According to wikipedia, "Solidarity is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration. It refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one. The term is generally employed in sociology and the other social sciences as well as in philosophy and bioethics. It is also a significant concept in Catholic social teaching; therefore it is a core concept in Christian democratic political ideology."
Unfortunately, this article (and several other articles I looked at in preparing for today) do not mention that the concept of solidarity has been a core part of the Jewish tradition, going back to at least the time that the Torah text came to be.
As Humanistic Jews, we do not believe that the Torah text ends the discussion, but we do value it as an expression of our tradition, and so I would like to spend a few moments looking at a few passages in Torah that show the importance of solidarity in Judaism.
Here are a few examples
(ט) וְגֵ֖ר לֹ֣א תִלְחָ֑ץ וְאַתֶּ֗ם יְדַעְתֶּם֙ אֶת־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַגֵּ֔ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(9) You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.
(טו) וְזָכַרְתָּ֗֞ כִּ֣י־עֶ֤֥בֶד הָיִ֣֙יתָ֙ ׀ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔֗יִם וַיֹּצִ֨אֲךָ֜֩ יְהֹוָ֤֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֤֙יךָ֙ מִשָּׁ֔ם֙ בְּיָ֥֤ד חֲזָקָ֖ה֙ וּבִזְרֹ֣עַ נְטוּיָ֑֔ה עַל־כֵּ֗ן צִוְּךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת׃ {ס}
(טו) וְזָכַרְתָּ֗ כִּ֣י עֶ֤בֶד הָיִ֙יתָ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם וַֽיִּפְדְּךָ֖ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּ֖ה הַיּֽוֹם׃
(15) Bear in mind that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and your God יהוה redeemed you; therefore I enjoin this commandment upon you today.
(This comes right after the teachings about the year of Jubilee)
(יב) וְזָ֣כַרְתָּ֔ כִּי־עֶ֥בֶד הָיִ֖יתָ בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֣ וְעָשִׂ֔יתָ אֶת־הַֽחֻקִּ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ {פ}
(12) Bear in mind that you were slaves in Egypt, and take care to obey these laws.
(This comes right after teachings about Pesach (Passover))
(ח) לֹֽא־תְתַעֵ֣ב אֲדֹמִ֔י כִּ֥י אָחִ֖יךָ ה֑וּא לֹא־תְתַעֵ֣ב מִצְרִ֔י כִּי־גֵ֖ר הָיִ֥יתָ בְאַרְצֽוֹ׃
(8) You shall not abhor an Edomite, for such is your kin. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in that land.
(יז) לֹ֣א תַטֶּ֔ה מִשְׁפַּ֖ט גֵּ֣ר יָת֑וֹם וְלֹ֣א תַחֲבֹ֔ל בֶּ֖גֶד אַלְמָנָֽה׃ (יח) וְזָכַרְתָּ֗ כִּ֣י עֶ֤בֶד הָיִ֙יתָ֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וַֽיִּפְדְּךָ֛ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מִשָּׁ֑ם עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה׃ {ס}
(17) You shall not subvert the rights of the stranger or the fatherless; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pawn. (18) Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that your God יהוה redeemed you from there; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment.
(כא) כִּ֤י תִבְצֹר֙ כַּרְמְךָ֔ לֹ֥א תְעוֹלֵ֖ל אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ לַגֵּ֛ר לַיָּת֥וֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָ֖ה יִהְיֶֽה׃ (כב) וְזָ֣כַרְתָּ֔ כִּי־עֶ֥בֶד הָיִ֖יתָ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה׃ {ס}
(21) When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not pick it over again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. (22) Always remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment.
In each of these texts, the reader is given an instruction to fulfill a teaching but then is taught the reason for the teaching - a reminder of the past experiences of the Hebrews of encountering oppression. In other words, the text is calling us to solidarity.
This solidarity primarily centers on specific ethical practices that are motivated by our past experiences of oppression:
* Not mistreating foreigners
* Practicing debt forgiveness
* Not mistreating vulnerable or marginalized people
* Ensuring there are enough resources to meet the needs of all
These practices are enjoined upon us because, as a people, we were once the foreigners, we were once the ones who had nothing, we were once the ones who depended on the kindness of others to survive.
But Torah goes further by tieing not only our ethics to solidarity but also our rituals, which is why the teachings on Shabbat and Pesach mentioned above connect solidarity with these rituals.
In other words, solidarity is at the core of the Jewish experience.
For this Shabbat on the occasion of MLK day, we are reminded yet again of our tradition's teachings about solidarity. We have much to be proud of, particularly when it comes to acts of solidarity with the African-American community at key points at time, but we also are very aware of our community's failings, the moments when we did not rise to the challenge. Many of us are painfully aware of the racism and prejudice that is present in the Jewish community, including the ways that Jews of Color are often targeted for mistreatment.
So this brings us to our discussion time, so here are the questions to get us started:
1. How does solidarity motivate you to do good in the world?
2. In what ways has solidarity informed and shaped Judaism?
3. In what ways has Judaism failed to practice solidarity?
