Malaysia Flight 370 and a Purim Message - sermon on erev purim 5774

I would like to begin with an email dated Tuesday January 14th, 2014. Andy, a jewish business traveler sends an email to his observant travel agent asking him to book him flights on the following days:
Mar 1 - Sydney - Hong Kong,  Mar 3 Hong Kong - Kuala, Mar 8 Kuala - Beijing, Mar 12 Vietnam - Melbourne.
The agent sends Andy back an itinerary with one change. Instead of booking him on the Saturday March 8 Kuala - Beijing flight, he instead suggests the Friday March 7 Kuala - Beijing flight.
Andy writes back and says he needs the extra day in Kuala so he needs to fly out on Saturday.
The agent responds: "I wish I could give you a day later, but you know I just don't like flying jews on Shabbat." The agent says that he can take out that leg and Andy will book it himself and he will subtract the commission.
A few hours later, Andy writes back, "I reconsidered, you are right I should be more observant, I'll manage without the extra day in Kuala."
Now that Andy was going to be in Beijing for Friday, he asks the agent if he knows where Andy can get a good Friday Night Dinner.
The agent writes back and provides a link to Chabad in Beijing for Friday night dinner!
This would have been the end of the story if not for the tragic event from last shabbat when Malaysia Flight 370 (the one Andy should have been on) disappeared.
After Andy found out about it, he sent the following email to his agent:
"Holy God,
You sure heard what happened to MH370. I cannot stop thinking about this. This is a true miracle for the books. You are a true life saver..."
The agent writes back: "I am not a life savor. God and Shabbat were your life savers. You owe them something." (the full email exchange can be found on Dans Deals Blog).

Now if anyone here is inspired by this story and motivated to observe shabbat on a higher level, wonderful! Please do not listen to the rest of the sermon for I am going to poke holes in the lesson that many are trying to learn from this story. In fact, if you want to leave, I am sure there is a good kiddush club going on outside and I promise I will not be insulted!

I actually have three problems with the story (or at least the way it is already being used).
#1 - What about the 239 people who are missing? Were they not sufficiently ethical or spiritual to warrant God's protection? What about the 9 children and the two 2-year olds. Did those two-year olds do something or not do something that made them not warrant G-d's protection? If one of those victims has a parent or child in this room right now, would any of us feel comfortable saying over the story with glee talking about the protective nature of keeping shabbat?
When Rav Ahron Lichtenstein, the Rosh Hayeshiva of Gush, heard people telling stories after 9/11 about how some jew decided to go to minyan that morning and therefore missed his train and then got to work at the twin towers late and was saved, Rav Ahron Lichtenstein was upset. He said that people who tell these stories are "pogeah bemalchus shamayim" (diminishing G-d's Kingdom). Who are we to claim that we understand the ways of the Divine. We cannot understand the mystery behind "Mi Yichye U'Mi Yamus" (Who will live and who will die). We cannot explain G-d's ways and there is something theologically troubling about trying to do this.

#2 - What if the story with Andy and the travel agent would have been exactly the same except one detail. What if Andy had asked to fly on shabbat, the agent asked him to change to Friday, Andy agrees, he flies on Friday and then whatever mysterious thing happened to the plane on Saturday, what if it would have happened on Friday? What if Andy would have died because he was trying to keep shabbat? First of all, I promise you all of the Jewish kiruv groups would not be sending around the story.
But if we heard about it, what would we say. Would we say, "this is a proof we should not keep shabbat?" Of course not. Then we should not say that the reason Andy lived was because G-d was protecting him.

#3 - My greatest concern with the way the story is being used is that I think it is against Jewish philosophy. Let me cite an example from the Purim Story. The Gemara (Shabbat 88b) says that in the days of Mordechai and Esther, the jews reaccepted the Torah. The gemara asks, what was wrong with the first acceptance at Mount Sinai that the jews had to reaccept the torah? The gemara says that at Sinai, כפה עליהם הר כגיגית - God lifted up the mountain over the jews and said, "If you accept the Torah, wonderful. If not, here will be your grave." I understand the image of the mountain over their heads to be a metaphor of the first Torah. It was a Torah that if you followed it, the reward was immediate. You would continue to receive Manna in the desert, clouds of glory and fire to protect you, easy conquer of the land and then guaranteed produce from the land.
The problem with this acceptance is that it didn't work. Over time, after the jews entered the land, they sometimes felt like G-d wasn't protecting them and that G-d was not providing them with produce. Since their primary motive for following G-d's commandments was to have G-d's protection and blessing, when they felt it was not coming, they ran to other gods. This is the history of the first temple.
Then at the beginning of the 2nd temple period, we have the purim story. G-d is not mentioned even once in the Megilah. God's protection is not immediate and obvious. Yet the jews choose to see G-d behind the text, behind the narrative and to follow G-d's commands not because of immediate reward but because of the relationship with G-d and the beauty of the mitzvah itself. This is the re-acceptance of the Torah which lasts until today. If I keep shabbat because of what happened to Andy, what happens when I find out about the family that was killed by a car when they were walking to shul on shabbat?

