The ethics of political engagement

(20) You shall not wrong a ger or oppress him, for you were gerim in the land of Egypt. (21) You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan.

(17) For Ad-nai your God is God supreme and Lord supreme, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who shows no favor and takes no bribe, (18) but upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the ger, providing him with food and clothing.— (19) You too must love the ger, for you were gerim in the land of Egypt.

(4) The loving of a ger who came and entered under the wings of the Divine Presence is [comprised of] two positive commandments - one because he is included in "neighbors" [and we must love our neighbor as ourselves], and one because he is a ger and the Torah stated (Deuteronomy 10:19), "And you shall love the ger." [God] commanded regarding the love of the ger like He commanded regarding the loving of Himself, as it stated (Deuteronomy 6:5), "And you shall love Ad-nai, your God." The Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself loves gerim, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:18), "and loves the ger."

(1) And a ger – once the ger accepts not to worship idolatry, you cannot oppress him in your country/land, because you are more powerful than him. And remember! You were gerim like him. And the same way that the text reminds you that the ger does not have power, so too the widow and the orphans, who are Israelites, have no power. And after the text says you shall not wrong, it uses the plural form, but then it says if you do wrong them, uses the singular. This is because whoever sees a person oppressing an orphan or a widow and does not help the orphan and the widow, he too is considered as an oppressor.

(1) Not to oppress the ger with words: That we have been prevented from oppressing gerim, even [only] with words - and that is one from the [other] nations who converted and entered our religion - such that is forbidden for [one] to disgrace him even with words, as it is stated (Exodus 22:20), "and you shall not oppress a ger." And even though we are warned about this with [Jews] and since this one entered our religion, behold is like [any other Jew], Scripture added a warning to us and also redoubled the prohibition for him, as it is written (Leviticus 19:33), "do not oppress" another time, because the issue of oppression is more relevant to a ger than it is to someone [born] Israelite, as someone [born] an Israelite has redeemers who will redress his insult. And there is another reason, [and that is] because there is a concern that [the convert] might return to his deviation out of anger over the disgraces. And they said in the Sifra (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 8 2) that one shouldn't say, "Yesterday you were an idolater and today you are entering under the wings of the Divine Presence."

(2) From the roots of the commandment, aside from what we have [already] written, is that it is in order to permanently train our negative inclination not to do whatever evil is in our power to do. Therefore we are warned regarding this person who is among us without someone to help and support him and over whom each and every one of us - with his friends - can exert some power, that we not exclude him from the general even in words, as if he is one of us. And through boundaries such as these we will acquire a soul of higher worth, raised-up and crowned with positive characteristics [midot], worthy of receiving good. And we will fulfill in ourselves the desire of God, may He be blessed, who desires to give benefit.

(3) The laws of the commandment - for example, the many prohibitions that they, may their memory be blessed, prohibited us about, and [also] made known to us in order to warn us more about the thing, that the Torah warned about it in twenty-one (and see the Lemberg edition, that reads, twenty-four) places (Bava Metzia 39b); and also wrote to strengthen the commandment, that with the same expression that we were commanded about the love of the Omnipresent, we were [also] commanded about the love of the convert, as with the Omnipresent, it is written (Deuteronomy 6:5), "And you shall love your God," and with the convert, it is written (Deuteronomy 10:19), "And you shall love the ger"; and many things like this - are in Midrash and in a few places in the Gemara (see Tur, Choshen Mishpat, 307).

(4) And [this law] is practiced in all places and at all times by males and by females. And one who transgresses it and disgraces him, has transgressed a negative commandment. But we do not give lashes for it, since it does not have an act.

(1) Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words. (2) And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. (3) They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.”—Brick served them as stone, and bitumen served them as mortar.— (4) And they said, “Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.”

(1) One language - that is what caused the first sin. This is that they agreed to stop in one single place. And this is against the will of God that said to "fill the land and replenish it" - that is, to walk to all its places, since the land was created to be settled.

