Will America choose darkness or light? Let us pray for peace, not political advantage

Former Vice President Mike Pence encouraged the American people, while announcing his presidential candidacy, that prayer was needed for our nation. What is he praying for, and would it be the same prayer for all of us?

Clearly, he was referring to the current legal issues surrounding our former president. I pray that God gives us all the courage to pray, each in our way, for deliverance from what is likely to be a divisive legal and political process.

Extremist social media outlets say the time has arrived for civil war or that the children of our U.S. attorney general are fair game in this battle. They claim that this court case for President Trump proves we are “no longer represented anymore.”

Are we not used to extremism on all sides of the spectrum in our nation’s politics? Yet, folks have shared with me their concern by saying, “Rabbi, this matter is different.”

Is it? We have seen so many events that have traumatized our nation over the last 23 years: 9/11, wars in the Middle East, impeachment trials and an attempted takeover of our nation’s transition of political authority. Yes, we have been through a great deal, and it has definitely taken its toll on the American people. The question is: What are we prepared to do inside the soul of this nation?

Many of us who attend houses of worship are as concerned as everyone else in our nation. We call upon our sacred texts and our core values about how best to react to this newest trauma in our nation’s political landscape. We refer to Leviticus 19:18, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” In the Talmud, we read, “Whatever is hateful to you do not do to another.”

We could read the words of Martin Luther King Jr. about nonviolence. Or read President Abraham Lincoln’s venerable words when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” There are many other great leaders who warned us about the need to pray, especially for restraint and temperance with our emotions.

The Jewish people in the pages of the Talmud said Rome was, in part, able to destroy the Jewish state in the year 70 CE not just because of their superior army but also because the Jewish people in land of Judea were divided against themselves. Because of baseless hatred against each other, they were more vulnerable to Roman conquest.

The prophet Ezekiel warned his people that, in traumatic times, it is important to stay righteous and avoid sinful behavior lest we face divine wrath. “Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 3:21).

The prophet Amos said,

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!

For what good is the day of the LORD to you?

It will be darkness, and not light.

It will be as though a man fled from a lion,

And a bear met him!

Or as though he went into the house,

Leaned his hand on the wall,

And a serpent bit him!

Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light?

Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?“ (5:18-20)

We have a choice in these challenging times. Shall we choose darkness or light? Just like ancient Israel, will America choose the darkness or the light?

I am praying that, inside our houses of worship and from the pulpits of our blessed clergy, there will be a call for peace and restraint from baseless hatred and corrosive speech between our fellow citizens. My prayer is that, if there were a divine court on high, it would order a cease and desist decree to us all to not indulge the instinct to demonize people who hold an opposing viewpoint than we may have on this court case.

I pray that that same court would issue another order for us to withdraw our fears of each other. Behind the hate lies fear of one another. We could be speaking about racism, antisemitism or any -ism that makes people feel who they are rather than what they do determines their value in society.

The political spectacle and the public’s verbal jousting cheering politicians on is a virulent virus that threatens the stability of our nation. My final prayer is that our nation’s presidential candidates speak the truth of what is in the nation’s best interest for peace rather than seeking advantage for an upcoming election. I concede that kind of prayer may be beyond hope of hopes, but I’ll still hold onto it.