I dedicate this week’s Towards Shabbat to the life, legacy, and impact of George Floyd, z”l.
This week, our Torah asks us - forces us - to consider how we act in the face of another’s pain. Vayikra 19:16, in the parashah on holiness, Kedoshim, writes, לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ אֲנִי יְהוָֹה Do not stand idly by as your neighbor’s blood is shed. I am God.
The Torah wouldn’t have to tell us, if it wouldn’t be our instinct to do so. But we must consider why we might be inclined to simply stand by. Perhaps it is the pain of someone else that’s simply too hard to face so we turn away. Or maybe it’s a feeling that our voice isn’t strong enough to make change. Perhaps, our moral conscious isn’t loud enough, demanding that we stop simply standing by.
This week was another reminder of the power of being an upstander. Darnella Frazier understood this commandment, understood the importance of not standing idly by. Darnella Frazier, the young woman who filmed the horrific murder of George Floyd, is an exemplar of this mitzvah in the Torah. George Floyd’s pain didn’t make her turn away. Her moral conscious was strong; she knew her voice was important.
This commandment, one that is meant to teach us how to live a holy life, is crucial in understanding the impact that we have as regular human beings. Darnella Frazier is a hero because something inside of her told her that she couldn’t simply stand by. The video that she took capturing nearly 10 minutes of tragic anguish was paramount to holding Mr. Floyd’s murderer accountable.
Throughout this week’s parashah we receive many ethical mitzvot that put us in relationship with the other. And it is through these mitzvot, the Torah tells us, that we cultivate a holy life. Simply put, if we aren’t willing to consider the other, we cannot be holy. I pray that we are inspired by Darnella’s actions.
May we too be upstanders. May we too strive for holiness.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
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