The Stolen Beam

In the time of Jesus there were two famous Rabbis (Shammai and Hillel) that had huge followings. These two Rabbis often debated hot topics, like whether to pay taxes to Caesar and whether a divorced person could remarry (Jesus was asked to weigh in on these topics, if you will recall).

There was another debate that these two Rabbis had that we get to listen in on today. Think of it as a parable, like one that Jesus would teach, to help us think about race in America. This summary comes from Rabbi Sharon Brous’s remarkable sermon “Our Country was Built on a Stolen Beam”:

In the Talmud (Gittin 55a), there is a dispute between Rabbis: what ought we do if a house, maybe even a beautiful palace, is built on the foundation of marish hagazul—a stolen beam? Shammai argues: we must tear down the house to retrieve the beam and return it to its rightful owner. You canʼt build something beautiful on a lie. But Hillel has a different take. What sense does it make to demolish the palace? Let the thief pay for the beam, considering its full value as the foundation of a beautiful home. Both Rabbis insist that something must be done to rectify the injury. That is the only way for justice to be served.

According to Biblical law (Lev 5:21-24), stolen property itself must be returned, along with punitive damages. Remember, between Shammai (the extremist) and Hillel (the pragmatist) neither said that you can pretend, generation after generation, that the beam wasnʼt stolen, continuing to reap profit off the criminal act at the foundation of whatʼs been built. That would be willful ignorance. No, that beam is the elephant in the palace. To refuse to acknowledge its presence is to engage in a dangerous game of denialism, which ultimately threatens the legitimacy of the whole house.

I love this country. But our [economy] was built on a rotten foundation, and weʼve never made it right. Our country was built on a stolen beam. Except it was several million stolen beams. And they werenʼt beams, they were human beings. The palace they built was magnificent, but they have not yet been paid for their labor. Or thanked. Or fully invited to a seat at the dining room table.

As you seek to follow the Rabbi Jesus today, what is he saying to you about what to do about our nation building this great country on the stolen beam of African slaves? Are there ways you might pray about this or learn more about this or lament this?