Discussion Questions
Part I
- Initial assessment: Who delivered this sermon? When?
- How was it communicated? Where was it communicated? How do you think this might have influenced the message?
- Who was the intended audience? How do you think that might have influenced the message?
- How does Rabbi Wax view Martin Luther King, Jr.? What in his sermon makes you say that?
- How are these views similar and/or different from those of other people Wax mentions in his sermon?
- What, according to Rabbi Wax, is God's will?
- What do you think Rabbi Wax's purpose is in giving this sermon?
- Why do you think it might have been harder for Rabbi Wax to give this sermon in Memphis than it would have been for a Northern rabbi to give this sermon?
Part II
- How do you think James Wax's experience and/or Jewish values influence his participation in the Civil Rights Movement? What makes you say that?
- How would you describe the role that Rabbi Wax played in the Civil Rights Movement?
- Do you think this is an appropriate role for a rabbi? Why or why not?
- Are there any current political/social issues on which you think rabbis today should take a stand? What kind of role would you want to see them take?