NOW IT WAS
ON THE MORROW: MOSHE SAT TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE

AND THE PEOPLE STOOD
BEFORE MOSHE

FROM DAYBREAK UNTIL
SUNSET.

WHEN MOSHE'S FATHER-IN-LAW SAW ALL THAT HE HAD TO DO FOR THE
PEOPLE, HE SAID: WHAT KIND OF MATTER IS THIS THAT YOU DO FOR THE PEOPLE?

WHY DO YOU SIT ALONE,

WHILE THE ENTIRE PEOPLE STATIONS ITSELF

AROUND YOU FROM DAYBREAK UNTIL SUNSET?

The Judge Can Judge Only
By What He Sees

… From the text, it seems
that originally Moshe Rabeinu did not intend to appoint an administrative
system for the nation; he had intended that the nation be led by divine
inspiration which would reach the nation through him – through the man whom God
"knew face to face". He had tried to implement such a
system. We read that he sat "from morning to evening", and,
employing the holy spirit which was within him – dispensed justice.

But later he learned from his
gentile father in law, who had come close to the God of Israel, that even
leadership according to the word of God requires human tools and devices, which
derive from the powers and the talents latent in men themselves. Therefore,
mortals are appointed to administer and to judge people; true, they must meet
high standards – "capable men who fear God, trustworthy men who spurn
ill-gotten gain" – qualities rare, but human. What is not
demanded of them? Presence of divine inspiration.

This being so,
administration and judgement according to the Torah are deposited in the hands
of mortals, who act according to their knowledge and comprehension of
God's Torah and out of desire to observe and preserve this Torah.

 (Y. Leibowitz: Remarks on the Weekly
Parasha, p. 50)

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND
YOUR FATHER –

THAT YOU MAY HAVE A LONG
LIFE

Saul Davis

The
Ten Commandments are divided into two parts: The first part includes those
commandments "between man and the Omnipresent", the second, those "between
man and his fellow". At the point of conjunction between the two groups,
we find the fifth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother"
(Shemot
20:12). As a rule, the Torah
does not specify the reward or the punishment for observance or non-observance
of commandments. Such is not the case with this commandment. The Torah records
that which seems to be reward for observance of this mitzvah: "in order that your days may be prolonged on the soil that the Lord your
God is giving you." Respect for parents merits longevity. In the
Sefer Devarim reiteration of the Ten Commandments, additional reward is
promised: "in order that it may go well with you" (Devarim 5:16). In a conference dealing with social
security and, primarily, with old age pensions, in which I participated, I was
asked (in my role as kipah-wearer): Why does the Torah tie respect
for parents to longevity? After some thought (and consultation with my
wife), I discovered a possible answer to this question.

Understanding a number of basic principles is essential to
the answer.

Chazal
asked (Bavli,
Kiddushin 31b) "What
constitutes "kibbud" ("honor"), as is written: "Honor your father and your mother?" The answer given is: "Feeds, gives to
drink, dresses, covers, brings in and takes out" – in other words, the
son/daughter worries about the physical needs and daily welfare of the
parents.

The noted Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura,
researched child development. He, and others, developed the theory of social
learning. According to Bandura, a child learns to behave by study and
observation of the society in which he lives. The primary models in the child's
environment are its parents. The parents also reinforce what they perceive to
be the child's positive behavior. Other psychologists stress the importance of
the social environment for the child in additional to the importance of the
parents. As is well known, a person's properties (actually, the properties of anything)
are affected by both heredity and environmental factors.

"Woe to the evildoer, woe to his neighbor;
good for the tzaddik, good for his neighbor" (Midrash
Tanchuma, Parashat Korach, 8; Rashi on Korach (Bemidbar 16:1), and others). Chazal,
too, recognized the importance of the environment, and its great influence upon
his behavior. For example:

1.     Regarding Noah
it is written (Bereishit 6:9): "Noah was a righteous, wholehearted man in
his generation" Rashi, following the midrash (Bereishit Rabba
30:6), brings two opinions regarding the degree of Noah's 'righteousness"
: "… laudatory – had he lived in a generation of righteous people, he
would have been even a greater tzaddik…,
deprecatory
– in his generation he was considered a tzaddik; had he lived in the
generation of Avraham he would have been considered as nothing." Both
views recognize the mutual influences between man and society – they differ
only in their evaluation of whether Noah's righteousness would have stood out
among tzaddikim.

