Hamas, Word Confusion, Kanye West

 “Beth Chai” means “House (beth) of Life (chai).  It is a very appropriate and welcoming name for a Jewish humanist congregation.  But, just last week, I was picking up an order for the congregation and the clerk called me “Beth.” Not long ago, I placed an order and, when I arrived, the business assumed that I sold tea.  These are silly examples of word confusion with no impact – In both cases, I didn’t even bother correcting the person.

Sometimes, though, it is not so easy.  Sometimes, a conversation can actually feel like two conversations because words mean different things to different people. Let’s look at this week’s Torah portion – the story of Noah. While it is often presented as a children’s story (all the cute animals taking a boat cruise together), it is actually a very adult story.   In the story, the world is destroyed by a flood.  Most of humanity and the animals die.  Only Jonah, his family and a representative sampling of animals survive. 

The reason for the destruction?  It is clearly stated in the legend: “the earth became full of wrongdoing.”  The word for wrongdoing is “hamas.” In Hebrew, it means quite a few things, none of them good: robbery, dishonesty, violence, and oppression.  The word hamas, or other words based on it, appear 66 times in the Bible.  For example, in Proverbs, we read, “Envy thou not the man of violence [ish hamas], and choose none of his ways” (3:31).

Usually Hebrew and Arabic words, with similar roots, have meanings that are aligned.   But, in Hebrew’s sister language Arabic, “hamas” has a very different meaning.  In Arabic, hamas means zeal, enthusiasm, bravery and strength. Of course, it is also the name of the terrorist organization, Hamas.  As a proper noun, it stands for Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, meaning the Islamic Resistance Movement.

The word “hamas” in all its various incarnations has always intrigued me. When Hebrew speakers hear the word, it means something very violent.  When Arabic speakers hear it, it is positive. I’ve heard Israelis’ draw assumption about why Hamas (the organization) would choose this name for itself.  Could there be any reason but a mission of violence? But Arabic speakers hear the same word and, on the surface, think bravery, strength and zeal. Of course, the word now has a whole history of violence attached to it in both worlds.

This week, I followed the frightening saga of Kanye West and his antisemitism.  A scary statistic: Kanye West has 31.6 million Twitter followers.  There are only 14.8 million Jews in the world.  It’s easy to discount him, but that is a mistake.  His words, their nuances and timing matter. 

So, what can we do? First, listen to what he and others are saying. And try to understand their words from their context. Second, call him out when the words cross the line into hatred. Third, seek allies and thank them.  I have been impressed this week with the number of people, organizations and businesses that have cut their ties with him.  Fourth, if a person, organization or company does not call out hate, then, don’t do business with them.  Finally, fifth, Kanye West is very popular.  Talk to tween and teens about him.  Suggest that they don’t listen, follow, like or promote him.

I wish I had a more upbeat message for this week.  But I do wish you a very peaceful Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Debbie Cohen