The Michael Jackson Tapes by Shmuley Boteach Page B

unhindered by the goblins of the past.
    Shmuley and I, who are launching this initiative tonight, are members of the Black and Jewish communities, both of which have confronted horrors and atrocities throughout our histories. How do our communities forgive the horrors done to us without forgetting them altogether? By remembering. We pass along our stories. But we also rise above those stories. In a
world filled with hate, we still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we still dare to believe.
    To all of you tonight who feel let down by your parents, I ask you to let down your disappointment. To all of you tonight who feel cheated by your fathers or mothers, I ask you not to cheat yourself further. And to all of you tonight who feel like telling their parents they can go to hell, I ask you tonight to extend your hand to them instead.
    For in the exchange of pain the accounts are never balanced. Vengeance cannot bring restitution. By forgiving our parents, we are not denying that they may have wronged us. We are not whitewashing their sins or creating saints of sinners. But harboring resentment against your parents will never give you the love you so crave. Getting even will not make our lives better. Perpetual pain, perpetual suffering, the cycle never ends. There is a Bakongo proverb that says, “To take revenge is to sacrifice oneself.” And friends, our generation has sacrificed and suffered enough.
    Rather, I am asking you, I am asking myself, to give our parents the gift of unconditional love so that they too may learn how to love from us, their children. So that love will finally be restored to a desolate and lonely world. Shmuley once mentioned to me an ancient Biblical prophecy which says that the time would come when “the hearts of the parents would be restored through the hearts of their children.” My friends, we are those children.
    Mahatma Gandhi said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Tonight, be strong. Beyond being strong, rise to the greatest challenge of all: to restore that broken covenant by teaching our parents how to love. We must all overcome whatever crippling effects our childhoods may have had on our lives, and in the words of Jesse Jackson, forgive each other, redeem each other, and move on.
    With the world press extolling his speech at Oxford and with his life making strides toward normalcy, things were looking up. Michael came
with me to synagogue and regularly attended Shabbat dinner. He seemed directed and content. He listened to what was being planned and what the purpose was, and he’d agree.
    There were also simple times when I witnessed Michael’s extremely moving acts of humility and kindness. A neighborhood friend asked me if he could bring his thirty-something brother with Down syndrome to meet Michael. Michael was one of his idols and the brother could even do the moon walk. Michael was focused on finishing his album but told me he could do a short meeting. The man arrived and sang some of Michael’s songs for us, did the moon walk, and in general imitated Michael on stage. Michael could not have been kinder to this special man with special needs.
    After the man departed with his family I thanked Michael for his kindness. “You did a very beautiful thing today,” I said. “I am truly grateful.”
    â€œNo Shmuley,” he replied. “You did me a favor by bringing him. I so enjoyed his company. I’m jealous of him.”
    â€œWhy would you say that, Michael?”
    â€œBecause he will never grow up. He will remain forever young and innocent. I envy him.”
    There were many stories like these, special acts of kindness granted by a soft and gentle human being who had a soft and gentle heart.
The End of Our Relationship
    As Michael become more motivated,