מבקשי טוב ויושר - Other-Focused Orthodoxy

(18) Avraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to be blessed through him him. (19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of Hashem by doing what is just and right, in order that the Hashem may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.”

(1) We must be especially careful to observe the mitzvah of tzedaqah, more so than any other positive mitzvah, for tzedaqah is a sign of the righteous [tzadiq] lineage of Abraham, our father, as says, (Genesis 18:19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity [to keep the way of Hashem] by doing what is just [tzedaqah]. The throne of Israel is established and the religion of truth stands only on tzedaqah, as it is said, (Isaiah 54:14) You shall be established through righteousness [tzedek]. And Israel will only be redeemed through tzedakah, as it is said, (Isaiah 1:27) Zion shall be saved in the judgment; her repentant ones, in the retribution [tzedakah].

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(3) Anyone who averts his eyes from [the need of] tzedakah is called Belial ["Wickedness"], just as the idolaters worship Belial, and of the idolaters Scripture says, (Deut. 13:14) That some scoundrels [children of Belial] from among you have gone [and subverted the inhabitants of their town] by averting their eyes from [the need of] tzedakah. It says, (Deut. 15:9) Beware lest you harbor a base [belial] thought. And such a person is called, "wicked," as it is said, (Prov. 12:10) The compassion of the wicked is cruelty. Such a person is called, "a sinner," as it is said, (Deut. 15:9) He will cry out to Hashem against you, and you will incur a sin. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, is close to the cries of the poor, as it is said, (Job 34:28) He listens to the cry of the needy. Therefore, one needs to be especially sensitive to their cries, for they [the poor] have a covenant established [between them and G-d], as it is said, (Exodus 22:26) Therefore, if he cries out to Me, I will pay heed, for I am compassionate.

David said: There are three distinguishing marks of this nation, the Jewish people. They are merciful, they are shamefaced, and they perform acts of kindness.
They are merciful, as it is written: “And He will give you mercy, and have mercy upon you and multiply you” (Deuteronomy 13:18); not only will G-d have mercy upon you, but He will bestow the attribute of mercy upon you.
They are shamefaced, as it is written: “And that His fear shall be upon your faces” (Exodus 20:17), and the fear that is on one’s face is his shame.
They perform acts of kindness, as it is written: “For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Hashem, to practice righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:19), i.e., to perform acts of kindness.
Whoever has these three distinguishing marks is fit to cleave to this nation. Those who lack these qualities, however, are unfit to be part of the Jewish people. When David saw the cruelty of the Gibeonites, he decreed that they may never enter into the congregation of Israel.

(10) Hear the word of Hashem, You chieftains of Sodom; Give ear to our G-d’s instruction, You folk of Gomorrah! (11) “What need have I of all your sacrifices?” Says Hashem. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, And suet of fatlings, And blood of bulls; And I have no delight In lambs and he-goats. (12) That you come to appear before Me— Who asked that of you? Trample My courts (13) no more; Bringing oblations is futile, Incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, Proclaiming of solemnities, Assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide. (14) Your new moons and fixed seasons Fill Me with loathing; They are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them. (15) And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; Though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime— (16) Wash yourselves clean; Put your evil doings Away from My sight. Cease to do evil; (17) Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow.

(1) Cry with full throat, without restraint; Raise your voice like a ram’s horn! Declare to My people their transgression, To the House of Jacob their sin. (2) To be sure, they seek Me daily, Eager to learn My ways. Like a nation that does what is right, That has not abandoned the laws of its G-d, They ask Me for the right way, They are eager for the nearness of G-d: (3) “Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?” Because on your fast day You see to your business And oppress all your laborers! (4) Because you fast in strife and contention, And you strike with a wicked fist! Your fasting today is not such As to make your voice heard on high. (5) Is such the fast I desire, A day for men to starve their bodies? Is it bowing the head like a bulrush And lying in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call that a fast, A day when Hashem is favorable? (6) No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock fetters of wickedness, And untie the cords of the yoke To let the oppressed go free; To break off every yoke. (7) It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe him, And not to ignore your own kin. (8) Then shall your light burst through like the dawn And your healing spring up quickly; Your Vindicator shall march before you, The Presence of Hashem shall be your rear guard. (9) Then, when you call, Hashem will answer; When you cry, He will say: Here I am. If you banish the yoke from your midst, The menacing hand, and evil speech, (10) And you offer your compassion to the hungry And satisfy the famished creature— Then shall your light shine in darkness, And your gloom shall be like noonday. (11) Hashem will guide you always; He will slake your thirst in parched places And give strength to your bones. You shall be like a watered garden, Like a spring whose waters do not fail. (12) Men from your midst shall rebuild ancient ruins, You shall restore foundations laid long ago. And you shall be called “Repairer of fallen walls, Restorer of lanes for habitation.” (13) If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, From pursuing your affairs on My holy day; If you call the sabbath “delight,” Hashem’s holy day “honored”; And if you honor it and go not your ways Nor look to your affairs, nor strike bargains— (14) Then you can seek Hashem's favor. I will set you astride the heights of the earth, And let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob— For Hashem's "Mouth" has spoken.

