Omer 2025 Day 42

Day 41 | Day 43

Day 42: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Malchut in Yesod, Leadership in Connection

I’ve read many books about the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and Team of Rivals stands out as one of the best, and certainly one of the most influential. It offers a powerful look at how Lincoln constructed his Cabinet, not by surrounding himself with yes-men, but by intentionally including political opponents and skeptics, even those who had challenged him in the Republican primary and questioned his capacity to lead. To forge this unlikely group into a functional and effective team, Lincoln had to build genuine personal relationships, earn trust, and create space for their expertise—while still maintaining his authority as their leader. His ability to hold the egos and pride of these men, and to channel their talents toward saving the Union, is a testament to his extraordinary leadership. Lincoln’s willingness to embrace diverse opinions underscores a fundamental truth of our democracy: building bridges isn’t just admirable, it’s necessary for good governance.

Omer 2025 Day 12

Day 11 | Day 13

Day 12: Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas Wilson
Hod in Gevurah, Glory/Humility in Power

"In the four years that Abraham Lincoln would be president, the American public would gradually discover, much to its collective astonishment, that this unprepossessing Illinois politician had remarkable abilities as a writer."

As you may know, I have a lifelong love for Abraham Lincoln. Growing up in Illinois - "the land of Lincoln" - this is not, perhaps, surprising. But it was not just state pride that drew me to Lincoln. From a young age, I was inspired by him - his love of learning, his sense of justice, his way with words. As someone who struggled to find my own voice, always afraid of being misunderstood or failing to express my thoughts exactly as I wanted, I was in awe of Lincoln's ability to be witty, to be solemn, to be hopeful. He distilled the nation's frustrations and loss, the turmoil, and the promise into powerful and lasting words.

Douglas Wilson was the codirector of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College. His scholarship was a large part of my decision to attend Knox, and one of my greatest college regrets was letting my fear of being "that person" stop me from taking advantage of the opportunity to learn with him, or at least get my copy of Lincoln's Sword signed.

Of the many books I've read and loved about Abraham Lincoln, I think this one most clearly demonstrates hod, how both glory and humility played out in the power of Lincoln's presidency and the power of his words.

Omer 2025 Day 8

Day 7 | Day 9

Day 8: I Am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
Chesed in Gevurah, Loving-kindness in Strength/Justice

I love this whole Ordinary People Change the World series by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulis. They do a great job of writing about larger-than-life people and difficult topics in ways that children can understand.

I Am Abraham Lincoln begins when Lincoln was a child and explains his upbringing using stories that demonstrate his kindness and his sense of justice, ultimately tying those threads from his youth into his legacy as the president who freed the slaves and kept our nation together. It hammers home the idea that anyone can speak up for what is right and take a stand for more kindness in this world.

I've been reading this book to my kids since my oldest was a baby and it gets better every time. Each time, they ask different questions and understand a little more a little differently. I read it to them again today and - maybe because we're finishing Passover - they had a lot of questions about the similarities and differences between the Israelites' slavery in Egypt and American slavery. We talked about freedom and justice and how to show kindness through strength by standing up for what is right.

The Hits Keep Coming

Ever since last Saturday the hits have just kept coming.

First, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and other white supremacists descended on Virginia (an increasingly diverse and open state) to intimidate people and voice their hatred publicly. Then, a terrorist associated with them drove his car into a crowd of peaceful counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others, while two police officers also died en route to help quell the violence. In Boston, a teenager shattered a glass memorial to Holocaust survivors - the second time this summer that vandals have attacked the memorial. Vandals also spray-painted the Lincoln Memorial. Monuments to the Confederacy are being removed from public spaces across the country as debate heats up over their presence and meaning in this charged political climate. Through it all, Trump has stuck by his most loyal supporters - the so-called "alt-right" conglomeration of white supremacists - while laying equal blame for violence and divisiveness at the feet of those who oppose them.

And those are just some of the national problems we face. I haven't even had time to delve into escalating tensions with North Korea, Trump's calls for a renegotiation of NAFTA, his continued attacks on Senators who refuse to kick over twenty million people off of their insurance plans, the ongoing Russia investigation, and another terrorist van attack - this time in Barcelona. All of that deserves its own attention. And yet, here I am, learning something new and disturbing every few hours about the state of our nation. The latest of these revelations was that police refused to protect a Charlottesville synagogue from armed neo-Nazis who stood outside with automatic rifles shouting Nazi slogans during Saturday morning services.

Of all the discussions happening nationally in the wake of Charlottesville, I am most mesmerized/horrified by the fact that some of this stuff is still up for debate at all. In the past week in Facebook conversations with friends of friends, I have been appalled to learn that some people confuse non-violence with inaction; that others think showing neo-Nazis respect will encourage them to change their ways; and that even more don't understand the difference between memory and honor. Here is a sampling of some of those conversations.