2.     Lot endangered
his life in order to offer the two angels hospitality, but this was not the
reason he and his family were spared when the town was destroyed. A midrash agaddah
(Bereishit 19:16) states: Because when Avraham went
about in Egypt, Lot did not reveal Avraham's secret, as is written (regarding
his wife in Bereishit 12:13) 'She is my sister' – therefore The
Holy One, Blessed Be He, had mercy upon him, and saved him." For Lot, who
had lived many years with Avraham, hospitality was taken for granted, as Rashi
– commenting on the Sodom story – said, "From
Avraham's home he learned to seek out guests" (Bereishit Rabba). Hospitality was so great a value for Lot, that he
was even willing to endanger himself for its sake. On the other hand, not to
inform on Avraham and benefit thereby, as Avraham had benefited ("that
it may go well with me – (Bereishit 12:13 – and Rashi remarks "They
will give me gifts"), this made very difficult demands upon Lot, and
therefore he was worthy of praise and reward.

In the light of this, one can understand the words "in
order that your days may be prolonged ("and
that it may go well with you") following the commandment "Honor
your father and your mother". Our children will note our behavior towards the
previous generation – for better and for worse. To the degree which we show
concern for our parents' welfare, our children will learn – through social
learning and personal example – the importance of honoring parents, and how, in
practice, to do so; as a result, our children, when the time arrives, will
continue in this way, and will care for us in similar fashion (and the converse
is also true). A person who receives good care and respect in old age will feel
better both physically and psychologically, and will live longer – exactly as
the Torah promised.

It seems to me that this is the point Rashi is
making when he quotes from the Mechilta (Chap. 8): "If you
honor, they [your days] will be made longer; if not, they will be shortened."
From the positive aspect, the Mishnah (which we recite every morning) states "These
are the precepts whose fruits a person enjoys in this world but whose principal
remains intact for him in the world to come" (Peah
1:1). Heading the Mishnah's list is "Honoring father and mother";
the main reward for observing this mitzva is given – as for all mitzvoth – in the
world to come, but – as explained above – there are also benefits and dividends
('their fruits') reaped in this world.

It is interesting to note that the mitzvah
of
"shiluach ha'kan" – the sending off of the mother bird – employs
terminology similar to that of the fifth commandment. "Send
off, yes, send off the mother, and take the offspring for yourself, in order
that it may go well with you and that your days may be prolonged" (Devarim
22:6).
We have to understand the importance of the bond between parent and child, and
at least – when we come to take the fledglings or the eggs – refrain from
taking them in their mother's presence. Respect for parents in the main mitzvah;
"the bird's nest" is a more symbolic one, educating us towards the mitzvah of honoring
parents. Therefore the reward for the two mitzvoth is identical.
(Needless to say, reward is relative to effort; the sending away of the mother
bird is an easy mitzvah, compared with the honoring of
parents which is a most difficult mitzvah to observe (See
the last Mishneh in Hullin, and the Bavli 142a).

It is advantageous for us to be concerned for the
welfare of the previous generation, in order that the next generation will care
for us. The meaning of this is, on a social level in a modern Jewish state
which draws inspiration from our sources, that we must maintain a system of old
age pensions, old age homes, etc, in order that the aged among never have to
say: "Do not cast us off in old age; when our strength diminishes,
leave us not" (Psalms 71:9).

Saul Davis is a lawyer who resides in
Beer Sheva. He is married to Michal Faroy who is a doctoral candidate in
developmental psychology.

The Torah Was Given In
Peace And Unity

"And
Israel camped there" – as one man with a single heart; all other campings
were accompanied by quarrel and controversy.

(Rashi
19:2)

Great
is peace: regarding all other journeys, it is written, "They
traveled… they camped" – they traveled in controversy
and they camped in controversy. But upon arrival at Mt. Sinai, they
became one camp, as is written (Shemot 19) "And
Israel camped there" it does not say "va'yachanu"
[plural
mode – "they camped"] but "va'yichan"
[singular
mode – "he camped"]. Said
The Holy One, Blessed Be He: This is the time to give the Torah to my children."

 (Vayikra Rabba 9)

"Other Gods"

"You
shall have no other gods" – are they
really gods? Is it not written, "And have committed their
gods to the flames and have destroyed them, for they are not gods"? What
then are we to learn from "other gods"?
But
[the meaning is that] others consider them
to be gods. An alternative explanation: "other gods" – they delay the
good from coming into the world. [Translator note: The root a'ch'r' means both 'other'
and 'to delay"] Another explanation: "Other gods"
– they are others to their worshippers, as is written, "If
they cry out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save them from distress" (Isaiah
46:7)

 (Mechilta, Parashat Yitro, Mashechet D'BaChodesh,
Parasha 5)

"Please
do not bury me in Egypt" – why?… Lest they make me an
object of idolatry.