(17) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no appropriate worldly interaction; if there is no appropriate worldly interaction, there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour.

He would say: Anyone whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, to what is he compared? To a tree whose branches are many but whose roots are few; and the wind comes and uproots it and turns it upside down; as it is said; "And he shall be like a lonely juniper tree in the wasteland and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places of the wilderness, a salty land that is uninhabitable." (Jeremiah 17:6). But one whose deeds exceed his wisdom, what is he like? Like a tree whose branches are few but whose roots are many; since even if all the winds of the world come and blow upon it, they do not move it from its place, as it is said; "He shall be like a tree planted by the waters, and spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not perceive when heat comes, but its leaf shall remain fresh; and it will not be troubled in the year of drought, nor will it cease to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:8).

(1) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no appropriate worldly interaction (derekh eretz; literally, the way of the world): Meaning to say [that] one who does not know Torah is not complete in the traits of derekh eretz; as most of the good traits that exist in the ways of the world are in the Torah - like "surely lend him" (Deuteronomy 15:8), "Surely award him" (Deuteronomy 15:14), "Just scales, just weights" (Leviticus 19:36), and many, many like these. If so, without Torah, his dispositions in derekh erets will not be complete.

... Rabbi Yishm'el ben Tav Nachman said: Derekh Eretz precedes Torah by 26 generations, since it is written “and to guard the way (derekh) to the Tree of Life” (Bereishis 3:24). “Way” is Derekh Eretz, and only after that comes “Tree of Life” which is Torah. [Back to the verse preciously in question, Tehillim 50:23] "I will show him the salvation of G-d." Rabbi Abahu said: this is one of the sources for the idea that G-d’s salvation is Israel’s salvation (Tehillim 80:3) “and come and save us”

Rabbi Samlai taught: With regard to the Torah, its beginning is an act of kindness and its end is an act of kindness. Its beginning is an act of kindness, as it is written: “And Hashem G-d made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). And its end is an act of kindness, as it is written: “And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab” (Deuteronomy 34:6).

(3) Who may ascend Hashem's mountainm and who may stand in His holy place? (4) One who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken a false oath by My "Life" nor sworn deceitfully.

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am Hashem.

There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. (This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade.)

The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.

(Leviticus 19:18) "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Rabbi Akiva says: This is the great principal of the Torah.

Ben Azzai says: (Genesis 5:1) "This is the book of the generations of Adam" is a greater principal than that..

... Ben Azzai said: “These are the generations of Adam" is a great principle in the Torah.
Rabbi Aqiva said: This is a great principle of the Torah: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). Thus, one should not say, “Since I am scorned, I should scorn my fellow as well; since I have been cursed, I will curse my fellow as well.”
Rabbi Tanchuma says, “If you do so, you should know who are you scorning — ‘in the likeness of G-d He created him.’”

Do not do that which is hateful to your fellow - 'Do not forsake your fellow or your father's fellow' (Proverbs 27:10) This refers to the Holy Blessed One. Do not disobey His commandments, for it is hateful unto you when a friend disobeys yours. To put it another way: 'Your fellow', literally, in the cases of thievery, kidnapping, sexual impropriety, and the majority of the commandments.

(17) Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths - peaceful.

Abaye said to Rav Yosef: According to this, why does the mishna teach that the priest reads first from the Torah on account of the ways of peace, indicating that this is a rabbinic enactment? Is it not by Torah law that he reads first?
Rav Yosef said to Abaye: Indeed, it is by Torah law, but the reason that the priest reads first is on account of the ways of peace. The entire Torah also given on account of the ways of peace, as it is written: “Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths - peaceful.” (Proverbs 3:17)

(9) Hashem will establish you as His holy people, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of Hashem your G-d and walk in His "Ways".