Ignore Nazis and they'll go away vs. Let's punch Nazis in the face. 
Should we punch Nazis? How can we best act in the face of injustice? When does turning the other cheek or ignoring the problem cross the line into condoning it or becoming a bystander?

Ten Of The Best Times That Someone Punched A Nazi In Comics is just one of many examples in our popular culture (expressions of our society's values and moral compass) that documents our need to meet action with action. It strikes me as proof that we believe action is necessary for good to prevail over evil. If violence begets violence, then it is a perfectly natural reaction to meet a white supremacist's aggression and violence with like means (i.e. punching). It might not be the most effective way of defeating them in real life and it is probably not the safest idea, but I think the instinct to punch them comes from a feeling that anything less will inadequately display our disgust for them and their ideas.

What differentiates good people from white supremacists is our ability to measure that reaction - to recognize it as a base instinct that might be momentarily satisfying, but ultimately counterproductive. And the question is: Where do we go from there? How do we channel that desire to punch, to take action, into something constructive?

One solution that was offered was to ignore the white supremacists, but it is disingenuous to suggest that we ignore the problem and do nothing, as if inaction is the same as non-violent protest. Martin Luther King, Jr. marched, Gandhi went on a hunger strike, Heschel "prayed with his feet [paraphrased]." And each of these heroes of non-violence also used language as an outlet - inspiring change not only through action, but also through words.

The ability to articulate a message is fundamental to changing minds. Finding words to express the sorrow, disgust, and fear that these terrorists instill in me is a great challenge, but giving voice to those feelings is also incredibly empowering and ultimately very satisfying. Being able to name something, to identify it, and to share your feelings with others keeps us from bottling up the hate and rage until it boils over into violence. Naming something for what it is also limits its power, which is why Trump's refusal to call out white supremacy in his reactions to Charlottesville is so infuriating.

"I don't speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don't have the power to remain silent" -Rabbi A.Y. Kook

That said, language has limits. Sometimes I do not have words to describe the depth of a feeling, try as I might to do so. And when that happens, I look at pictures of Captain America punching Hitler as an outlet for a rage with no name and a feeling that I can't do enough, no matter how many words I spill into the vastness of the internet, how much I donate to anti-Nazi causes, or how many rallies I attend. People have limits.

So, what can we do when language fails, when violence is wrong, but the need to act remains? I'm sorry to say that I don't have an answer, but I know that we must find one, because Judaism requires that we meet oppression and injustice with action. As Elie Wiesel said, "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

Everyone deserves respect, even Nazis vs. No, not Nazis.
Someone actually said to me online, "Punching people doesn't diffuse or eliminate hate. Showing respect does." 

I said this when Trump was elected and I will say it again: respect must be earned. I don't respect white supremacists. Their ideas and actions are morally reprehensible. Anyone who wants to see the decimation of entire races and religions has not earned respect or a place in any meaningful dialogue. Showing respect to white supremacists will not diffuse or eliminate their deep-seated hatred and might give them the false notion that their hate is a respectable, acceptable position to hold.

There is value (historically, culturally, etc) to keeping Confederate monuments in public spaces vs. It's long overdue that we remove these monuments from public places of honor.
In a moment of weakness, the Israelites sinned against God by building a golden calf and ascribing to it a history of freedom and a relationship of guardianship that was rightfully God's. They prayed to the calf and held it up as their new god. Moses, upon seeing this shameful display, did not equivocate. He did not say, "I see the value you have imbued in this object," or attempt to explain away their actions as the result of the people's fear and uncertainty at his long absence. He did not say, "There is blame on many sides; both the calf-worshipers and God were equally wrong." He did not insist that we keep the calf intact and prominently display it as a reminder of our "history" and the "cultural legacy" of people who turned their backs on the most fundamental belief of our young religion. No! He melted it down, ground it into dust, and scattered it in the water.

In a series of Tweets today, Trump ranted about the increasingly "foolish" removal of the "beautiful statues and monuments" of the Confederacy, which are "the history and culture of our great country" and which he claimed will be "greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced."

Here is what we "learn" from a "beautiful" statue of Robert E. Lee in a public park. That traitors to our nation deserve to be honored and venerated. That the racist goals of erecting these statues (largely in the 1880s-1910s to reinforce Jim Crow and segregation and 1950s-60s in direct opposition to the Civil Rights Movement) are not repugnant to our society today. That this particular "history and culture of our great country" is the history and culture we want to hold up as "great." That neo-Nazis and the KKK deserve to be respected in the national debate about who we are and for what we stand.

If we want to learn from these statues, then they should be in a museum where those meanings can be explored and contextualized. They don't belong in public places.

We should never bring up Hitler lightly, but I do think that it is an apt comparison in this instance. Maggie Penman put it best: "To equate Robert E. Lee with Hitler would be lazy, and bad history. Hitler's name is invoked too casually, and too often. But since the white supremacists protesting the removal of Lee's statue in Charlottesville brandished swastikas, and openly made the Nazi salute, the connection to 1930s Germany was invited by the marchers themselves." Germany remembers the history of WWII without statues of Hitler, because they recognize that statues of mass murderers and war criminals are not appropriate or necessary to historical memory.

