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A Jewish farewell to a truly righteous man
Rabbi Dr. Byron Sherwin
Psalm 92 is the Psalm for the Sabbath Day, and today we remember and mourn our friend, our brother, our Cardinal, who has gone to olom she-kulo shabbat, to the eternal world of Sabbath peace. A verse in that Psalm tells us that "the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon."
About this verse a rabbi once asked: Why is the righteous person compared to two such different types of trees? The cedar tree is upright, providing shade only to itself, while the palm tree has long drooping leaves that provide shade to others. The rabbi thought for a while and answered. This is because there are two types of righteous people. Some righteous people are like the cedar tree, in that they give shade, nurture and care, only to their own - only to those who are close to them, only to those immediately within their own orbit of care and responsibility. And, some righteous people are like the palm tree, reaching out to those who are outside the orbit of their own immediate community. And then, the rabbi said: It is rare to find either kind of truly righteous person. But, it is exceedingly rare to find the completely and perfectly righteous person who cares both for his or her own, and who also cares for others as well.
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin was this very rare type of perfectly righteous person. He cared for those whom he shepherded in the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, for those who were most close to his immediate orbit of responsibility. Indeed, he gave of his gracious and courageous self to all those, throughout the world, who affirmed the faith and the Church that he loved so well and to which he committed all of his being. And yet, like the palm tree, he reached out as well to others, beyond the orbit of his own faith community.
We, in the Jewish community, have been the beneficiaries of Cardinal Bernardin's achievement in being the perfectly righteous man, in being a jewel from God's treasure chest. He reached out to us with the words of the biblical Joseph which were the same words spoken by Pope John XXIII to the Jewish community. The words: I am Joseph, your brother. Our brother, he was. Our friend, he was. Throughout his life, our defender he was as well. Attacking and condemning prejudice and anti-Semitism in all its forms, while affirming the fraternal links between our two faiths, and our two faith communities.
When we were together in Israel we went to Yad Va Shem, the national memorial to the Holocaust. The Cardinal was shaken and deeply moved by what he saw there. Later that day, we discussed that visit and I said to him, "Had there been more people like you there and then - during the Holocaust, there would be more people like me, more Jews, alive today."
The Talmud tells us that there are three crowns, the crown of learning, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty - but that the keter shem tov, the crown of a good name exceeds them all. Our cardinal wore these three crowns. He was a learned man, a priest, and a prince of the church. But what he bequeathed to us is the legacy of his good name, his good deed, his good self.
When the people of Israel were liberated from Egyptian bondage to begin their sojourn to the promised land, the remains of Joseph accompanied them on their journey. For us, the remains, namely the spiritual legacy of our brother Joseph, will now accompany us as we journey towards the promised land, which is complete redemption of humankind.
We are profoundly saddened by our loss, and yet we are strengthened by our memories of him to continue the work we began together - the work of bringing reconciliation, of combating hatred, of amplifying love, and of accelerating the process of redemption and of peace. The earthly tasks that he initiated are now ours to continue.
In our tradition, the biblical Joseph is called Yosef ha-Tzaddik, Joseph the righteous. Such a righteous person was our brother Joseph, Yosef - zekher tzaddik la-verakhah, Joseph, the righteous, may his memory be for all a blessing. May all those whom he loved, and may all those who loved him, find comfort and inspiration in the great work of art that was his life of beauty, meaning and holiness.
Thank you for the gracious and generous eminence of your being. Rest in peace, Joseph, our brother, our friend. Rest in peace. Shalom.
Rabbi Dr.Byron Sherwin, from Spertus College in Chicago, presented this tribute at "A Jewish Farewell," the Memorial Service in the Chicago Cathedral the day before Cardinal Bernardin's funeral.
Joseph Bernardin, Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, died on November 14, 1996. His memory is honored with gratitude by SIDIC for his life of faith and service, and particularly for his commitment to furthering relations between the Church and the Jewish people.
“I am Joseph, your brother.” I sincerely believe this both from personal relationships and from theological truth. I have tried, as a brother, first to listen to my Jewish friends. From this I have deepened my appreciation for the Jewishness of Jesus, my Savior. And I have also been able to speak of the genuine love that the Catholic church has for the Jewish community. If any of this has helped to heal past resentment and division, I am grateful.”
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
Cardinal Bernardin (was) a most respected and effective voice proclaiming this new way in which Judaism and Christianity, Jews and Christians, can meet, listen to each other and learn to live side by side in friendship and peace.
Rabbi Herman Schaalman
