Rabbi's Blog

Judaism's demand for a just and compassionate society is more relevant than ever. Last week, in Parashat Yitro we read the 10 Commandments. In Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18), the Torah shifts from that grand, awe-inspiring revelation at Sinai to the everyday realities of a just society. Parashat Mishpatim is filled with civil laws governing property, justice, ethical conduct, and responsibility. Here the message comes home that Judaism is more about deed than creed. It's not just about lofty ideals and peak experiences, but about how we treat one another in our everyday life.

We might ask – why preserve a law code over 3000 years old, some of which is not relevant or acceptable to us today? (like slavery, or "an eye for an eye" - which the rabbis long ago reinterpreted to mean paying damages to someone injured). It may be ancient, but there are numerous laws in this portion whose essential message has stood the test of time, forming the righteous and compassionate values at the foundation of Judaism.

• You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.  ("Stranger" means a foreigner, a refugee, someone not in their homeland)
• You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan (aka the most vulnerable of society). If you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me, and My anger shall blaze forth…
• If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, do not act toward them as a creditor; exact no interest from them.
• If you take your neighbor’s garment in pledge, you must return it before the sun sets; it is the only available clothing. In what else shall they sleep? If they cry out to Me, I will pay heed, for I am compassionate.
• You shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty— (and treat everyone equally before the law).
• When you encounter your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering, you must take it back. When you see the donkey of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless help raise it.
• You shall not subvert the rights of the needy in their disputes.
• Keep far from a false charge…  Do not take bribes…
• This parasha also teaches us to let the land rest with the Sabbatical year, and to give every worker a day off on Shabbat.
• And again: You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.  

The commandment to care for the stranger is repeated no less than 36 times throughout the Torah, forming a foundation of Jewish morality. Rabbi Shai Held: The prohibition against oppressing the stranger “is so often cited that it’s easy to miss just how radical and non-obvious it is. The Torah could have responded quite differently to the experience of oppression in Egypt. It could have said, Since you were tyrannized and exploited and no one did anything to help you, you don’t owe anything to anyone…But it chooses the opposite path: Since you were exploited and oppressed, you must never be among the exploiters and degraders. You must remember what it feels like to be a stranger.” (The Heart of Torah, Vol. 1)

Alan Budman, President of the Conservative Movement's Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (a very centrist Jewish voice), wrote this week:

“Our tradition calls upon us to not only study Torah but to live it—to be a light unto the nations and to pursue justice in all that we do. . . we recognize that silence in the face of injustice is not an option. Our Jewish values demand that we speak out, that we bear witness, and that we stand alongside those in need. Whether responding to historic moments, major world events, or the struggles of the marginalized, we affirm our commitment to Tzedek (justice), Rachamim (compassion) and achrayut (responsibility). We do this for the sake of our shared humanity, upholding our sacred obligation to repair the world—tikkun olam.”

Jewish tradition is pretty clear: We are not off the hook when it comes to a just society. The Torah demands that we are our brothers keeper (Genesis 4 ) that we not turn away from suffering (Deut. 22) and that we don’t follow a crowd bent on doing the wrong thing (Exodus 23). As the Talmud teaches, “Silence is akin to consent” (Bava Metzia 37b). If we can protest but we don’t, we are complicit (Shabbat 54b). Or in the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, 20^th century great: “in a free society, some are guilty but all are responsible.”

Seaside lists among our key values: “Tikun Olam (repair of the world) - The pursuit of social justice is a universal obligation; members of Seaside see this as a primary expression of Jewish religious life. The ethical mandate of Judaism is a community responsibility.”  And as we learned on recent High Holy Days: Rabbi Tarfon said, “It is not up to you to complete the work but neighter are you free to desist from it.” (Pirke Avor 2:16) And as Hillel asked, “If not now, when?

Consider: How is Parashat Mishpatim speaking to you at this moment? What are your ways of becoming involved? (we discussed this in our customary open discussion at services).

--From my Devar Torah (Torah words, sermon), February 21, 2025