Save "Kol Yisrael Areivim ~ כל ישראל ערבים

We are All Connected
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Kol Yisrael Areivim ~ כל ישראל ערבים We are All Connected
A conversation about sources and stories exploring the mutual connection and commitment among fellow Jews, as well as commitment to universal concerns and the dignity of all people.

What is areivut ערבות?

וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃

And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

ערב של שושנים an evening of roses (popular song)
כי-קולך ערב - for your voice is pleasant (Song of Songs)

מערב - west

מעריב - evening prayer

ערבון - pledge

ערוב - connection of property or time

(בערבון מוגבל (בע״ם - limited liability

מעורב ירולשמי - mixed grill

מעורב עם הבריות - a pleasant person

להתערב - mix in

כל ישראל ערבין זה לזה

All Jews are guarantors/ responsible for one another (Talmud Shevu'ot 39a)

What about other human beings?

(כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱ-לֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱ-לֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃

(27) And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God— creating them male and female.

Because all human beings are created in the image of God, [every person is] endowed with three intrinsic dignities: infinite value, equality, and uniqueness.- Rabbi Yitz Greenberg

(טז) וַיָּקֻ֤מוּ מִשָּׁם֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיַּשְׁקִ֖פוּ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י סְדֹ֑ם וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הֹלֵ֥ךְ עִמָּ֖ם לְשַׁלְּחָֽם׃ (יז) וַֽי-הֹ-וָ֖-ה אָמָ֑ר הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֥י עֹשֶֽׂה׃ (יח) וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הָי֧וֹ יִֽהְיֶ֛ה לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל וְעָצ֑וּם וְנִ֨בְרְכוּ־ב֔וֹ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (יט) כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַ֩עַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְ-הֹ-וָ֔-ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט לְמַ֗עַן הָבִ֤יא יְ-הֹ-וָ-ה֙ עַל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֖ר עָלָֽיו׃

(16) The agents set out from there and looked down toward Sodom, Abraham walking with them to see them off. (17) Now י-ה-ו-ה had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, (18) since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him? (19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of י-ה-ו-ה by doing what is just and righteous, in order that י-ה-ו-ה may bring about for Abraham what has been promised him.”

What creates connections and commitments among Jews?

ויחן שם ישראל. כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד בְּלֵב אֶחָד

ויחן שם ישראל AND THERE ISRAEL ENCAMPED as one person and with one heart/ mind — (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 19:2:10).

(ט) אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְ-הֹ-וָ֣-ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

(9) You stand this day, all of you, before your God י-ה-ו-ה —your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, every householder in Israel...

Rabbi Moshe Alshikh on Torah, Deuteronomy 29:9:4
It can further be explained along these lines that when the Torah says, kol ish yisrael, kol refers to all of the aspects that constitute ish yisrael, the "person of Israel" which functions when all of the component parts are righteous. Thus Israel is referred to as "one nation" and "one soul", and the seventy souls who come down to Egypt are the root of the holiness which is the complete unity of the whole nation. So all of Israel is intertwined with each other, and each person is considered like one piece of a complete body, and all of the groups are like systems within the body, and all of their souls are like one soul which brings them all to life together. Furthermore, because of the unity of heart of the nation, the soul within it will be holy because it rests within a singular organism. This is the ultimate [spiritual] desire: this body will serve as the sanctuary of God, that the people themselves will be the Mikdash (Sanctuary), rather than the city and the building.
(כד) אִם־כֶּ֣סֶף ׀ תַּלְוֶ֣ה אֶת־עַמִּ֗י אֶת־הֶֽעָנִי֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹא־תִהְיֶ֥ה ל֖וֹ כְּנֹשֶׁ֑ה לֹֽא־תְשִׂימ֥וּן עָלָ֖יו נֶֽשֶׁךְ׃
(24) If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, do not act toward them as a creditor; exact no interest from them.

(כא) לַנׇּכְרִ֣י תַשִּׁ֔יךְ וּלְאָחִ֖יךָ לֹ֣א תַשִּׁ֑יךְ לְמַ֨עַן יְבָרֶכְךָ֜ יְ-הֹ-וָ֣-ה אֱ-לֹהֶ֗יךָ בְּכֹל֙ מִשְׁלַ֣ח יָדֶ֔ךָ עַל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ {ס}

(21) but you may deduct interest from loans to foreigners. Do not deduct interest from loans to your fellow Israelites, so that your God י-ה-ו-ה may bless you in all your undertakings in the land that you are about to enter and possess.

אם כסף תלוה את עמי את העני עמך עמי ונכרי עמי קודם עני ועשיר עני קודם ענייך ועניי עירך ענייך קודמין עניי עירך ועניי עיר אחרת עניי עירך קודמין.

Talmud Baba Metzia 71a

If you lend money to any of My people that is poor by you: [this teaches, if the choice lies between] my people [Jews] and a [non-Jewish] foreigner, 'my people' has preference; [between] the poor and the rich—the 'poor' takes precedence; [between] your poor [relatives] and the poor of your town— 'your' poor come first; [between] the poor of your city and the poor of another town—the poor of your own town have prior rights.

