No-no's for nice Jewish boys

There are several things not suitable for nice Jewish boys. Somewhere on that list will be found becoming a tyrant, but even higher up is believing that the earth is the center of the universe because for thousands of years that’s what people knew to be true.

Take the first no-no. Americans (I use my students as exemplars) often conflate the words “tyrant” and “dictator,” an easy mistake as both are loathsome. But like so many things the terms (which go back to the ancient world) mean two very different things. Tyrant is the older term. In Ancient Athens, for example, democracy led to chaos. Parties could not agree, law and order broke down, the economy was in a state of collapse. Into this chaos emerged a man with the unfortunate name of Pisistratus (you can only begin to imagine how my students have mangled that moniker on their essay exams). He said, in effect, give me all power and I will resolve the crisis. No more duly elected officials. I will hold power indefinitely and promise that in return for you liberties I will restore law and order and improve the economy. And he came through. After seizing the reins of government he ordered building on a massive scale which beautified the city and employed the workers. His police enforced the law. Everybody was happy. Until they weren’t, and he was overthrown. But then, not content to retire to his estates, he hired a beautiful statuesque woman who rode into town on a magnificent chariot declaring herself to be the goddess Athena and demanded that Pisistratus be restored to power. Sigh; he was; the gullible were overawed, as often is the case.

A dictator does not seize power unlawfully, not in ancient Rome, anyway. There, when things were darkest, when the enemy was at the gates or the people were riotous, the Senate could appoint one person, called a dictator, to have all power for six months to resolve the crisis, at the end of which he would surrender his extraordinary power, be tried and either rewarded or punished. (In answer to your unstated question, yes, towards the end, dictators didn’t surrender their power and the Republic collapsed.)

In New York City, of which your faithful correspondent is a native son, the people voted for term limits a few years ago. Mayors could be elected twice, then no more. Now Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that he will propose that the law be amended to allow current incumbents (not future ones) to seek a third term. After all, the City and the nation are in economic crises. Who better than he, financial genius that he undoubtedly is, to resolve matters? But there’s that pesky term limits law. So… Change the rules! In this way tyrants are born. Not Bloomberg, but those who follow his example. Amazingly (to me) the liberal leaning Times, the conservative Daily News and the reactionary Post support the power grab. It’s as though the goddess Athena had descended on their board rooms and told them what to write.

As to the Jew who declares that the earth is the center of the universe and defends this by pointing to all the scientific texts and philosophers who ever since Aristotle have maintained the obvious truth of this, I must confess, I made him up. I do have a colleague, however, who has made the same sort of assertion about prayer. Those who know me know that I don’t pray, exactly; I go to schul and sometimes sing, and I begin Friday nights by saying Kiddush after my wife has lit candles, but prayer? No. I figure HaShem isn’t into hypocrisy and so those who don’t believe in the efficacy of prayer shouldn’t actually pray. But my colleague insists that in the High Holy Days season is a moment for prayer (OK, no problem there) but then he continues that we can be sure of this “because our forebears told us so.” Whoa! This is proof? He also contends that prayer matters. “How can we be sure…? Again, there is a simple answer: The Torah tell us so. God… taught us how to pray for repentance and forgiveness.” Very interesting. Athena taught the Athenians how to govern themselves. Do we believe that? Aristotle and all the wise men taught us that the sun revolves around the earth. Do we believe that? Hinduism is at least as old as Judaism and in the Bhagaved Gita (ca. 500 BCE) Krishna taught Arjuna (and by extension all of us) that reincarnation and caste are the ways of the gods. Do we believe that just because it’s in the ancient holy books and taught by the Brahmins?

Let us pray: “Dear Lord, give us wisdom and not reliance.”