When we talk about preserving shameful parts of our history, we have to recognize a difference between remembering and honoring. These statues and monuments to Confederate generals were erected as part of a revisionist history that sought to glorify traitors to our nation. Recognizing and remembering the racism that spawned these statues is the history we should be remembering and in light of that history, we have to reject the continued veneration of people who sought to destroy our country.

It is not only history that should concern us, but our future too. By leaving these symbols of hate and oppression in public, we leave present and future white supremacists with the misconception that their ideology is a welcome and valuable part of America. These symbols of hate are fodder for budding white supremacists, like Dylan Roof, who see the Confederate flag and other "lost cause" Confederate symbols as an invitation to continue that violence and oppression today.

It's long past time to take these monuments down. Put them in museums with the proper educational materials to contextualize them and remove the sense of honor they hold, or, like the golden calf, let's melt them down and grind them to dust until all that's left of them is the memory of regret at ever having created and deified them in the first place.

Count the Omer 2015: Day 46

Go back to Day 45 | Skip to Day 47

Day 46: Netzach within Malchut, Endurance within Leadership
We look to leaders to get us through hard times and reassure us that we will endure whatever difficulty we are facing. Whether it was Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address or Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech, the mark of a good leader is in the hope that they offer to others.

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations." -Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address

"I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'" -Martin Luther King, Jr, I Have A Dream

What hope can you offer to others today?

Count the Omer 2015: Day 11

Go back to Day 10  |  Skip to Day 12

Day 11: Netzach within Gevurah, Endurance within Strength

How does strength impact endurance? Strength makes things easier to endure, whether one has the physical strength to run a marathon or the emotional strength to survive a great deal of grief.

Today, is not only day 11 of the Omer, but also the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's death. I spent last night at Ford's Theatre, commemorating Lincoln's life and legacy. Mary Todd Lincoln is most often remembered for her erratic behavior and possible insanity, but participants in last night's commemoration were reminded of her incredible endurance, surviving the loss of three of her four children and her husband.

Do you have an inner strength that has helped you endure when you thought you would not be able to do so?

Quote of the Week: Whatever you are...

"Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln

Here's to new beginnings. L'Shanah Tovah!

Quote of the Week: Religion is...

"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion." -Abraham Lincoln

How do you define religion?

Count the Omer: Days 26 & 27

Day 25 | Day 28

Day 26: Hod sheb'Netzach, Gratitude within Ambition
If someone has given you a leg up toward you goals, don't forget to thank them and return the favor.

Day 27: Yesod sheb'Netzach, Foundation within Ambition
How do you define yourself? What is the foundation upon which you build your ambitions? I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, a Jew, a Cubs fan, and a Lincoln enthusiast, among other things. I am passionate about religious engagement, public memory (museums), and education. These things are my foundation and the way that I connect with the world and those around me. These are the things that have defined who I am and they will inform my decisions as I begin to build a family and a career.

Count the Omer: Day 14

Day 13 | Day 15

Day 14: Malchut sheb'Gevurah, Leadership within Power
My fifth grade teacher's favorite quote was "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." If you were given power, would you abuse it, or rise to the occasion as a strong and effective leader? How can you use the power you have to make a positive difference in your community?

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -Abraham Lincoln

Quote of the Week: God's Side

"My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." - Abraham Lincoln

Quote of the Week: The Future

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." -Abraham Lincoln

Judging a Book by its Cover

Earlier, while waiting for my plane at the Memphis Airport, I walked around the airport bookstore looking for some light reading for my plane ride home from a business trip. While browsing the different sections, I picked up a few books that caught my eye: Unholy Night by Seth Graham-Smith, the autobiography of a woman who escaped Germany in the late 1930s, and a short book about Abe Lincoln (I am a sucker for anything Lincoln). I was always told not to judge a book by its cover, but that's really the only way to browse for a book when you're in a hurry. I wound up giving up on my book hunt and working on this blog post instead. My failed search for a book made me reflect on my business trip, where I spent the last 3 days celebrating Judaism and sports and recruiting Jewish athletes for the Maccabiah Games.

You've heard the joke: "Do you have some light reading? Here's a pamphlet of great Jewish athletes."

Putting aside the fact that that is a terrible joke, that "pamphlet" is due for a serious upgrade to book status and deserves an eye-catching cover. This week, I met some amazing kids and athletes, commemorated the Munich Eleven, and watched with fellow Jews from around the country as Aly Raisman won the gold in the Floor Exercise to the tune of "Hava Nagila." So judge a book by its cover if you have to, but don't judge an athlete by his/her religion.

Memphis JCC Maccabi Games Opening Ceremony