Sources on Power and Privilege

ByAJWS Staff

AJWS On1Foot

Numbers 15:14-16

וְכִי-יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר אוֹ אֲשֶׁר-בְּתוֹכְכֶם, לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, וְעָשָׂה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ-נִיחֹחַ, לַיהוָה--כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּ, כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה. טו הַקָּהָל, חֻקָּה אַחַת לָכֶם וְלַגֵּר הַגָּר: חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כָּכֶם כַּגֵּר יִהְיֶה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה. טז תּוֹרָה אַחַת וּמִשְׁפָּט אֶחָד, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם, וְלַגֵּר, הַגָּר אִתְּכֶם

Numbers.15.14-16

If, throughout the ages, a ger has taken up residence with you or who lives among you…. There shall be one law for you and for the resident ger; it shall be a law for all time throughout the ages. You and the ger shall be alike before God; the same ritual and the same rule shall apply to you and to the ger who resides among you.

What is the overall attitude of these texts toward how we are supposed to treat gerim? What are some of the underlying reasons for why we’re supposed to behave this way?

What protections, rights, and privileges did the Bible envision for gerim? What rights or protections might these translate into in contemporary American society? How might American (or Israeli) society look different if we made more policy decisions based on the Jewish values expressed in these texts?

Franza Kafka, ('Passers-by' in Contemplation). 1912.

Translation	Original
When one is taking a walk through the street at night, and a man - already visible from a distance because the street rises in front of us and the moon is full - runs toward us, we will not tackle him, even if he is weak and ragged, even if someone is running behind him and screaming, but rather we will let him continue running. Because it is night, and it isn't our fault that the street is rising before us in the full moon, and besides, maybe these two have staged this chase for their own entertainment, maybe both of them are pursuing a third, maybe the first man is being pursued even though he is innocent, maybe the second man wants to kill him and we will become accomplices to the murder, maybe the two of them know nothing about one another and each is going independently to his bed, maybe they are sleepwalkers, maybe the first man is armed. And after all, don't we have a right to be tired, haven't we drunk a lot of wine? We are happy when the second man has also vanished from sight.	Wenn man in der Nacht durch eine Gasse spazierengeht, und ein Mann, von weitem schon sichtbar — denn die Gasse vor uns steigt an und es ist Vollmond -, uns entgegenläuft, so werden wir ihn nicht aufpacken, selbst wenn er schwach und zerlumpt ist, selbst wenn jemand hinter ihm läuft und schreit, sondern wir werden ihn weiterlaufen lassen. Denn es ist Nacht, und wir können nicht dafür, daß die Gasse im Vollmond vor uns aufsteigt, und überdies, vielleicht haben diese zwei die Hetze zu ihrer Unterhaltung veranstaltet, vielleicht verfolgen beide einen dritten, vielleicht wird der erste unschuldig verfolgt, vielleicht will der zweite morden, und wir würden Mitschuldige des Mordes, vielleicht wissen die zwei nichts voneinander, und es läuft nur jeder auf eigene Verantwortung in sein Bett, vielleicht sind es Nachtwandler, vielleicht hat der erste Waffen. Und endlich, dürfen wir nicht müde sein, haben wir nicht so viel Wein getrunken? Wir sind froh, daß wir auch den zweiten nicht mehr sehn.

Translation

Original

When one is taking a walk through the street at night, and a man - already visible from a distance because the street rises in front of us and the moon is full - runs toward us, we will not tackle him, even if he is weak and ragged, even if someone is running behind him and screaming, but rather we will let him continue running. Because it is night, and it isn't our fault that the street is rising before us in the full moon, and besides, maybe these two have staged this chase for their own entertainment, maybe both of them are pursuing a third, maybe the first man is being pursued even though he is innocent, maybe the second man wants to kill him and we will become accomplices to the murder, maybe the two of them know nothing about one another and each is going independently to his bed, maybe they are sleepwalkers, maybe the first man is armed. And after all, don't we have a right to be tired, haven't we drunk a lot of wine? We are happy when the second man has also vanished from sight.

Wenn man in der Nacht durch eine Gasse spazierengeht, und ein Mann, von weitem schon sichtbar — denn die Gasse vor uns steigt an und es ist Vollmond -, uns entgegenläuft, so werden wir ihn nicht aufpacken, selbst wenn er schwach und zerlumpt ist, selbst wenn jemand hinter ihm läuft und schreit, sondern wir werden ihn weiterlaufen lassen. Denn es ist Nacht, und wir können nicht dafür, daß die Gasse im Vollmond vor uns aufsteigt, und überdies, vielleicht haben diese zwei die Hetze zu ihrer Unterhaltung veranstaltet, vielleicht verfolgen beide einen dritten, vielleicht wird der erste unschuldig verfolgt, vielleicht will der zweite morden, und wir würden Mitschuldige des Mordes, vielleicht wissen die zwei nichts voneinander, und es läuft nur jeder auf eigene Verantwortung in sein Bett, vielleicht sind es Nachtwandler, vielleicht hat der erste Waffen. Und endlich, dürfen wir nicht müde sein, haben wir nicht so viel Wein getrunken? Wir sind froh, daß wir auch den zweiten nicht mehr sehn.

1. Does this happen to you? What are other examples, that may not be as explicit, of not intervening when we notice injustice?
2. What do we often refrain from seeking justice in such a circumstance?
3. In U.S. law, it is not required for one to intervene. Jewish law states otherwise however, obligating one to intervene so long as their is not great risk. What is your stance?

Psalm 39:13

שִׁמְעָה תְפִלָּתִי יְהוָה, וְשַׁוְעָתִי הַאֲזִינָה-- אֶל-דִּמְעָתִי, אַל-תֶּחֱרַשׁ: כִּי גֵר אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ; תּוֹשָׁב, כְּכָל-אֲבוֹתָי.

Psalms.39.13

Hear my prayer, God. Give ear to my cry, Do not disregard my tears. For I am a foreigner (ger) with you, A temporary dweller Like all my ancestors

In this text, what do you think it might mean to be a foreigner “with” God? Is this about humans ultimately being placeless or rootless? About a sense of alienation from the Divine? Something else? Does this description of human experience resonate with you? Why or why not?

Amos 8:4-6

שִׁמְעוּ זֹאת הַ שֹּׁאֲפִים אֶבְיוֹן וְלַשְׁבִּית עֲנִיֵּי אָרֶץ: לֵאמֹר מָתַי יַעֲבֹר הַחֹדֶשׁ וְנַשְׁבִּירָה שֶּׁבֶר וְהַ שַּׁבָּת וְנִפְתְּחָה בָּר לְהַקְטִין אֵיפָה וּלְהַגְדִּיל שֶׁקֶל וּלְעַוֵּת מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה: לִקְנוֹת בַּכֶּסֶף דַּלִּים וְאֶבְיוֹן בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם וּמַפַּל בַּר נַשְׁבִּיר:

Amos.8.4-6

Listen to this, you who devour the needy, annihilating the poor of the land, saying, "If only the new moon were over, so that we could sell grain; the sabbath, so that we could offer wheat for sale, using an ephah that is too small, and a shekel that is too big, tilting a dishonest scale, and selling grain refuse as grain! We will buy the poor for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals." [JPS translation]

1. What does this text say about the priorities of the people described here?
2. What are the power dynamics between the buyers and the sellers?
3. Which of these tactics are still practiced in business today?