occurred to me that people often rush to judgement and in this age of the internet and social media it has become even more so.
Perhaps the time has come to step out against the rush to judgement and take a more reasoned approach in these matters. Rather than react perhaps we can remember that none of us are perfect. We make missteps, we are all flawed souls in need of repair not condemnation.
The story goes that when Moses stretched his arm out over the Reed Sea to part the waters nothing actually happened. And then Nachshon ben Aminadav courageously stepped forward and took the first steps into the water. Still nothing happened but he kept on going with the water rising first to his hips and then his waist and up to his chest and still the water swirled but did not part. It was not until the water had passed his nose that the miracle occurred and the waters parted.
The popular response to these things seems to be to condemn in the strongest possible terms. We need to take a different path and change the contentious waters in which we find ourselves. We need to go against the current trend and we need to persist in this.
A couple of days after my interview I received a call from the Moose Jaw Papers’ editors. They were truly upset and apologetic over what had transpired and have asked to meet to discuss how they can hope to make a Tikun, a repair. We are meeting next week [Wednesday, April 7, 2021].
Chag Sameach/May your festival be filled with joy
Rabbi Jeremy Parnes