The Sages taught: When Rabbi Elazar ben Perata and Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon were arrested [and jailed by the Romans], Rabbi Elazar ben Perata said to Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon: "You are fortunate, for you were arrested on one charge [only, that of teaching Torah publicly]. Woe is me, as I have been arrested on five charges!"

Rabbi Chanina said to him: "You are fortunate, for you were arrested on five charges but you will be saved; woe is me, as I have been arrested on one charge, but I will not be saved! For you engaged in Torah [study] and in acts of lovingkindness, and I engaged in Torah [study] alone."

And [this is] in accordance with Rav Huna, as Rav Huna said: Whoever occupies himself with Torah [study] alone is considered like one who does not have [the True] G-d. As it says: “Now for long seasons Israel was without the True G-d, [and without a teaching priest, and without the Torah]” (II Chronicles 15:3). What is “without the true G-d”? That anyone who engages in Torah [study] alone is considered like one who does not have [the True] G-d.

And [is it true that Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon] did not engage in acts of lovingkindness? But isn’t it taught... [And it asks again, from a second incident:] But isn’t it taught...?

He did perform [acts of lovingkindness, but] he did not perform ashe should have, [given his stature].
(Note this gemara's conclusion: Someone who doesn't do gemillus chassadim to the full extent of his ability, even if they spend all day learning Torah, they do not worship Hashem.)

(5) ... We are charged to walk in these middle-paths, which are the good and straight paths, even as it is said: "And you shall walk in His 'Ways'." (Devarim 28:9)

(6) This is what they taught in explaining this mitzah: "Just as He is called 'Gracious', you too should be gracious; just as He is called 'Compassionate', you too should be compassionate; just as He is called "Holy", you too should be holy." (Shabbos 133b, Sotah 14a) In this way the prophets attributed to G-d all such terms as "long-suffering", "abundant in lovingkindness", "just" and "right", "perfect", "mighty" and "powerful" and others like these. To let others know that they are good and straight paths, and that man is obligated to lead himself in them, and to make themselves similar to Him in according to his ability.

(1) The commandment to walk in - and make oneself similar through - the ways of the blessed Hashem: That we were commanded to perform all our actions in the way of straightness and goodness with all our strength and to incline all our affairs that are between ourselves and others towards the way of kindness and mercy; as we have known from our holy Torah that this is the way of Hashem, and this is Hashem's desire for His creatures so that they merit Hashem's goodness - as He desires kindness. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 28:9), "and you shall walk in His ways." And this commandment was further repeated in another place, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:22), "to walk in all His ways."

(23) But only in this should one glory: to glorify intelligence and to know Me; for I, Hashem, act with lovingkindness, justice, and equity in the world; For in these I delight —declares Hashem.

(16) He upheld the rights of the poor and needy— Then all was well. That is truly knowing Me —declares Hashem.

It is taught in a beraisa that Rabbi Nasan says: The distance from Gerav, where Micah's idol resided, to Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was at that time, was three mil, and the smoke from the arrangement of wood on the altar in Shiloh and the smoke from the worship of the idol of Micah would intermingle with each other.

The ministering angels sought to dismiss him from the world. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: Leave him, as his bread is available for travelers pn the roads.

On that same day you shall hold a celebration; it shall be a sacred occasion for you; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a law for all time in all your settlements, throughout the ages. And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am Hashem your G-d.

And the judges of the court inform the conversion candidate of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot, and they inform him of the sin of neglecting the mitzva to allow the poor to take gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and produce in the corner of one’s field, and about the poor man’s tithe.

And they inform him the fundamental beliefs of the religion, which is the unification of [G-d's] name, and the prohibition of idol worship, and they dwell at length on this matter. And they inform him of some of the lenient commandments, and some of the stringent commandments. And they do not dwell at length on this. And they let him know the sin of “gatherings” “forgotten sheaves” “corners of the field” and “second tithe.” And they tell him of the punishments for not keeping the commandments. How so? They say to him: Know that before this point, if you ate forbidden fate, you would not be punished with karet, if you broke Shabbat, you would not be punished by being stoned. But now, after you have converted, if you eat forbidden fat you will be punished with karet, if you break Shabbat, you will be punished by being stoned. And they do not dwell at length on this, nor do they go into detail, lest this causes him to be troubled and turn away from the good path to the evil path. For at the beginning we do not draw a person except with words of appeasement and gentleness. Similarly it says, "I drew them with human ties," (Hosheia 11:4), and "with cords of love." (Ibid.)