"To be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner.  I am not a teacher, only a fellow student."  (Soren Kierkegaard)

Darkness and Light
In a Jan. 13 column, Andrew Adler, editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times outlined what he said were three possible responses by Israel to Iran's acquiring a nuclear weapon: a pre-emptive strike against Hamas and Hezbollah, terrorist groups that he said would be emboldened by a nuclear Iran; a direct strike on Iran; and "three, give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies." He continued, "Yes, you read 'three' correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles?" This past Monday Adler announced that he is "relinquishing all day-to-day activities effective immediately." Adler, who also owns the Jewish Times, is now looking for a buyer. He apologized for his writing last week, after earlier telling Gawker that he had only written the article to "see what kind of reaction I was going to get from readers."

Shmirat HaLashon - Guarding the Tongue
For centuries our sages have been spilling oceans of ink in an attempt to impress upon us just how crucial it is for each of us to bring wisdom to our speech. They have expounded upon the dangers of gossip, slander, lying, and deceit. Adler went far beyond these categories into inciting his readers to violence. If you search a bit online you can locate the video of Adler's tearful, abject apology. So touching. No, I don't wish to rub salt into his self-inflicted wounds. But you can read a range of appalled and outraged Jewish voices from across the political spectrum here and in Israel: the damage has been done. Another thing: admit it or deny it, there are Jewish folks who read Adler's editorial and who quietly agree. 

None of these words, by the way, are about minimizing the real danger faced by Israel along with all of her neighbors, of Iran going nuclear. My words are about paying attention to what we say and the potential those words have. In a way this a story that is about both bad news and good news. The bad news: People - including those in positions of great responsibility - including Jews - sometimes say grievously damaging and awful things. The good news: Very often, those people are effectively called out for their misbehavior. Mr. Adler lost his job for his decision to "see how his readers would react." Given the content of his editorial, the Atlanta Jewish Times made the appropriate call.

What is at stake here? Israel's health as a pluralistic society, the sustainability of Israel as a home for many diverse cultures negotiating path which includes self-expression and respecting the rights and needs of others, Jews and Gentiles, Israelis and Arabs, Ethiopians, Americans, foreign workers - all the people who share that land. Nothing less.

So, back to the parasha once more: the ominous Egyptian plague of Darkness provides us with a rich range of meanings. There's the literal take: darkness is about the limitations imposed by the thick fog-like nights that preceded the awful final plague. Moving from the literal to the symbolic - equally dark sketches of Egypt - there's the moral blindness of Egypt as a cruel pit of suffering. As Jews living in this moment and in this place, we are also challenged to name our own blind spots because our continued denial stands squarely in the middle of our path toward freedom.