French Laundry

How dare you? I find myself shouting this with my internal voice, mostly when I am watching the news. My arrogance meter goes off, haughtiness induced indigestion sets in, and a superiority headache is launched.  Scoundrels seem to appear on the screen daily.

Joseph, the favored son of Jacob in Torah, was one such haughty character. He antagonized his brothers by boasting of his preferred status. He had no filter when it came to sharing dreams of his future leadership of the family.  The young Joseph is the kind of person we typically avoid.

Yet, we tend to downplay Joseph’s arrogance because he is a hero of the Torah for rescuing his family from famine in Canaan. The Joseph story tests our reaction to egotistical behavior from someone we otherwise admire.

When we happen upon scandalous behavior from less reputable leaders we are incensed. What is our reaction when someone we admire acts arrogantly? Here’s the most recent example. 

Governor Gavin Newsom of California has issued many dire warnings and imposed strict restrictions regarding social distancing in the current pandemic.  His credibility plummeted when pictures emerged recently of him dining at French Laundry, a restaurant some considered to be among the country’s best. Newsom’s “do as I say, not as I do” approach was arrogant. And he wasn’t the only one. The mayor of San Francisco was caught eating at French Laundry recently as well. How good that restaurant must be that prominent politicians are willing to risk their reputations for a meal! 

To whom should I be screaming “how dare you?” To the politicians who downplayed the dangers of Covid-19 and refused to advocate for social distancing and mask-wearing? Or to the politicians who were champions of safe practices but later flaunted their own guidance?

What I noticed about myself, and perhaps about human nature, is that we reserve our ire for those with whom we have fundamental disagreements and excuse those with whom we share values. I should be as angry about Governor Newsom’s actions as I am with Governor DeSantis of Florida or Brian Kemp of Georgia. But Newsom is a Joseph sort of character – he is ambitious, charismatic, and handsome. He is a well-spoken advocate for the people of California. Let’s hope he can get his arrogance under control so that his actions will speak louder than his words. And I’ll try to be more even-handed about my judgment of public figures. But in the meantime, Mario Cuomo, please stay home!

Rabbi Evan J. Krame