Dorothy Roth - Devora Meita bat Aharon Baruch
Introduction:
Devorah
ודבורה אשה נביאה אשת לפידות, היא שופטה את ישראל בעת ההיא (שופטים ד:ד)
“And Deborah
was a prophetess, a woman of fire; she judged Israel at that time.”
So
begins the biblical story of the prophetess and judge Deborah, a woman whose
story reminds me eerily of the life of Dorothy Roth, Devorah Meita bas Aharon
Baruch. A spirit of prophecy must have rested upon the hearts of her parents
when they named her.
I’m not
going to recap Dorothy’s biography, which everyone has already told. Instead,
I’ll spend a few minutes showing how Dorothy’s life corresponded to that of Deborah,
her biblical namesake.
1:
Woman of Fire
First,
Dorothy, like Deborah, you were a woman of fire.
Everyone
who knew Dorothy understands what I mean. Dorothy, your motto might well have
been: If you’re going to take up a cause, don’t do it halfway; go all the way
with it. That’s the way you did everything; whether fighting for better
attention to detail at hospitals, or for integrity in our public officials, or
for rehabilitation vs. incarceration, or for drug rehabilitation programs, you
fought with every drop of strength and then some.
You were
fiercely loyal to your causes, and even more so to the people in whom you
believed. You told me about the way you supported Rabbi Rothenberg at Sons of
Israel when he faced trouble at home, and that was the way you supported
everyone you trusted. You honored the memory of your beloved husband Saul, with
what you called Saul’s “shrine” in your home; you kept your love affair alive
even after he had passed on, you never tired of telling me about this man you
admired so much. You supported Robert Csandl of Keenan House, or the Daddonas,
or the Reverend Franklin Sherman and the Institute for Jewish-Christian
Understanding, or Sacred Heart Hospital, you spoke up and you did everything
humanly possible for them, and you were vocal, making sure everyone knew what
the issues were.
2:
Judge over Israel
Second,
Dorothy, like Deborah, you were a judge over Israel, and everyone else as well,
constantly learning about new areas and finding causes to champion.
There
was no issue that was unworthy of your attention. After we discussed a
particular program at Sons of Israel one September’s day, you wrote to me in an
email, “my problem is
that the world is my oyster...that i am so involved with so much and find
everything so exciting that my calendar until november is jammed full. That
does not mean i can't juggle things to accommodate what interests me. So please
send the information. It will be appreciated.” Everything was worthy of your attention, and once you had learned
about an issue, you quickly determined your opinion.
3:
Judge of Politicians
Third, the
biblical Deborah was a judge of politicians, too; in her time the Jews were
oppressed by Canaanites, and Deborah instructed the leading Jewish general, a
man named Barak, to go to war against Canaan. Barak replied, “I won’t go unless
you come, too,” for which Deborah chastised and mocked him; she had no patience
for leaders who feared to lead.
You
judged politicians, too; I remember well which one you said was an absolute
saint, which one was a good businessman but lacked heart, which one was
dishonest and said exactly what you wanted to hear, which one meant well but
didn’t have the business sense; all of them went under your microscope, so that
you could determine whether to help them or not. When I sent you an email that
you thought favored a certain politician, you responded in no uncertain terms with
your opinion.
Your
opinion was highly valued by those same politicians you judged; I remember
sitting by your bed at Sacred Heart Hospital during the run-up to the mayoral
primaries last year, and hearing as representatives from various campaigns
wished you well. You borrowed municipal plans from Minneapolis to market here
in Allentown. The Morning Call ran article on you when you made sure to come to
the JCC to vote – from your hospital bed. You judged, loudly and clearly.
The
Talmud teaches that the biblical Devorah was named “Devorah” because “Devorah”
is the Hebrew word for a bee or wasp, and she had a sharp judicial sting; how
appropriate, Dorothy, for you as well.
Jewish
Universalist
In
addition to all that, Dorothy, you were a Jewish universalist. You fulfilled
the Torah’s instructions of “ואהבת לרעך כמוך Love your neighbor” and “ואהבתם את הגר Love the
stranger.”
You
loved your family, first and foremost your husband Saul, and your daughters
Yolanda and Lydia, and the grandchildren Jason and Justin, Ilan and Raphael.
You were always so proud of your grandsons; you never tired of telling me about
their exploits.
You loved
the Jewish people. You were so proud of your father’s role at the helm of the
Jewish community in South Africa. You were concerned for the welfare of Israel.
You weren’t a synagogue-goer, but you were proud that your husband Saul
attended the daily minyan at Sons of Israel. Jewish tradition mattered a great
deal to you, even if your practice was private rather than public.
And you loved
the world. You would have taken a more active role at the synagogue, but you
were too much the universalist, and too frustrated when you perceived
parochialism in others. You felt we should all be engaged in the world at
large. And you made sure that I practiced what you preached: In my first months
in Allentown you brought me to Keenan House to meet Robert Csandl, and to a
program held by the Allentown Human Relations Commission.
Closing:
Optimistic
And in
closing: Tonight is the holiday of Shavuos, a holiday that calls to mind a
lesson I learned from Devorah Meita bas Aharon Baruch, Dorothy Roth.
On
Shavuos we celebrate the Revelation at Sinai, when Gd gave the Torah to the
Jewish people. Presenting the Torah, a guidebook for life, was, for Gd, an act
of faith - It showed that Gd believed that the world needed direction, but that
we could listen, we could learn, we could redeem ourselves.
Dorothy lived her life by that lesson. On the one hand, you were gloomily disappointed with the world and its failings, but simultaneously, you were so sunnily optimistic that we could get it right. May we always live up to your example.