"...you have the misfortune to come across a corpse lying in the road. Jewish law obligates us to give a dead body a proper burial, no matter whether it is a Jew or a non-Jew or a stranger or a criminal. But burying a body takes time, and if you stop to fulfill this commandment, you will surely be unable to fulfill that other commandment, to hear the Megillah reading. What to do? Do you stop to bury the body or continue on to synagogue? The answer in the Talmud is that you should bury the body. The reason given is that the honor due to a human being is so great that it suspends even a negative precept of the Torah. What the rabbis are trying to teach us here is that every human being—even a dead one—is due honor. Now if the obligation to honor the humanity that resides even in a corpse is so compelling, imagine how much more we should honor a living person.
2) What behaviors or practices do you do that reflect God's image?
3) What might you do differently if you were really intentional about reflecting the Divine image?
(ג) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אַל תְּהִי בָז לְכָל אָדָם, וְאַל תְּהִי מַפְלִיג לְכָל דָּבָר, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שָׁעָה וְאֵין לְךָ דָבָר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מָקוֹם:
(3) He used to say: do not despise any man, and do not discriminate against anything, for there is no man that has not his hour, and there is no thing that has not its place.
2) Have you ever been disregarded? What was that situation like for you?
3) What might it be like to consistently follow the advice of Pirkei Avot 4:3?
Our society too often makes light of, or even ignores, the experiences of others. We ascribe genius to the wealthy and blame poverty on the poor. Policymakers and pundits claim that government assistance for poor people is equivalent to unnecessary coddling, while they simultaneously approve tax relief and massive corporate subsidies for the wealthiest among us, thereby honoring the rich and privileged while dishonoring the poor and unprivileged. Such actions reveal that underneath all the rhetoric about helping “ordinary” people, the “haves” are honored, while the “have-nots” are not. A society that values kavod would be far fairer and more just; it would require us to honor the experiences of everyone.
אָמְרוּ: שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אָלֶף זוּגִים תַּלְמִידִים הָיוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא מִגְּבָת עַד אַנְטִיפְרַס, וְכוּלָּן מֵתוּ בְּפֶרֶק אֶחָד, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא נָהֲגוּ כָּבוֹד זֶה לָזֶה.
Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of students in an area of land that stretched from Gevat to Antipatris in Judea, and they all died in one period of time, because they did not treat each other with respect.
(ז) כִּֽי־יִהְיֶה֩ בְךָ֨ אֶבְי֜וֹן מֵאַחַ֤ד אַחֶ֙יךָ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּאַ֨רְצְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹ֧א תְאַמֵּ֣ץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֗ וְלֹ֤א תִקְפֹּץ֙ אֶת־יָ֣דְךָ֔ מֵאָחִ֖יךָ הָאֶבְיֽוֹן׃ (ח) כִּֽי־פָתֹ֧חַ תִּפְתַּ֛ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֖ ל֑וֹ וְהַעֲבֵט֙ תַּעֲבִיטֶ֔נּוּ דֵּ֚י מַחְסֹר֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֶחְסַ֖ר לֽוֹ׃ (ט) הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֡ פֶּן־יִהְיֶ֣ה דָבָר֩ עִם־לְבָבְךָ֨ בְלִיַּ֜עַל לֵאמֹ֗ר קָֽרְבָ֣ה שְׁנַֽת־הַשֶּׁ֘בַע֮ שְׁנַ֣ת הַשְּׁמִטָּה֒ וְרָעָ֣ה עֵֽינְךָ֗ בְּאָחִ֙יךָ֙ הָֽאֶבְי֔וֹן וְלֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן ל֑וֹ וְקָרָ֤א עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְהָיָ֥ה בְךָ֖ חֵֽטְא׃ (י) נָת֤וֹן תִּתֵּן֙ ל֔וֹ וְלֹא־יֵרַ֥ע לְבָבְךָ֖ בְּתִתְּךָ֣ ל֑וֹ כִּ֞י בִּגְלַ֣ל ׀ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה יְבָרֶכְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇֽל־מַעֲשֶׂ֔ךָ וּבְכֹ֖ל מִשְׁלַ֥ח יָדֶֽךָ׃
(7) If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your God יהוה is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin. (8) Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need. (9) Beware lest you harbor the base thought, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,” so that you are mean and give nothing to your needy kin—who will cry out to יהוה against you, and you will incur guilt. (10) Give readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return your God יהוה will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings.
