In 1956, Rav Moshe Feinstein, the preeminent Halachic authority of the time, received a fascinating question. There were a group of Orthodox Jews who refused to pray in a certain local shul and wanted to start a breakaway minyan. They were looking for Rav Moshe’s approval for their decision.
Now as well know, it is very easy for Jews to come up with reasons why they won’t daven in a particular shul and why they absolutely must start a breakaway minyan. The mechitza is too tall, the mechitza is too small. There’s too much talking, there is not enough talking. They never have kiddush, they waste their money on kiddush. You name it, if there is a shul, we will find good reason not to daven there. But you will never guess what this group’s issue was.
Their issue was with the Israeli and American flags that stood prominently in the front of the shul. They argued that those flags were objects of worship; it was a form of Avoda Zarah. How could one daven in a room that displayed idolatry? As bizarre as this may seem to you, it’s worth noting that over the past two decades there has been pushback in Christian circles around the placement of flags in churches for the same reasons. (See here: https://thelehrhaus.com/commentary/star-spangled-synagogue-do-national-flags-belong-in-our-houses-of-worship/)
Rav Moshe Feinstein, ultimately concludes his response to this question by stating: “Those who want to make a minyan elsewhere because of this and think they are doing something great, are acting inappropriately. It is politically motivated and driven by the evil inclination and Satan.” Next time someone wants to start a breakaway minyan, show them this piece.
Before you get all excited, it’s worth noting that Rav Moshe does not love the practice of placing flags in a shul. Though he says they should not be removed if it would cause any arguments in the community, he calls the practice of placing flags in a shul a foolish practice.
And it begs the question, where did this practice come from? Some of you who travel to other countries may have noticed that in most countries they do not display flags, certainly not flags of the host country, in their shuls. Why do so may American shuls have American flags? And, should we keep our flag in our shul?
So let’s learn a little history. Americans are known to be the most flag-obsessed country in the world. It was an American flag flying over Ft. McHenry that inspired the star-spangled banner. When the Confederates bombed Fort Sumter in 1861, it caused the main flagpole to break. A picture of the broken flagpole was the image that was used to raise funds for the Union army. At the same time, a law that prohibited bringing American flags to the battlefield was reversed and Union soldiers would regularly march into battle under the red-white-and-blue. Whereas other countries wave their flags on government buildings, in the US, you will find flags on private residences and businesses.
Churches and shuls started placing flags in their sanctuaries around World War 1. In addition to it being a time of nationalistic fervor, it was especially important for religious groups that were being accused of being sympathetic to enemies of the United States demonstrate how patriotic they were. Many shuls which consisted of Russian and German members were extremely careful to show that they considered themselves American.
The next time there was a noted spike in placing flags in shuls was in 1948. After the establishment of the State of Israel, many shuls wanted to show their pride and connection to a Jewish State. But to place a foreign flag in their shul is bad form. So a number of shuls decided to place both an Israeli flag and an American one to show that our connection to Israel does not detract from our connection to America.
Rav Moshe Feinstein was skeptical about the appropriateness of placing a flag in such a holy place. A shul is not a place to make a political statement, even if it’s an important one. A sanctuary is not where we proclaim to the world how connected we feel to this land. If that is the symbolism of this flag then I too, am less than enthusiastic about it being here.
But there is another very famous letter sent by Rav Moshe Feinstein. This letter written in 1984 is addressed to all Jews living in America. He forcefully encourages every Jew to vote in elections, and he sees doing so as an expression of a most fundamental Jewish value: “On reaching the shores of the United States; Jews found a safe haven. The rights guaranteed by the … Constitution and Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom to practice our religion without interference and to live in this republic in safety. A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakaras hatov — recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a lot to be grateful for. Not only are we grateful for the freedom to practice our faith which has been a centerpiece of the American way since this country came into being. But for a president of the united States to assist Israel in bombing the nuclear plants of Iran – undoubtedly the greatest existential threat we have faced in the past 50 years, despite the pushback that he received from Democrats and Republicans alike, and despite whatever misgivings you may have of him as a person and/ or a politician, to not say thank you at a time like this would be the most un-Jewish thing possible.
In our parsha, Dasan and Aviram, rebel against Moshe and Aharon. “Because you, Moshe, promised to bring us to a land of milk and honey, and we are stuck in the desert for forty years.” And what they said was correct – Moshe did not fulfill his promise to take them to Israel; they were going to die in the desert. What they said was accurate, but they were not right. Because had they had a semblance of hakaras hatov, of gratitude, they would have been overwhelmed by their feeling of indebtedness to Moshe for all the good he did for them and that gratitude would have prevented them from giving voice to their legitimate complaints.
Too often we excuse our lack of gratitude because the same person wronged us in one way or another. The spouse who cooks and cleans was also mean to us. The child who helps was also rude. The friend who is there for us ignored us. Maybe it’s the President of the United States who we may not love for one reason or another. Or maybe, l’havdil, it’s G-d who we have so many questions for. And so we allow our anger and frustration and at times, legitimate, grievances get in the way of us saying, thank you. Dasan and Aviram, who refuse to be grateful are swallowed up by the ground; they are, we are taught (Sanhedrin), left without a connection to the afterlife, another way of saying that gratitude is a core value of our faith.
So no, that flag is not going anywhere. Not only that, but I went ahead and bought myself an American flag magnet for my car. Because we should wave that flag. Whether you feel patriotic or not – as you know, I am not even an American citizen. But I, and all of us, must be so incredibly grateful for the good that this country has brought to the world and brought to us as a people.