Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, “Torah Concept of Empathic Justice Can Bring Peace,” The Jewish Week, (New York, 3 April 1977), p.19
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[Empathic justice] seeks to make people identify themselves with each other – with each other’s needs, with each other’s hopes and aspirations, with each other’s defeats and frustrations. Because Jews have known the distress of slaves and the loneliness of strangers, we are to project ourselves into their souls and make their plight our own.
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Suggested Discussion Questions
1. What is empathy and what is its role in social activism?
2. How do we make the plight of others our own? To what extent?
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, “The Nineteen Letters”
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| Everything bestowed upon you – mind, body, fellow man, material goods, other creatures, every talent and every power – all are merely means to action, to further and to safeguard everything. With love and with justice! The earth was not created as a gift to you – you have been given to the earth, to treat it with respectful consideration, as God’s earth, and everything on it as God’s creation, as your fellow creature, to be respected, loved and helped to attain its purpose according to God’s will...Judaism, if properly understood and properly presented, unites all living things with a bond of love and justice. |
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Suggested Discussion Questions
1. How do make concrete the lofty ideas of this text?
2. What does it mean to unite with others in a bond of love and justice? How do we do that in our daily lives?
3. According to this text, what is the purpose of our stuff? How can we best utilize it?
Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Laws of Torah Study 4:14
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| Needless to say, a person who studies in order to become great and to have a name like that of the great scholars of the land, or to earn a livelihood in teaching, judging or instructing, keep in mind that the Sages say not to make [words of Torah] into a crown through which to glorify yourself nor into a hatchet to cut with, for all who profit from Torah take their life out of the world. Rather speak [words of Torah] for their own sake and for the sake of them serving God. But even so, one who does not fear God [enough] to speak words of Torah for their own sake but instead learns in order to become great or to earn a living, it is better that he learn Torah not for its own sake rather than not learning at all or separating from learning, for through the process of doing it for ulterior motives, he will come to do it for the right reasons, as discussed above. [AJWS translation] |
ואין צריך לומר הלומד כדי להתגדל ולהיות לו שם כשם הגדולים אשר בארץ או כדי להתפרנס במלמדות או דיינות והוראות וכך אמרו חכמים אל תעשם עטרה להתגדל בהם ולא קרדום לחתוך בהם שכל הנהנה מדברי תורה נוטל חייו מן העולם אלא דבר בהם לשמם ולשם פועלם בה'. ואעפ"כ מי שאין בו יראת שמים לדבר לשמם אלא להתגדל או להתפרנס מוטב שיעסוק בתורה שלא לשמה משיתבטל ויפרוש כי מתוך שלא לשמה יבא לשמה כמ"ש למעלה:
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Suggested Discussion Questions
1. What role does motivation play in the actions that we do?
2. What social justice themes emerge from this text?
Mishna, Sotah 9:6
זקני אותה העיר רוחצין את ידיהן במים במקום עריפה של עגלה ואומרים (דברים כ"א)ידינו לא שפכו את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו. וכי על דעתינו עלתה שזקני בית דין שופכי דמים הן? אלא שלא בא לידינו ופטרנוהו בלא מזון ולא ראינוהו והנחנוהו בלא לוייה. והכהנים אומרים (שם) כפר לעמך ישראל אשר פדית ואל תתן דם נקי בקרב עמך ישראל.
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. What does this text suggest the authorities should have done had they known?
3. What do our governments know that they should act on? How can we urge them to do so?
Sifre Bamidbar 133
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| "And the daughters of Zelophehad drew near" - When the daughters of Zelophehad heard that the land of Israel was being divided among the tribes with portions given to the males but not the females, they gathered together to seek counsel. They said, “The mercies of God are not like the mercies of people. People have more concern for males than females. But the One who said and brought forth the world is not like this. Rather, God’s concern is for both males and for females. God’s concern is for all, as it is said, “God gives sustenance to all flesh” and "who gives beasts their food" and "God is good to all and God's mercy is upon all His works." [AJWS translation] |
ותקרבנה בנות צלפחד, כיון ששמעו בנות צלפחד שהארץ מתחלקת לשבטים לזכרים ולא לנקבות נתקבצו כולן זו על זו ליטול עצה אמרו לא כרחמי בשר ודם רחמי המקום בשר ודם רחמיו על הזכרים יותר מן הנקבות אבל מי שאמר והיה העולם אינו כן אלא רחמיו על הזכרים ועל הנקבות רחמיו על הכל שנאמר נותן לחם לכל בשר וגו' (תהלים קלו:כה) נותן לבהמה לחמה וגו' (תהלים קמז:ט) ואומר טוב ה' לכל ורחמיו על כל מעשיו (תהלים קמה:ט)
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Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. If God cares equally about males and females, what causes people to put more attention into the needs of males? How can we combat this tendency?
Deuteronomy 4:9
רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ:
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. What power dynamics are at play?
3. What social justice themes emerge from this text?
Amos 2:6-8
כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל מִכְרָם בַּכֶּסֶף צַדִּיק וְאֶבְיוֹן בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם: הַשֹּׁאֲפִים עַל עֲפַר אֶרֶץ בְּרֹאשׁ דַּלִּים וְדֶרֶךְ עֲנָוִים יַטּוּ וְאִישׁ וְאָבִיו יֵלְכוּ אֶל הַנַּעֲרָה לְמַעַן חַלֵּל אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי: וְעַל בְּגָדִים חֲבֻלִים יַטּוּ אֵצֶל כָּל מִזְבֵּחַ וְיֵין עֲנוּשִׁים יִשְׁתּוּ בֵּית אֱלֹהֵיהֶם:
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Why are these actions considered such severe "transgressions"?
2. What power dynamics are at play between G-d and the Israelites and between the Israelites and the poor?
3. This text lists 5 actions to not do. What are the implied opposite actions--five things we should do?