Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Jewish Tradition on Rosh Hashanah

Simmie Knox, under commission of the United States Supreme Court / Public domain

I was originally planning to write a blog post sharing the new interview that I did with Samantha Cutrara, on my research on Jewish women and cultural traditions, especially around food (more on this below). But I’ve also been troubled by the news coverage and responses to death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. So I ended up writing a Twitter thread, about it, and I decided to share what I wrote over here. Also because, for reasons(?), it got all out of order on Twitter.

Some caveats as usual: First, I am Canadian, rather than American. So while I am a great admirer of her work, I am not under the auspices of American laws. Second, Canadian and American Jewish culture are not the same, though what I am speaking of is generally considered true in both. Third, I am not a rabbi or an expert in Jewish theology. I am a historian of Canada, with expertise on gender and ethnicity. And finally, I am sharing this information with no rancor for those with good intentions. One of Justice Ginsburg’s greatest strengths was her ability to find common ground with people who had different views than she did, so this information is shared in this spirit.

First of all, Justice Ginsburg was Jewish. I can’t repeat this enough. It is troubling to see her ethnic identity erased in discussions of her life. If her Jewish heritage is mentioned at all, it is only in reference to her parents. It is important to keep in mind that Jewishness is an ethnicity, a religion, and a culture. And while her relationship to the religion was at times ambivalent, Justice Ginsburg’s Jewishness was fundamental to her work. She spoke about how she was inspired by the Jewish commandment, Tikkun Olam, or repair the world. I like to interpret this as leaving the world better than you found this. As she said,

“My room has the only mezuzah in the U.S. Supreme Court,” she said, noting that “growing up Jewish, the concept of tikkun olam, repairing tears in the community and making things better for people less fortunate, was part of my heritage. The Jews are the people of the book and learning is prized above all else. I am lucky to have that heritage.” https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/in-jerusalem-ruth-bader-ginsburg-celebrates-her-commitment-to-tikkun-olam/

This was central to Justice Ginsburg’s social justice work.

Second, the date of her death is significant. As others have noted,

According to Jewish tradition, a person who dies on Rosh Hashanah, which began tonight, is a tzaddik, a person of great righteousness. Baruch Dayan HaEmet.

— Ruth Franklin (@ruth_franklin) September 19, 2020

And what’s more,

A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment bc they were needed most & were the most righteous. And so it was that #RBG died as the sun was setting last night marking the beginning of RoshHashanah

— Nina Totenberg (@NinaTotenberg) September 19, 2020

This is also true for those who die on Shabbat. So the fact that she died on the first night of Rosh Hashanah and on Shabbat is doubly significant and extremely meaningful for all Jews.

Third, it is important that we recognize that Jewish mourning rituals are not the same as Christian mourning rituals. We do not say Rest In Peace, and Jews do not believe in heaven. Instead, we say alav/aleha hashalom, which means “peace be upon him/her,” or zikhrono/zikhronah livrakha, meaning “May his/her memory be a blessing.” You can also say, zekher tzadik livrakhah “May the memory of this righteous one be a blessing.” We also do not leave flowers as memorials or on graves. We leave stones instead. There are lots of different explanations, but my favourite is that a stone is an enduring and visible symbol that says, I was here, you are remembered.

One of the most important aspects of Jewish mourning rituals is the shiva, a seven-day period where we honour our lost loves ones by comfort their close relatives. We tell happy stories to remember and celebrate their lives. During holidays like Rosh Hashanah, the shiva is annulled, because the holiday’s religious observance is considered a substitute. Also, in Jewish tradition, celebrations of life must always take precedence over death.

So all of this is to say that I think all of the memorials I’ve seen are lovely and I take them in the spirit they are given. But I would also encourage you take a moment to learn about Jewish customs as one way to honour Justice Ginsburg. Tell stories of her accomplishments. Celebrate her life. Comfort her family. And perhaps build on her legacy by committing to do what you can to make the world a better and more just place.

So I say to you all, L’shana tova, May you all have a sweet new year and a kinder world.

Special thanks to .@DrSCutrara and .@NHenryFundi for sending me the quotes in this thread.

If you want to learn more about Jewish culture, Jewish food traditions in Canada, and the important role that Jewish women play in cultural transmission, you can check out the interview I did hear!

Liked this post? Please take a second to support Unwritten Histories on Patreon!