(2) And the same words - The text did not explain what those words were, rather, it leaves as a hint, as explained in midrashim. But the words themselves are not explained by the text, it just tells us that they were the same words, to teach us that it wasn't because of the content of the words themselves that the Holy One of Blessing was distressed. They were what they were, and in its simplicity there is not sin, and on the contrary all appears well. But here what happened is that all thought the same thing, and this came to be the problem of the settlement.

Burn them thoroughly - There is no place in the Text where something is told that has no impact in the story [therefore, ask:] Why do I care if they were using stones; bricks; were constructing using wood; or made their brick by burning? Even before the Flood it is written "and afterward he build a city" (Genesis 4:17)! And it appears that here there is a hint regarding our sages' tradition that Avraham Avinu was thrown in the fiery furnace - and from the verse "that took you out from Ur Kasdim" (Genesis 15:7) there is no real proof, since from the simple meaning it is simply the name of a place, as it is written "in the land of his birth, Ur Kasdim" (Gen. 11:28) "and went out with them from Ur Kasdim" (Gen. 11:31) etc. But from here we have a hint to the issue of what obviously was happening before the tradition saying that they threw Avraham Avinu into the fiery furnace: they did not make the furnace for this need [of bricks], rather this was the fiery furnace (in Daniel, see Dan. 3:6) done for the need of [burning] people. And the Text is informing that this furnace was for the need of the city and the tower, and from this we understand how big and deep was this furnace, and from this furnace Avraham Avinu was saved. ...

And its top in the sky - It is obvious that you should not think that this would be one city to the whole world, rather they thought that the other nearby cities would be subjects to that city that had the tower, that they would be able to see from it to the distance, over all their settlement, so that no one would be able to separate themselves and go to another land. That's why they needed its top reaching the sky.

And we will make a name for ourselves - people were set up to watch and be in charge of the thing, and they were army chiefs in charge of punishing those who would cross, since if this is not the case there would be no need for the tower. And all that was due to fear/suspicion.

(17) And the king [Shaul] commanded the guards standing by, “Turn about and kill the priests of the LORD, for they are in league with David; they knew he was running away and they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants would not raise a hand to strike down the priests of the LORD. (18) Thereupon the king said to Doeg, “You, Doeg, go and strike down the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite went and struck down the priests himself; that day, he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. (19) He put Nob, the town of the priests, to the sword: men and women, children and infants, oxen, asses, and sheep—[all] to the sword.

R. ELEAZAR B. 'AZARIAH'S COW [USED TO GO OUT WITH A THONG BETWEEN ITS HORNS, BUT NOT WITH THE CONSENT OF THE RABBIS]. Did he have just this one cow? Surely Rav (others say in the name of Rav Yehudah in Rav's name) said: The tithe of R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah's flocks amounted to thirteen thousand calves every year! — It was taught: This cow was not his, but it belonged to a female neighbor of his; yet since he did not protest, it was designated as his.

Rab and R. Hanina, R. Johanan and R. Habiba taught ...: Anyone who is able to influence the people of their home, and does not, is punished for the sins of the people of their home. Their city, are punished for the sins of their city. The whole world, are punished for the sins of the whole world. Said R. Papa: "These, the rulers of the kingdom in exile, are punished for the sins of the whole world." For this R. Hanina said: "Why is it written: 'Hashem will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof'? (Isaiah 3:14) //

how did the elders sin? But say, [He will bring punishment] upon the elders because they do not forbid the princes.

