Cursed be the one who misdirects a blind person on his/her way. -- And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be the one who subverts the rights of the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. -- And all the people shall say, Amen. [JPS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Who is speaking in this text? What is the significance of "and all the people shall say amen"?
2. What is assumed about the blind person, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow? 3. What effect does the curse have? Is it a deterrent or a punishment or both?
To Me, O Israelites, you are just like the Ethiopians [declares Adonai]. True, I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, but also the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir. [JPS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. How does this text challenge Jewish particularism? How does it feel to read this text?
Judge the wretched and the orphan, vindicate the lowly and the poor. Rescue the wretched and the needy; save them from the hand of the wicked. [JPS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. What is the responsibility of humans to judge, vindicate, rescue, and save?
2. How is this command a cause of pursuing justice?
וכן גם בהיות אחד מאחינו בית ישראל עושק אין להעלים עין וראוי לעזור ולהושיע את הנעשק, גם בהיות הנעשק נכרי ראוי גם כן בבוא מעשה כזה לעמוד לימין הנעשק כי תועבת ה' כל עושה עול
Moshe's Moral Bravery - "Darkhei Moshe", Parshat Shemot, Rabbi Moshe Chalphon Hacohen - Part 2
Moreover when one of our fellow Jews is exploiting someone else – one cannot turn a blind eye and action must be taken to help and rescue the oppressed. Even when the oppressed person is not of our faith, it is proper that even in such a situation one stand in support of those that are being persecuted, because any oppressor is repulsive to God (Deut. 25:16). [Translation by Mishael Zion. Edited for gender neutrality]
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Why might someone think it is ok to oppress someone of another faith community? Where do you see evidence of this attitude today?
2. What is our unique role in fighting oppression by Jews today? How can we continue to fight?
Rita Schwerner Statement to Newspapers on the Discovery of Her Husband's Body on 4th August, 1964
My husband, Michael Schwerner, did not die in vain. If he and Andrew Goodman had been Negroes, the world would have taken little notice of their deaths. After all, the slaying of a Negro in Mississippi is not news. It is only because my husband and Andrew Goodman were white that the national alarm has been sounded. Rights Owner: Schwerner, Rita Description: Schwerner's statement to the press on the discovery of her husband's, Michael Schwerner, body on August 4, 1964. The Schwerners had been participating in the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project.
Suggested Discussion Questions
For discussion questions and related lesson plan, visit http://jwa.org/teach/livingthelegacy/civilrights/community-organizing-i-freedom-summer
Justine Wise Polier "This I Believe" Statement to Edward R. Murrow, 1953
Freedom means many things to many people. From my earliest childhood I saw it through the eyes of my parents as both opportunity and challenge to do battle for those in bondage, to achieve freedom of the spirit and mind for one’s self and one’s fellow men. Blessed by parents whose deepest joy was through service to their fellow men, who were deeply moral without ever being self-righteous, who were profoundly religious and therefore not sanctimonious, I learned that love of mankind became meaningful only as it reflected understanding of and love of human beings. As an American Jew I have found that the great spiritual and moral traditional given to the world by the Hebrew Prophets have strengthened me in my quest for personal dignity and therefore in the struggle for the dignity of man and the freedom of mankind. The beauty and great traditions of my people as of my home have been sources of strength and inspiration in confronting the difficult problems faced by our generation in these troubled times. Rights Owner: Justine Wise Polier papers; Transcript. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. (Box 45, folder 564) Description: Justine Wise Polier, the daughter of Rabbi Stephen Wise, worked on behalf of the underprivileged and became the first female judge in New York City when she was appointed to the Children’s Court. In the 1950s she helped focus attention on the issue of de facto segregation in New York City schools. As part of broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow’s recurring “This I Believe” radio news segment, Justine Wise Polier discussed the beliefs that motivated her.
Suggested Discussion Questions
For discussion questions and related lesson plan, see http://jwa.org/teach/livingthelegacy/civilrights/jews-and-civil-rights-movement-whys-and-why-nots
Elie Wiesel - What Being Jewish Means to Me
I remember: as a child, on the other side of oceans and mountains, the Jew in me would anticipate Rosh HaShanah with fear and trembling. He still does. On that Day of Awe, I believed then, nations and individuals, Jewish and non-Jewish, are being judged by their common creator. This is still my belief. In spite of all that happened? Because of all that happened? ---to be Jewish today is to recognize that every person is created in the image of God and that our purpose in living is to be a reminder of God… A Jew must be sensitive to the pain of all human beings. A Jew cannot remain indifferent to human suffering, whether in other countries or in our own cities and towns. The mission of the Jewish people has never been to make the world more Jewish, but to make it more human.
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. What is Wiesel’s definition of justice?
2. What is the mission of the Jewish people?
3. Why does Wiesel mention being made in the image of God? What role does that play?
Abraham Joshua Heschel, Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity. (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1996), P. 105.
What is involved in being a Jew? Duties of the heart, not only external performance; the ability to experience the suffering of others, compassion and acts of kindess; sanctification of time, not the mere observance of customs and ceremonies; the joy of discipline, not the pleasures of conceit; sacrifice, not casual celebrations; contrition rather than national pride.
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. What does being a Jew mean to you?
2. How do we 'sanctify time?' What does Heschel mean by this?
3. Why is the ability to experience the suffering of others one of the central facets of being a Jew? Is this a critical to being human or simply Jewish?
-------- ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL, “THE REASONS FOR MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE PEACE MOVEMENT” FROM ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL, MORAL GRANDEUR AND SPIRITUAL AUDACITY (NEW YORK: FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX, 1996). ------- Original The more deeply immersed I became in the thinking of the prophets, the more powerfully it became clear to me what the lives of the prophets sought to convey: that morally speaking there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings. It also became clear to me that in regard to cruelties committed in the name of a free society, some are guilty, all are responsible. .... Suggested Discussion Questions 1. In what ways do we limit our own concerns with the suffering of human beings? How can we fight that inclination to avoid witnessing suffering? 2. What constitutes a cruelty? What is a cruelty committed in the name of a free society? 3. Why are all responsible for the crimes of some? 4. How can we apply Heschel's principles to our lives today?