Let me quote one more source to illustrate my point.
Maimonides in the Laws of Mezuzah discusses a medieval practice that had developed in his time. People were seeing the mezuzah as a protection for their homes. I think we are familiar with this thinking. If a family experiences a series of medical related issues, the first thing they do is check their mezuzot.
In the times of the Rambam (Maimonides) people were actually inserting verses that talked about Divine protection in the mezuza. Maimonides was not happy. He said:
"אבל אלו שכותבין מבפנים שמות המלאכים, או שמות קדושים, או פסוק, או חותמות, הרי הן בכלל מי שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא. שאלו הטיפשים, לא די להן שביטלו המצווה. אלא שעושין מצווה גדולה, שהיא ייחוד שמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ואהבתו ועבודתו, כאילו הוא קמיע להנית עצמןם.

Those people who write names of angels or holy names, or a posuk, or symbols on the inside [of the mezuzah] do not have a share in the world to come. For these fools, not only nullify the mitzvah but they take this wonderful mitzvah of unifying God's name, and loving G-d and serving him, into an amulet for their own benefit...

This is what I call "The Amulet theory of Torah and Mitzvot." Keep Shabbat because G-d will make sure you are not on that flight. Give Tzedaka because G-d will make you rich. Make sure your mezuzot are kosher so that the people in the house will be healthy.
I am not saying it doesn't help. I have no idea. But this is certainly not why we are supposed to do Mitzvot. The Mishna in Avot says, שכר מצוה, מצוה. What is the reward for a mitzvah? Another mitzvah or some explain, the mitzvah itself. Why do I keep shabbat? Because it spiritually connects me to G-d, to my family and to myself. Why do I give tzedaka? Because it is the right thing to do and everyone deserves to live in dignity. Why do I have a mezuza? To literally frame every action in my home with the principles of the shema, of torah and Jewish values. The reward for the mitzvah is the mitzvah itself.

Another story that people like to quote who advocate "The Amulet Theory" is the story of Rose Goldstein. Rose worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on the lower east side 103 years ago. Rose gave up her job the day before the fire because she refused to work on shabbat. She lost her job but she survived. The story is powerful but we have to remember that Rose didnt keep shabbat because she thought it would save her.
For every Rose, there were thousands of Jews on the lower east side, who sacrificed careers, promotions and financial security in order to keep shabbos. These jews lived and many of them died in poverty because of shabbat. They were never saved from a fire and never benefited financially from their sacrifice. They did it because it was the right thing to do. They did it because of what it did for themselves and their families. Without those people, we might not have shabbat in America. שכר מצוה, מצוה. The reward for the mitzvah is the mitzvah itself.

Looking back at the story of Andy, I am also inspired but by a different part of the story. I am inspired by the travel agent. How many thousands of dollars has he given up because of his principles. He believes in Shabbat and wants to share that passion with others. He didn't do it in a condescending or demeaning way. He said, "This is something I believe in. here is the info if you want to make your own ticket." He opened up a conversation with Andy which cost him money but eventually opened up the door to Andy to decide to keep shabbos. The travel agent didnt it do it to make money or fame (he does not even want anyone to know his identity). This is שכר מצוה, מצוה doing a mitzvah for the mitzvah itself.

As we read the megilah tonight, let us all remember this lesson. Let us try to reaccept the Torah in such a way that we are not expecting reward or protection. We perform mitzvot because of the beautiful way that they enhance our life and deepen our relationship with G-d.
And of course, let us pray that against all odds, the victims on Malaysia Flight 370 return safely to their homes to be reunited with their families.
Shabbat Shalom!