(ב) אַבֵּ֣ד תְּ֠אַבְּד֠וּן אֶֽת־כׇּל־הַמְּקֹמ֞וֹת אֲשֶׁ֧ר עָֽבְדוּ־שָׁ֣ם הַגּוֹיִ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם יֹרְשִׁ֥ים אֹתָ֖ם אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם עַל־הֶהָרִ֤ים הָֽרָמִים֙ וְעַל־הַגְּבָע֔וֹת וְתַ֖חַת כׇּל־עֵ֥ץ רַעֲנָֽן׃ (ג) וְנִתַּצְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָ֗ם וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־מַצֵּ֣בֹתָ֔ם וַאֲשֵֽׁרֵיהֶם֙ תִּשְׂרְפ֣וּן בָּאֵ֔שׁ וּפְסִילֵ֥י אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם תְּגַדֵּע֑וּן וְאִבַּדְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־שְׁמָ֔ם מִן־הַמָּק֖וֹם הַהֽוּא׃
Whereas the end of the parashah gives us a kavod-filled ideal to which we may aspire, the parashah’s opening offers the opposite. It is dominated by specific instructions to dishonor even the very memory of the conquered Canaanites, especially regarding their religious practices.... For the writers of Torah, this was life-and-death stuff. Loyalty to God was not just about personal faith; they believed it determined whether the rains came in their season, ensuring either starvation or prosperity. But we live in a different time and place. For us, existential threats exist, but they don’t come from interfaith dialogue. My curiosity about the religious experiences of others enriches, rather than diminishes, my own religious identity and practice, and I feel certain that my openness to others won’t negatively impact the weather. Fear of the other is real in all of us, just as it was in our ancient ancestors who advocated the utter destruction of others’ houses of worship. Mussar practice can be a path to transcending that fear so that we can have better relationships and be part of building a more just and compassionate human community.
"...far from honoring others, who hasn’t participated, or even delighted, in the public shaming of another person? While the tradition calls on us to honor others, it also warns with emphatic hyperbole to ensure we get the message: “Better had a man thrown himself into a fiery furnace than publicly put his neighbor to shame.” Yet too often we do just that. Equally off the mark is our tendency to rue another person’s good fortune instead of celebrating with them. “The other person’s elevation must rouse us to joy,” says Rabbi Meir Chodosh. “We must remember that his elevation and honor do not take anything away from us.” He is alerting us to the root issue, which is the cravings of our egos....We judge and criticize other people in a mistaken expression of the desire we have for love and honor for ourselves.
"...we dishonor others when we are unable to honor ourselves. The key to developing our capacity for kavod for everyone else is to remember, even in the face of all of our imperfections and misdeeds, that we too are made in the image of God. We, and others, are deserving of honor; this is a simple truth. Kavod is ours simply by virtue of being. We do not get it through achievement or lose it through failure. It simply is. Our job is to develop the habit of focusing on this simple truth and to avoid the siren song of judgmental thinking regarding others and ourselves."
It just isn’t easy for us to take responsibility for honoring others. It is much easier for us to be critical and harshly judgmental, seeing only others’ flaws and failings. When our eyes focus only on the soiled garment, ignoring the divinely inspired being within, there really isn’t anything much to honor. Honor, respect, and dignity are due to each and every human being not because of the greatness of their achievements or how they have behaved, but because they are home to a soul that is inherently holy. Nobody created their own soul; everybody has been gifted with a rarefied essence.
(א) בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א ב) כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלּוּ:
(1) Ben Zoma said:Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms 119:99). Who is mighty? He who subdues his [evil] inclination, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32). Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as it is said: “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2) “You shall be happy” in this world, “and you shall prosper” in the world to come. Who is he that is honored? He who honors his fellow human beings as it is said: “For I honor those that honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored” (I Samuel 2:30).
Do not seek honor for yourself, but go out of your way to honor others. The real concern here is the place of ego in your life. Not seeking honor for yourself reflects humility; so too does honoring others. Committing your life to ego-based honor is not even wise because, when given free rein, the ego’s desire for honor is never satisfied, and a life devoted to seeking honor will pass as a life unfulfilled.