Dedicated l’iluy nishmas Matisyahu ben Henoch
Fund the Police
One of the most cited phrases in the Torah is found in the first sentences of this week’s reading: “justice, justice shall you pursue” [Deut. 16:20]. But this is not, despite what you may have read elsewhere, a license for each individual to elevate his or her own opinion of what is just and correct to a Biblical mandate. On the contrary, it is a demand that we follow the true Arbiter of right vs. wrong to the best of our ability.
This is proven by the fact that this exhortation is part of the Commandment found in the opening words of our reading: “Judges and Officers shall you place for yourselves, in all your gates which Hashem your G-d gives you for your tribes, and they shall judge the nation with righteous judgment” [16:18]. There are neutral laws given to us as part of Torah, and our duty is to follow them, not remake them in our own image.
The Torah teaches us profound insights into human nature. Though an expression of G-d’s Perfection, it simultaneously is written for human beings who are inherently imperfect. The Torah tells us this explicitly: even Moshe, G-d’s chosen messenger to teach His Torah to the People of Israel, is criticized for his wrongdoing.
And because the Torah recognizes our inevitable lack of perfection, it offers us tools to fight against our baser instincts, at both the individual and communal level. Ideally a person should internalize the Torah’s teaching, and control his or her own behavior without outside help. Seeing wrongdoing addressed at the communal level, in fact, helps us in our own internal battles, lest we earn for ourselves the punishments meted out to others. The existence of a system of justice not only protects us from those who wish to do us harm; it also protects us from ourselves.
The Mishnah says, in fact, that a court that gave the death penalty more than once in seven years was called “murderous.” This is true although the Torah has no shortage of sins punishable by death. This punishment was actualized very rarely, both because most people took the Torah very seriously and avoided even much more minor wrongdoing on their own, and because the judges observed the exhortation in the Chapters of the Fathers (1:6) to “judge every person favorably,” trying to find evidence and arguments to exonerate each defendant. But part of why these crimes were so rare is simply that we were told they were very serious, and, yes, the prospect of punishment did exist.
If we want to have justice, we must have judges and officers, both, and their authority must be respected. Seeing these models helps us to set up “judges”—education telling us what is right vs. wrong, and our own decision to do the right thing—along with “officers,” our own internal efforts to set up barriers to keep us away from wrong behavior, all within our own minds.
Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
The Spirtual Dimension of Work
See it at JewishAnswers.org
Question: I work with undergraduate students who are in the process of finding their first professional job after graduating college. One often unarticulated, but clearly present, issue for them is what one might call the spiritual dimension of work e.g. what it is all about besides a paycheck. Can you point me in the direction of any good books or sources on Jewish perceptions of the meaning of work or the spiritual value of work? Thank you.
Answer:
The Torah and the Talmud, with their commentaries, discuss the spiritual value of work in many places. Here are just a few:
Tractate Avot 1:10 says, “Love work..” The Commentary of the Tosfos Yom Tov points out that it says it’s the work that you should love and not the money. Even if you are independently wealthy you should still seek out a profession as the Talmud says in Ketubot 59b, “Inactivity leads to idiocy.” As human beings we must keep ourselves fulfilled, for otherwise our minds will atrophy.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, in his commentary on the Prayer Book, writes that this Avot 1:10 is counseling us to preserve our personal independence. When we are dependent we may do things that coincide with the views of those who support us and have more power than us. Work allows us to live by our own principles. This is based on the verse from Psalms 128:2,”When you eat the labor of your hands, you are praiseworthy, and it is well with you.” One is best off eating the labor of their own hands. In the Grace After Meals we say, “Please G-d, let us not be in need of the presents from flesh and blood.” We want our sustenance to be a direct result of our relationship with the Almighty (See below). Similarly, in Proverbs 15:27 King Solomon writes, “One who hates gifts shall live.” Also see the Talmud in Berachot 8a on the verse from Psalms 128:2 above.
When Laban attempted to stop Jacob and his family from leaving him, after Jacob had worked fourteen years for him, Jacob responded (Genesis 31:42), “G-d saw my wretchedness and the toil of my hands, so He admonished you last night.” The Midrash Tanchuma (Vayeitzai 13) comments, “This teaches us that a person shouldn’t say, “I will eat and drink, and see the good. I will not make an effort and from heaven they will have mercy.” When we show G-d that we are using the talents that He gave us, and not merely excusing ourselves and abusing His generosity to us, we are rewarded with His infinite kindness. The Midrash continues, “A man must toil and work with his two hands and the Holy One, Blessed is He, sends His blessing.”
Some other spiritual aspects to work – we sanctify G-d’s name when people in the professional world see the refinement that comes from a person who follows the Torah. Also, we gain a greater understanding of G-d’s world. If we make scientific discoveries we see the wisdom of the Creator, but even outside the laboratory we discover the wisdom G-d implanted in humanity. Finally, when we work a full week we have greater appreciation for the Sabbath, the Day of Rest.
If you would like to look into this further there are many commentaries on the piece in Tractate Avot quoted above. Some others in Avot are 2:2, and 3:21 (or 17 in some editions). I would suggest the Yalkut Me’am Loez on Avot, an anthology, which is also available in English.
If you have any more questions I’ll be glad to help, and good luck with your job counseling – the Divine service of helping our fellow human beings.
With Best Wishes,
Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
The Ribono shel Olam as Melech HaKavod
By Rabbi Moshe Eisemann
Hear it at TorahMedia.com
Rabbi Eisemann is a rebbe at the Ner Israel Talmudical College in Baltimore, Md. He is the author of the ArtScroll editions of Yechezkel, Divrei HaYamim and Iyov. He has also written books of commentaries and essays on holiday-related materials including, Lighting Up the Night; A Pearl in the Sand and Shelter Amongst the Shadows.
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