Rabbi Ruhi Sophia at the Oregon Senate: Good-faith arguments are holy

Presenter: The Oregon Senate opens with an invocation Feb. 25. Senate President Rob Wagner:

Sen. Rob Wagner: It is our pleasure this morning for our invocation to welcome Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein of Temple Beth Israel from Eugene, Oregon. Thank you so much for joining us. 

Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein: Thank you, President Wagner. Thank you to Senator Manning for inviting me and to all of you for your service. I’m honored to be here.

As we gather in this hall where great disputes about the present and future of the State of Oregon take place, I want to offer our legislators the wisdom of Pirkei Avot, the ancient Jewish writings, Ethics of the Fathers, 5:17:

‘It is taught every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven will in the end endure; but one that is not for the sake of Heaven will not endure.’

Dispute in the service of the goal of ultimate truth is not only acceptable, it is sacred. We might disagree about how to address abuses of power, about how to protect the most vulnerable among us, or how to ensure the well-being of all inhabitants of our state. 

Those good-faith arguments are holy. It is only dispute that denies those responsibilities or serves as self-aggrandizement that is a desecration.

So may all those who gather here to do the work of governing this beautiful state be blessed with constructive conflicts, dispute for the sake of truth; may they challenge each other and be challenged by each other to be ever more wise, deliberate, and compassionate, and may they rigorously seek the common good for all citizens and inhabitants of the state of Oregon.

By your many sacred names, amen.

Presenter: Rabbi Ruhi from Eugene’s Temple Beth Israel offers the invocation Wednesday at the Oregon Senate.