Unhewn Stones and Gun Violence
"ARE YOU SAFE? WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU ALONE? GUYS I'M SO FUCKING SCARED. HEY COME ON SWEETHEART - I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ANY GUNSHOTS? PLEASE STAY SAFE."
These and many more messages -- real texts, sent in the midst of an on-campus shooting earlier this week at the University of North Carolina -- were published together in a striking cover image of the student newspaper, The Daily Tarheel. Sadly, this killing of a faculty member at UNC was far from the only deadly shooting in the U.S. this week; other shootings happened locally (in neighborhoods like Lake City, Capitol Hill and Belltown) and also on the far side of the country (including the shooting in Jacksonville, which felt particularly horrific because it was racially motivated). While homicides garner more media attention, data shows that suicides actually account for the majority of gun deaths in this country. Easy access to lethal weapons and a dearth of sensible gun legislation makes the United States an outlier with regard to gun violence of all kinds.
This week, perhaps because this topic was already at the forefront of my mind, I stumbled across an important nugget of Torah that I think is germane to our national conversation about gun violence.
In our Torah portion, Parashat Ki Tavo, Moses instructs the Israelites that when they eventually cross over to the other side of the Jordan, they should build an altar out of stone. "Do not wield an iron tool over them," the text reads; "you must build the altar of Adonai your God of unhewn stones" (Deut. 27:5-6). This is not the first time that the Torah has given a command like this. In Exodus 20:22, God had instructed, similarly (albeit in slightly different language): "And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it of hewn stones; for by wielding your tool upon them you have profaned them."
Commentators throughout the generations have wondered: What is so problematic about iron tools? Why is it so important to build an altar of unhewn (literally: "whole" or "complete") stones? While there are many different interpretations and explanations, I am drawn this week to the answer offered by medieval Torah scholar Moses ben Nachman (a.k.a. Nachmanides or Ramban, 1194-1270). He writes:
"According to our Rabbis, the reason for the commandment [against building an altar of stones which have been touched by iron] is the glorification of the altar: [It is not right] that that which shortens life [i.e., iron] is to be lifted up against that which prolongs life. ... I say that the reason for the commandment is that a sword is made out of iron and is the destroyer of the world. In fact, this is why it is called cherev (sword) [which is of the same root as churban (destruction)]... It was for this reason that there was no iron in the Tabernacle, for even its pins, which would have been better if made of iron, were made of copper."
Ramban's explanation is that -- because iron can be used as a weapon to threaten human life -- it has no place, even as a helpful tool (like a chisel or a pin) in the building of an altar or in the mishkan itself. He is well aware that the words "whole stones" ("avanim shleimot") in our verse are not taken literally to mean uncut stones; there is an old midrashic tradition that a worm called the shamir could, in fact, cut/eat through stone and this was how the stones used to build Solomon's Temple were cut to size. But, he argues that when we build holy places, we should go to great lengths to avoid symbols like iron pins that even hint at violence, weaponry or potential harm to human beings. Keeping potential weapons far away from our holy places helps us orient ourselves towards shleimut (peace, wholeness, completion).
Parashat Ki Tavo is always read during the month of Elul, in this window of time leading us towards the High Holidays when we're taking stock of our lives and our communities and beginning to realign our priorities. In this season of this particular year (2023/5783), we would do well to take Ramban's commentary about the construction of the altar to heart and apply its principles to the crisis of gun violence in our country. We must believe that where there is a will, there is a way to create policies that safeguard lives by keeping potential weapons (particularly the most dangerous ones) out of the hands of those who would use them to harm themselves or others. There are many real obstacles to sensible legislation -- the gun lobby, cries for individual rights, etc. -- but with each shooting, messages like the texts of terrified UNC students and staff are penetrating the national consciousness more and more deeply. The generation of our nation's children, who have grown up with lock-down drills, absolutely "get it." If you're interested in making a difference, so many organizations doing important work in this arena would love your financial support (The Alliance for Gun Responsibility here in Washington State, Everytown for Gun Safety, Sandy Hook Promise, and Giffords Law Center, just to name a few), or I encourage you to check out the learning resources offered through Jewish organizations like the Religious Action Center and the National Council of Jewish Women.
A few years ago, one of the churches in Queen Anne that Kavana partners with hosted a program called "Guns to Garden Tools," bringing in an artisan to help their community take items that were once used for violence and transform them into instruments that cultivate peace. This was an embodiment of the prophetic words of Isaiah 2:4 (the "lo yisa goy" verse): "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks." I love this image of planting gardens with tools that were formerly weapons... somehow it seems to take Ramban's idea that iron must be shunned and instead grant the materials of violence the power of teshuva/change.
May this Shabbat be one of comfort and healing... for the families of this week's victims of gun violence, and for our whole society, which has grown too numb to the assaults that happen so frequently that this was "just another week in America." I pray that -- inspired by Torah -- we will find the power and courage we need in order to speak with a moral voice and make change happen in our society. Just as our ancestors once built altars free of iron tools and hewn stones, so too may we continue to build our society in ways that ensure that all are safe from the weapons of our day.
Wishing us all a year of peace and wholeness, as we work together to build a world in which students can go back to school without fear of campus violence,
Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum
