Babylonian Talmud Gittin 10b
אמר שמואל: דינא דמלכותא דינא.
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. How does this text represent the relationship between Judaism and the surrounding culture?
2. What might this imply about our obligation to change the law of the land if we find it unethical?
Exodus 12:49
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. What power dynamics are at play?
3. How might the statement of this text guide the way we set public policy in our own societies?
Babylonian Talmud, Shavuot 39a
| Translation | Original |
|---|---|
| And for all transgressions of the Torah is not the whole world punished? Lo, it is written, "And they shall stumble one upon another" (Leviticus 26) - one because of the iniquity of the other; this teaches us that all Israel are responsible for one another. [Soncino translation] |
כל עבירות שבתורה מכל העולם לא? והכתיב (ויקרא כ"ו) וכשלו איש באחיו - איש בעון אחיו, מלמד שכל ישראל ערבים זה בזה!
|
Suggested Discussion Questions
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. What does it mean to be responsible for the people around you?
3. What social justice themes emerge from this text?