Leonard Nimoy: Still Dead

There's a lot of hate speech going around these days. Examples abound. Forget about Europe; it's here.

Did you see the tape from UCLA last week. The one where they disqualify a kid from serving on student council judicial review because she is Jewish? Here's the video : UCLA student council meeting

Or the in-fighting of the GOP? So now, we have a GOP congress and they still can't pass a bill without bashing each other. And POTUS. Better the TSA should shut down? 

Really, people, what are you smoking in the cloakroom?????

Wow. You can't even govern from within your own party. What do you think this tells ISIS and ISIL and all their little splinter group friends? That the US is prepared for terrorism? Hell no, folks! It's like waving a red flag. It's a Dave Berg cartoon gone wrong, "TERRORISTS, COME ON IN!" with a giant foam finger pointing at the front door. 

At least someone is willing to stand up to this nonsense. Let's talk about Barbara Boxer's rock'em, sock'em speech on the floor of the House on February 24th. Here's a highlight:

The Center for American Progress states it would cost more than $50 Billion to deport the entire population that the president is protecting.

And here's the deal - I've never heard of a Republican (and I will stand corrected if any Republican corrects me) I've never heard of a Republican complaining when President Eisenhower used his executive order power to help immigrants, when President Nixon did the same thing to protect immigrants, when President Ronald Reagan, their hero, protected immigrants, when George Bush Sr. protected immigrants, when George W. protected immigrants, they all used their authority.

Show me one Republican that stood up and said, 'Oh, this is outrageous! Let's impeach the president!' But it's President Obama. And they're annoyed because he won twice. Sorry. Sorry. Wake up and smell the roses. He IS the President. And he is doing the right thing for America, because he loves America. 

but if you haven't heard the whole speech, you should. 

But what's really got me all riled up today is total narishkeit. Today's NY DAILY NEWS, that august bastion of excellence in journalism, ran the CAPTAIN JERK cover. Folks, shouldn't you be writing about real news ....like how President Obama is really a patsy for sharia and isn't really a citizen anyway...you know, that kind of stuff? But no. You castigated William Shatner for honoring a commitment to host a charity event which meant he didn't make it back for Leonard Nimoy's funeral. 

Really? This is news?

MUPPET NEWS FLASH, NYDN: Leonard Nimoy is dead. There is no alien resurrection. There is no launching him into space so his capsule can land on the genesis planet. There is no second act, without or without a mind meld. Just like the Norwegian blue parrot...and my husband, for that matter....the man is dead.  Believe me when I say he will not notice Jim Kirk isn't at his funeral. 

Funerals are for the living. The prayers over the dead can be intoned with or without a crowd. You don't need anyone present to bury your dead except the grave guys. 

However, and in Judaism, there is always a "however," both Messrs. Nimoy and Shatner are Jews who come from fairly traditional backgrounds, one Orthodox, one Conservative. Which means both of them would understand the concept of sitting shiva and the shiva call. 

Now, the senior son was upset that Mr. Shatner missed the funeral, so I asked, "When dad died, do you remember who was at the funeral? Or do you remember who came to pay a shiva call while we were sitting?"

Being a presence in the aftermath is so much harder than being in a sea of faces at the funeral. Being present to make a minyan to allow a family to recite Kaddish is a great mitzvah. Being present to comfort the family while they are sitting shiva is a great mitzvah. Sure, it's good if you can go, but the shiva call is as important, if not more so. If you've ever sat, you understand. It's seeing the people you know, who know you, who knew you in that other life before death made a tear in your heart....that's important. 

Walking out on a charity event, even early, would be damaging to those in need to those dollars raised. Mr. Shatner was doing a mitzvah in helping to raise funds for the Red Cross. I am sure he was paid for his efforts, but that does not diminish the odd reality that his presence added value to the fundraising efforts. He finished for the living; there will be ample time to honor the dead. 

Allow me to illuminate with a midrash: 

You are planting a tree, and suddenly there is a commotion. You see the Messiah coming down the road, what should you do? Should you jump up and follow the Messiah....or should you finish planting the tree?   

The answer is to finish planting the tree. If you don't finish the job, the tree will die, whereas, the Messiah is going to be around for a long, long time. 

Life and the living always trump death. 

Castigating Mr. Shatner without knowing our traditions and observances regarding death is downright dumb. It's sensationalism at its most ridiculous and just plain evil in how it spreads lashon ha'rah...evil speech. Had he vacated his commitment or left early, he would've been damned for that, too. So just knock it off and leave the guy alone. He did the right thing. 

In an interview, Leonard Nimoy once said he thought it was funny how, when people gave the Vulcan salute, they were really blessing each other with the sign of the priests, the Cohanim, the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. I wonder how many would stop doing it if they figured out it was a "Jewish" thing. 

May Leonard Nimoy's memory always be for a blessing.

The Wifely Person's Tip of the Week

Each time you quote Mr. Spock,

please remember you are actually quoting a screenwriter.