Prose
I used to wrestle with the idea of ‘chosenness’ and what it meant to be a people that was, somewhat, separate from others. My concept of ‘separate’ made me question whether we were meant to maintain lines of difference or whether we were meant to live among our neighbors. The idea that we might not be, that we were meant to be separate, did not sit well with me. My intersected identities, career, and value system demand belonging to many groups with a multitude of folks who do not share my Judaism.
Teachings from the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks helped me shift my perspective from ‘separate’ to ‘apart.’ Apart, but not away from, felt more resonant. My evolved understanding reassured me that my Judaism supported my desire to nurture and grow relationships both within and outside of my immediate community. It let me know that I was not ‘broken‘ for maintaining this value so close to my core. I understood that being ‘a person apart’ meant being anchored by my values of compassion, a respect for human dignity, a relentless pursuit of social justice, and a dedication to caring for those who have less privilege than I do. It also meant that there would be times when I would need to make choices that would go against the grain of those around me.
In a world that asks me to conform to binary ideologies and choose sides, ‘apart’ from instead of ‘separate' gives me permission to be resolute in double-dutching across lines of difference… while also disrupting for the sake of positive change.