Faith in

Hasdai Ibn Shaprut was a courtier and advisor to the caliph Abd er Rahman III in Córdoba, 10^thcentury Spain.

The Jews of another western European city were not faring so well. In Toulouse, the community was subjected to a yearly humiliation. Every Easter the citizens of Toulouse were compelled to gather at the Cathedral gate in the main square. The bishop would order the Jews to appear before him led by the Jewish elder. The elder would have to kneel before him, apologize, and present the bishop was 30 pounds of wax for use by the church for its candles.  The bishop would respond by slapping the Jewish elder across the face. The whole procedures served to remind the Jews that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and that they would have to pay for that cost for eternity.

In this particular year, the bishop accepted the offering of the wax. But when he struck the elder he hit in full force with a closed fist and killed him.

The Jews of Toulouse sent a message detailing what had happened to Hasdai Ibn Shaprut.  They requested that he -an advisor and courtier to the caliph in Cordova intercede for them in this abominable practice and put an end to the shameful procedure.

There is no more information about the story and we do not know what became of their plight. What is most illuminating is the fact that the Jews of Toulouse believed that they could change their situation. They firmly accepted the notion that the present could be altered despite their subservient position.  The Jews of Toulouse did not put their faith in the government but in a single man, Hasdai Ibn Shaprut.

We look to people to save us, the president of United States, the president of the Synagogue, the mayor, wife, even our children. Looking for solutions in people is why we create so many cultic figures. We make icons of people we revere.

Even though we do not know the end of the story of the juice of Toulouse, it is apparent that there is one powerful moral that emerges: do not assume that any person will be able to save you.  You have to save yourself. If the doctor tells you to lower your intake of certain foods you do not expect others to do that for you. 

Like the patient with the doctor, our unwavering trust in people sometimes leads us to make absurd decisions. For example, is it not absurd to expect our children to be Jewish if we have no religious home observance?  By placing our faith in the practice of the synagogue and its leaders we relieve ourselves of religious behavior. Is it not similarly absurd to believe that we will always have services? Sooner or later, may the time to be far removed from us, our steady committed individuals will no longer be here. Then what? Who will attend?  Who will work to propagate Judaism if not to you? Here is the person you should put your trust in. You. Not others. Do not wait.