As many of you know, I spent last weekend at Chautauqua Institute co-leading services at the Hebrew Congregation of Chautauqua. Just a few hours before setting out, I received the horrifying news of the attack on author Salman Rushdie right before he was scheduled to speak in their amphitheater. For the small, gated city, known for its safety and serenity, this was an unprecedented and horrifying experience. As their President Michael Hill wrote in a statement afterward: “What we experienced is unlike anything in our 150-year-history.” Suddenly, my quiet weekend away, would be anything but.
The name of this week’s Torah portion is Eikev, a rare Hebrew word meaning “as a consequence of” or “because of.” Right at the start of the portion a conditional relationship with God is established, “if you follow God, then good things will happen.” While I do not believe in a God that punishes and rewards based on belief, I fully understand that nothing in life is guaranteed. The attack on Salman Rushdie was a good reminder that most things in life come with an asterisk.
In 1989, a fatwa was placed on his life by the religious head of Iran for a book he published a year earlier called The Satanic Verses. Far from a political work, the book was a magical journey into the life of Mohammed, a subject off limits to some Muslims. For more than three decades Rushdie has lived his life with an asterisk, unsure of when or if an attack would occur, or even if the threat was real. Last Friday, we learned how very real it was. How amazingly heroic he has been to continue to live his life to the fullest despite the threats against him! We, too, must be brave, knowing nothing is ever guaranteed, but still being committed to a life full of love and laughter.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex