Parshat Naso: Numbers 4:24-7:89, Shavuot

I am sad. And I am disappointed. I am angry. Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision upholding Proposition 8 is a blow to freedom and justice everywhere and within our own community in particular. The one hand gives and the other hand takes away. The Supreme Court that just a year ago found in our Constitution the fundamental right to marry and wrote eloquently about the power and meaning of the word marriage-now says the word marriage doesn’t really matter and that gay and lesbian couples are still protected in an institution (Domestic Partnership) that is not equal. We learned so long ago that separate is never equal.

We live now in an apartheid state. Where some of us are married and others in the gay and lesbian community cannot be married. And this is sinful. We shouldn’t have to place the rights of any minority at the hands of voters. But this is what was done. And the Supreme Court except for Justice Moreno didn’t understand why they should invalidate Proposition 8 as something that should never have been allowed to come before the voters. Now everyone’s rights are at risk by the ballot box.

This week we celebrate Shavuot—the holy Festival to celebrate the revelation at Mt. Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments. But it was also a season to mark the early harvest and we brought the first fruits (the bikkurim) to the Temple to dedicate to God. This sacrifice of our hard earned harvest put into a context our daily work and in an agrarian society acknowledges that the harvest we reap is in part because of God’s blessing upon us.

So what can we harvest from our work and what is God’s blessing even in this season of hurt, disappointment and anger? What can we dedicate to God as we observe Shavuot? And what will be our bikkurim, our first fruits of the harvest that we bring?

In the coming days and months ahead we will be called upon to help turn our grief, our anger and our rage into productive opportunities. We can dedicate our time and efforts to turning around this great injustice foisted upon our state through a campaign of lies, distortions and rhetoric. And we must. For now our only remedy will be to go back to the ballot box.

But a political campaign will not work unless we commit to harvesting relationships and building dialogue with others. We must talk to everyone we know about how this hurts you, how this hurts your friends and the indignity of being a second class citizen. We must gay and straight together speak across party lines, across our neighborhoods and workplaces with those that differ from us—making our case not by yelling or screaming but calm and peaceful engagement. And this is hard to do.

We may not convert people to our vision of inclusion and equality in their churches or synagogues but we can make our case for the separation of religion and state. And this is what we shall try to do together. This can be our harvest and this can be our offering.
On the Shabbat following Shavuot, this coming Saturday we read from parshat Naso. It contains the priestly benediction—so ancient and still so meaningful today.

And we ask this blessing upon all who labor for justice and equality and all who will commit to working for the day when the blessing of civil marriage will once again be open to gay men and women.

May God Bless you and keep you.

May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May God’s face be turned toward you and bless you with Peace.

Posted by Eric at May 28, 2009 01:01 PM