 (Yalkut Shimoni, Bereishit, Chap. 47,
156)

Let
us now discuss anger. There is the short-tempered person of whom it is written "One
who is quick to anger is like one who worships idolatrously". This is the
person who becomes furious whenever his will is contradicted, becoming filled
with rage, to the point where he loses good judgment. Such a person would
destroy the world if only he could, because his intelligence has no control
over him; like all animals of prey, he is unreasonable, and of him it is
written (Job 8): "You who tear yourself to pieces in anger
– will earth's order be disrupted for your sake?"
It
is easy for him to transgress all sorts of sins in the world if his fury
carries him there, for he has no motivation other than his anger – wherever it
leads him, he follows.

 (Mesillot Yesharim, Chapter 11)

Included
in the widespread idolatry in today's world is a powerful reality: the
concentration of all thought and activity towards the accumulation of wealth
and the success of possessions. They are the mighty gods upon whom they lean,
they are supported by their faith; by sanctification of their names, they deny
the existence of God above.

(Quoted from
the "Baal HaAkedah" by Prof. Nechama Leibowitz z"l, in "New
Studies in the Book of Shemot" , p. 234)

The
names change, the multiplicity remains. Culture and civilization, nation and
state, nationality and race, economy and class – here you see an partial list
of the pantheon of contemporary gods. Who can deny the existence of these gods?
Never had an 'idol worshipper' bowed to his god with greater sacrifice, greater
faith, than does modern man… therefore, even until this day, in man's heart a
war is waged – between the worship of the One and worship of the many, and the
outcome of this battle is uncertain.

(From "Franz
Rosenzweig: Jehuda Halevi – Anmerkungen", translated and quoted by Prof.
Nechama Leibowitz z"l)

Editorial Board:
Pinchas Leiser (Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr.
Menachem Klein

Translation: Kadish
Goldberg

This weekly publication
was made possible by private donors

To our readers:

We will be happy to have you
actively participate in "Shabbat Shalom" by:

·     
Letters to
the editor

·     
Publication
of Divrei Torah (in coordination with the editorial board)

For details, contact Miriam
Fine (053-920206)

If you enjoy Shabbat
Shalom, please consider contributing towards its publication and
distribution.

• Hebrew
  edition distributed in Israel $1000
• English
  edition distributed via email $ 100

Issues may be dedicated in
honor of an event, person, simcha, etc. Requests must be made 3-4 weeks in
advance to appear in the Hebrew, 10 days in advance to appear in the English
email.

US or British tax-exempt
contributions to OzveShalom may be made through the New Israel Fund or through
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc.

Contributions should be marked as donor-advised to
OzveShalom, the Shabbat Shalom project.

New Israel Fund, POB 53410, Jerusalem
91534 (Please include Israeli address and telephone number)

New Israel Fund, POB 91588,
Washington, DC 20090-1588, USA

New Israel Fund of Great
Britain, 26 Enford Street, London W1H 2DD, United Kingdom (British tax
exemption)

P.E.F. Israel Endowment
Funds, Inc., 317 Madison Ave., Suite 607, New York, New York 10017 USA

About
us:

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom
is a movement dedicated to the advancement of a civil society in Israel. It is
committed to promoting the ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and justice,
concepts which have always been central to Jewish tradition and law.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom
shares a deep attachment to the land of Israel and it no less views peace as a
central religious value. It believes that Jews have both the religious and the
national obligation to support the pursuit of peace. It maintains that Jewish
law clearly requires us to create a fair and just society, and that
co-existence between Jews and Arabs is not an option but an imperative.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's
programs include both educational and protest activities. Seminars, lectures,
workshops, conferences and weekend programs are held for students, educators
and families, as well as joint seminars for Jews, Israeli Arabs and
Palestinians. Protest activities focus on issues of human rights, co-existence
between Jews and Arabs, and responses to issues of particular religious
relevance.

9,000 copies of a 4 page
peace oriented commentary on the weekly Torah reading are written and published
by Oz VeShalom/Netivot Shalom and they are distributed to over 350 synagogues
in Israel and are sent overseas via email. Our web site is
www.netivot-shalom.org.il.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's
educational forums draw people of different backgrounds, secular and religious,
who are keen to deepen their Jewish knowledge and to hear an alternative
religious standpoint on the subjects of peace and social issues.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom fills an ideological vacuum in
Israel's society. Committed both to Jewish tradition and observance, and to the
furthering of peace and coexistence, the movement is in a unique position to
engage in dialogue with the secular left and the religious right, with Israeli
Arabs and with Palestinians.

Our activities are funded by donations
and are organized by one part time employee.

OzveShalom/Netivot Shalom                Tel./Fax
972-2-5664218

Pob 4433                                             Email:
ozshalom@netvision.net.il

Jerusalem 94310, Israel                www.
netivot-shalom.org.il