Rabbi Mina's Musings: Devarim 2016

Sourcesheet on Devarim, the Third Haftarah of Admonition, & Hypocrisy

Sources:  The Jewish Publication Society Tanakh:  The Holy Scriptures

http://infomory.com/famous/famous-hypocrites

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/entertainment/10-of-the-most-hypocritical-celebrities

Instructions:  Read through the sources from the Hebrew Bible and the "celebrities" that have been paired with each quote.  Ask yourself the following questions.  Which act of hypocrisy was most upsetting?  Least upsetting?  Why?  Is it better to be a "regular" sinner or a hypocrite?  Why?  Which act of hypocrisy are you most guilty of yourself?

Isaiah 1:14-16 

Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them.  And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen.  Your hands are stained with crime – Wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight. 

Leonardo DiCaprio is well known for being an advocate for living a ‘green’ life. The A-list Hollywood actor drives a Prius, campaigns against global warming and he even made the cover of Vogue’s ‘Green Issue.’ There’s just one thing, DiCaprio owns a private jet. Leonardo seriously put his foot in his mouth, when he made the bonehead comment, “I will fly around the world doing good for the environment.” One private jet trip from New York to California is equal to several people’s total annual carbon emissions.

Isaiah 29:13-14

My Lord said: “Because that people has approached [Me] with its mouth and honored Me with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of ME has been a commandment of men, learned by rote – truly, I shall further baffle that people with bafflement upon bafflement;”

Ted Haggard, one-time faith advisor to President George W. Bush often preached against the typical bugbears of the religious right: gay marriage, sex outside of wedlock and abortion. So imagine the surprise of the world’s media when it was discovered that this self-professed paragon of Christian virtue had had an ongoing arrangement with a male escort with whom he engaged in a number of sexual acts. The pair also confessed to using crystal meth together. Haggard resigned from his very powerful position and was removed from the mega church where he was a regular preacher

Jeremiah 7:8-10

“See, you are relying on illusions that are of no avail.  Will you stead and murder and commit adultery and swear falsely, and sacrifice to Baal, and follow other gods whom you have not experienced, and then come and stand before Me in this house which bears My name and say, ‘We are safe’?—[Safe] to do all these abhorrent things?

While hosting her television show in 1999, Rosie O'Donnell had this to say about the right to bear arms, “I don’t care if you want to hunt. I don’t care if you think it’s your right. I say, ‘Sorry.’ It is 1999. We have had enough as a nation. You are not allowed to own a gun, and if you do own a gun – I think you should go to prison.” A few months later, one of her bodyguards applied for a concealed gun permit. On May 24, 2000, O’Donnell was asked about whether or not her bodyguard should carry a gun – to which she replied, “I don’t personally own a gun, but if you are qualified, licensed and registered, I have no problem.” So, guns for Rosie’s protection, but ‘911 roulette’ for everyone else?

Amos 5:21-24

“I loathe, I spurn your festivals, I am not appeased by your solemn assemblies. If you offer Me burnt offerings – or your meal offerings - I will not accept them; I will pay no heed to your gifts of fatlings.  Spare Me the sound of your hymns, and let Me not hear the music of your lutes.  But let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream.”

Campaigning against fans stealing music (as is her right as a musician) Brit pop singer Lily Allen began writing extensively about stealing intellectual property and copyright infringement on her blog. Yet she was left with egg on her face when it turned out that she had not written one of the articles. She copied, word for word, an entire article from a site called TechDirt. Reposting is not a crime but when you fail to provide a link back or make it clear that you were not the creator, then that is copyright infringement

Psalm 5:10

For there is no sincerity on their lips; their heart is [filled with] malice; their throat is an open grave; their tongue slippery. 

In 2004, Paris Hilton starred in a campaign called ‘Vote or Die,’ which was founded by P. Diddy. The campaign’s message was to encourage young people to get out there and vote in upcoming elections. However, it didn’t take fans long to discover that Paris Hilton had never voted in an election, and that she wasn’t even registered to vote in the first place.

Psalm 52:4-7

Your tongue devises mischief, like a sharpened razor that works treacherously.  You prefer evil to good, the lie, to speaking truthfully.  You love all pernicious words, treacherous speech. So God will tear you down for good….

Miley Cyrus could possibly be one of Hollywood’s biggest hypocrites. In 2009, she insisted, “I would never smoke. I always say that for me, smoking would be like smashing my guitar and expecting it to play.” In 2010, she stated, “Drugs are for idiots, and I’m never going to be that person.” Well, since then Miley Cyrus has admitted to doing cocaine and is open about her love for weed. So, drugs are for who, Miley?

Psalm 55:22 

His talk was smoother than butter, yet his mind was on war; his words were more soothing than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

John Lennon is known as a campaigner for peace, pacifist and good all-round happy but there is one side of his persona that inconveniently suggests otherwise. Despite his apparent desire for world peace, Lennon was a supporter of the IRA ‘ a Catholic organization dedicated to a united and republican Ireland. They used terror tactics such as shootings and bombing public spaces in order to achieve their aims. A former member confirmed years after Lennon’s death that the singer had been in negotiations to perform at a fundraising concert for the group

Proverbs 25:18-19

Like a club, a sword, a sharpened arrow, is a man who testifies falsely against his fellow.  Like a loose tooth and an unsteady leg, is a treacherous support in time of trouble. 

Michael Moore is a documentary film maker that depicts himself as the common man and a champion of the working class. He publicly condemns capitalism, “greedy” corporations and the profit motive. Moore’s 2009 documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, examined the impact of corporate tyranny on the everyday lives of Americans. Michael even classified himself as an everyday American. Turns out, Michael Moore is an anti-capitalist, capitalist. Moore owns 9 homes, a private plane and is worth more than $50 million. Michael once said, “Capitalism is evil.” Perhaps, this member of the one percent should re-title his documentary, ‘Hypocrisy: A Michael Moore Story.

Proverbs 26:18-19

Like a madman scattering deadly firebrands, arrows, is one who cheats his fellow and says, “I was only joking!”

Fill in the blank with something you have done or any other famous person (politician) you can think of ……..