וכל עבירות שבתורה מכל העולם לא?והכתיב (ויקרא כו, לז) וכשלו איש באחיו. איש בעון אחיו. מלמד שכל ישראל ערבים זה בזה

All transgressions in the Torah [other than the offering of children to Molekh], have a collective punishment. So it is written: “And they shall stumble one upon another!” (Leviticus 26:37). [That is, they shall collectively stumble,] because of the iniquity they share. This teaches us that all Israel are sureties (responsible) for another!

ריטב"א ראש השנה כט עמוד א

שאע"פ שהמצות מוטלות על כל אחד הרי כל ישראל ערבין זה לזה וכולם כגוף אחד וכערב הפורע חוב חבירו.

Ritva Rosh Hashanah 29a

Even though the commandments are placed upon each individual, all Jews are guarantors of one another, and they are all a single body, and it is like a guarantor who repays the debt of his friend.

(יח) לֹֽא־תִקֹּ֤ם וְלֹֽא־תִטֹּר֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֶּ֔ךָ וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃

(18) Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

(לד) כְּאֶזְרָ֣ח מִכֶּם֩ יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם הַגֵּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֗ם וְאָהַבְתָּ֥ לוֹ֙ כָּמ֔וֹךָ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְ-הֹ-וָ֥-ה אֱ-לֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

(34) The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love [the stranger] as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I י-ה-ו-ה am your God.

When have you found the concept of areivut powerful/ important? And when have you found it difficult/ problematic? Has your view on areivut changed/evolved over time?

אַחֵֽינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנְּ֒תוּנִים בַּצָּרָה וּבַשִּׁבְיָה הָעוֹמְ֒דִים בֵּין בַּיָּם וּבֵין בַּיַּבָּשָׁה הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם וְיוֹצִיאֵם מִצָּרָה לִרְ֒וָחָה וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְ֒אֻלָּה הַשְׁתָּא בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:

Weekday Ashkenaz Siddur, Shaharit:

[As for] our brethren, the entire House of Israel who [still] remain in distress and captivity, whether on sea or on land, may God have compassion on them, and bring them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, from servitude to redemption, at this moment, speedily, very soon; and let us say Amein.

Pidyon shvuyim (The Redemption of Captives): How Far Should Israel Go in Order to Redeem Captives from Terrorist Organizations? Rabbi David Golinkin 14/10/2003
Anyone who surveys this topic historically is struck by the fact that many thousands of Jews were captured and held for ransom throughout Jewish history and that Jewish communities went to extraordinary lengths to redeem captives.

Indeed, the Talmud (Bava Batra 8b) calls pidyon shvuyim a “mitzvah rabbah” (= great mitzvah) and says that captivity is worse than starvation and death. Maimonides rules that he who ignores ransoming a captive is guilty of transgressing commandments such as “you shall not harden your heart” (Deut. 15:7); “you shall not stand idly by the blood of your brother” (Lev. 19:16); and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18) (Maimonides, Laws of Gifts to the Poor 8:10 = Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 252:2). And one who delays in ransoming a captive, is considered like a murderer (Yoreh Deah 252:3). Indeed, Maimonides himself wrote letters exhorting his fellow Jews to redeem captives and collected money for pidyon shvuyim.
But there is one major exception, as explained in the Mishnah (Gittin 4:6 = Bavli Gittin 45a): "One does not ransom captives for more than their value because of Tikkun Olam (literally: “fixing the world”; for the good order of the world; as a precaution for the general good) and one does not help captives escape because of Tikkun Olam." This Mishnah was codified by the standard codes of Jewish law.
The Babylonian Talmud (ibid.) gives two different explanations for this rabbinic enactment:
A) “because of the [financial] burden on the community”;
B) “so that they [=the robbers] should not seize more captives” i.e. paying a high ransom for captives will encourage kidnappers to kidnap more Jews and demand still higher ransoms.
The Talmud does not decide which explanation is correct, so halakhic authorities throughout the ages stressed one or the other, leading to different conclusions.
Convenience, price and packaging have become the driving forces behind the American diet. But what is the true cost of our day-to-day food choices?
Peter Singer: You [should] judge actions as right or wrong in accordance with whether they have good consequences. So you try to do what will have the best consequences for all of those affected. When it comes to food it means that obviously you look not only at whether you enjoy what you’re eating but also what you’re contributing to and supporting with your food purchases. That’s of particular concern where you’re contributing to or supporting a system that abuses animals, that damages the environment, that’s harmful to workers, and so on. I think a lot of the food produced in America, particularly factory farmed or intensively farmed animal products, is in that category.
...I don’t think eating ethically, particularly from a utilitarian point of view, is a matter of saying, “Here’s this strict law that I have to do everything possible [to] comply with.” I think we can be ethically conscientious and recognize that sometimes there are going to be compromises. Sometimes it’s going to be very difficult, very inconvenient, to get the best choice, so we’ll settle for something else. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/chew-right-thing
Being human always points to something and someone, other than oneself – be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself – by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love – the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. (Victor Frankel, Man's Search for Meaning, p. 103)