August 7, 2009 - THE SEEDS OF DEMISE AND SELF DESTRUCTION

Moses understands the human psyche probably better than any human being who lived before or after him. As a man who had direct communications with God, he had every reason, himself, to puff himself up, to put on airs, to become a holier-than-thou, arrogant leader, distancing himself from his constituents, feigning self pride and importance, and accepting the fawning and flattery of underlings, and the backslapping, hail-fellow-well-met camaraderie of fellow leaders and alien kings and potentates. The thing is that the Torah, in fact, describes Moshe Rabbeynu as the humblest of men. It gives us the impression of a self effacing person who eschewed ever lording it over anyone else. One could easily imagine him taking “arrogance assessments” several times a day…which perhaps his meetings with God actually accomplished.

Moses’ admonitions to the Israelites about becoming too haughty themselves once they have established themselves in the Promised Land comes from his understanding of the way other people think. Moses reasons that as long as the Israelites are wandering in the desert and are clearly dependent upon God for their essentials, they will keep their egos in check. They truly have little to be proud of and don’t have much to show for their efforts other than the dusty and sandy miles they will have traveled. But once ensconced in the land and once they harvest an abundance of produce, even more than their needs demand, their tendency to allow their self-importance to overflow will come over them. And when this happens, they will be tempted to forget about the One who stands behind all human accomplishment, and they will either ignore or reject God. Moses reminds the people here in Ekev that they are small and relatively unimportant people, but that once they enjoy the abundance of the land, they should not forget to give thanks to God. Then Moses levels them with a warning: “beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the Lord your God…and you say to yourselves, “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” (Deut 8: 14 & 17)

Haughtiness and arrogance have been the down fall of many great people throughout time. Politicians, actors, captains of industry, leaders in all arenas are prone to capitulating to their own self imagined myths. Working long hours, often under enormous stress and with great risks at every turn, they come to believe that they deserve more than other humans because they have worked harder or are somehow superior to them. It is, perhaps, this mindset which led Bernie Madoff to his dastardly exploits. It surely plays in the dalliances we have witnessed throughout the decades but especially of late among high level, political leaders in this country.

Now, to the degree that the press has taken off the blinders it once wore when people like Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy were in the White House, we seem to be offered a near monthly if not daily diet of this extra-marital fare lately, starting back with our own Colorado Senator, Gary Hart, whose challenge to the press to catch him and report on his dalliance with Donna Rice led to his sudden political demise, to President Clinton’s salacious scandal, to John Edward’s one night stand that whacked his public persona, down to Governor Mark Sanford’s Argentine monkey business. These are just the ones which come readily to mind because amid the restroom foot tappings and the unmaskings of hypocrites in both public platforms and religious pulpits, we have gotten more than our fill of these sorts of antics.

What bothers us so much about these affairs? Why is it that the public has less and less tolerance for these leaders’ foibles and open faults? It is, I believe, the betrayal of both private and public trust that is at the heart of our disgust. Regardless of the stresses and the pressures of public office, we come to see that these public figures have turned their backs on their promises, both to their constituencies and to their loved ones. If their word can no longer be trusted as their personal bond, then all aspects of their public dealings are as open to deceit and fraud as their personal lives. There it is in a nut shell. It all comes down to personal integrity, and somewhere, somehow, someone should have explained to these fellows that one can’t throw off the reigns of family loyalty and fealty while still retaining public trust.

We frankly don’t know and can’t explain exactly when the wheels come of the bus, although we have posited some possible reasons. But what now is popularly being called a “gut check,” is actually, in the cases of many national figures, a euphemism for what might better be labeled a zipper test. It could also be tagged an arrogance assessment because when conceit and over confidence replace humility, undo solemn oaths and remove healthy, societal constraints, career ending events are sure to unfold soon thereafter.

I am certain that there is no course given in this kind of thing when first our representatives get to Washington. And I am sure that each one, when first starting out, can’t imagine such a thing happening to him. But sure as I am standing here, for the sake of their marriages, their families and the awesome contributions they could otherwise be making to job and country, there should be. It was once the role that folks like Billy Graham used to fill, but in more recent times, that position seems to have gone unfilled. In some cases, clergy that would aspire to it have themselves come apart at the seams or should we say, unseemly?

Why do I choose to speak about dalliances and sordid affairs this evening? It is because in less than two weeks, we shall be entering into the Hebrew month of Elul, a month which signifies our having to prepare for the High Holidays. And in order to put our proverbial houses in order, the most difficult hurdle will be getting past our own arrogances and self conceits, and re-acquainting ourselves with the humility that is necessary for us to admit our own short comings and human frailties. While this isn’t fun work, it is absolutely essential if we are going to benefit by the processes of repentance and repair that the Yameem Nora’eem gives us.

The Book of Proverbs gives us the oft quoted truism that Pride goes before the fall (Proverbs 16). It is this about which Moses warns his fellow Israelites, and it is this aspect of human nature which often brings on the greatest misery with some of the earth’s most gifted people. When it happens we feel jilted and let down ourselves. If we didn’t like the person before, we may gloat and snicker behind our hands. But once revealed, the damage to persona is permanent. Had the defrocked and disgraced taken the time to put their lives and their humility to review and repair, they might have avoided the humiliation they have brought upon their good names and the hurt they have caused to those who loved and respected them. That is now all gone, perhaps never to be restored.

Moses warns the Israelites not to do this to their most important relationship, the one they enjoy with God. While it is idolatry that will occupy many of Moses’ later and final concerns, it is arrogance which, this speech, he anticipates and confronts, and he does so because he recognizes that the seeds for this big headedness exist in us all, and only we can control them.