Rab Judah was sitting before Samuel. [when] a woman came and cried before him,¹ but he ignored her. Said he to him, Does not the Master agree [that] 'whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry, but shall not be heard'? 'O keen scholar!' he replied. 'Your superior [will be punished] with cold [water]. but your superior's superior [will be punished] with hot. Surely Mar 'Ukba, the Ab-Beth din is sitting!' For it is written, O house of David, thus saith the Lord. Execute judgement in the morning, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doing, etc R. Zera said to R. Simeon, Let the Master rebuke the members of the Resh Galutha's suite. They will not accept it from me, was his reply. He replied: Even though they will not accept it, you should rebuke them - R. Aha b. R. Hanina said: Never did a positive word came out from the mouth of the Holy One of blessing which He retracted for evil, but for what is written (Ezek. 9:4) And the Lord said to him [the destroying angel] 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark [taw] upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof, etc.^' The Holy One of Blessing said to Gabriel: 'Go and set a tav of ink upon the foreheads of the righteous, that the destroying angels may have no power over them; and a tav of blood upon the foreheads of the wicked, that the destroying angels may have power over them.' Said the Attribute of Justice before the Holy One of Blessing: 'Sovereign of the Universe! Why are these different from those?' 'Those are completely righteous men, while these are completely wicked,' God replied. 'Sovereign of the Universe!' it continued, 'they had the power to protest but did not.' 'It was fully known to Me that had they protested they would not have heeded them.' 'Sovereign of the Universe!' said he, 'If it was revealed to You, was it revealed to them?' Because of this it is written (Ezek. 9:6): '[Slay utterly] the old man, the young and the maiden, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my Sanctuary [mikdashi]. Then they began at the elders which were before the house.

R. Abbahu also said: Solomon was asked: Who has a place in the future world? He answered: He to whom are applied the words: 'and before his elders shall be glory.' (Isaiah 24:23) A similar remark was made by Yosef the son of R. Yehoshua. He had been ill and fell in a trance. [After he recovered], his father said to him: 'What vision did you have?' He replied, 'I saw a world upside down, the upper below and the lower above. He said to him: 'You saw a well regulated world.' [He asked further]: 'In what condition did you see us [students of Torah]?' He replied: 'As our esteem is here, so it is there! I also heard them saying: 'Happy the one who comes here with his learning in his hands'. I also heard them saying: 'No creature can attain to the place [in heaven] assigned to the martyrs of the [Roman] Government.'

Who are these? Shall I say R. Akiba and his comrades? Had they no other merit but this? Obviously even without this [they would have attained this rank]. What is meant therefore must be the martyrs of Lud.

The high ones below and the low ones on high ~ The explanation of Rabeinu Chananel is that the Geonim said that they received a tradition from Rav himself that this upside down world [that he saw] is that he saw Shmuel sitting in front of Rav Yehudah (learning from him) because Rav Yehudah protested against Shmuel's indifference regarding the woman that came and screamed out, saying: 'doesn't the master hold by 'the one who stops his cries to the scream of the poor' etc.

(1) [With regard to] one who sends a bill of divorce to his wife [via a messenger], and then catches up with the messenger, or sent [another] messenger after the first, and said, "The bill of divorce that I gave to you is cancelled," then it is cancelled. If the husband preceded the messenger [in getting] to the woman, or if he sent [a second] messenger, and he said to her, "The bill of divorce that I sent you is cancelled," then it is cancelled. If [he makes this statement] from, [i.e., after,] the moment that the bill of divorce reached her hands, he can no longer cancel it.

(2) At first, a man [who had already sent his wife a bill of divorce by means of a messenger] would set up a religious court in a different place [from where the wife lived] and cancel [the bill of divorce]. Rabban Gamliel the Elder enacted that they not be able to do this, due to [the need for] repairing the world [Tikkun HaOlam]. At first, a man could change his name and her name, the name of his city, or the name of her city. Rabban Gamliel the Elder enacted that one would write: "The man, So-and-so, and any other name that he has, and the woman, So-and-so, and any other name that she has," due to Tikkun HaOlam.

(5) One who is half slave and half free-man, serves his master one day and [works for] himself one day. These are the words of Beit Hillel. Beit Shammai said to them: "You have repaired [the situation] for his master, but for himself you have not repaired it. To marry a maidservant is impossible [i.e., forbidden], for he is half-free. [To marry] a free-woman is impossible, for he is half-slave. And was not the world created for the sake of reproduction, as it says (Isaiah 45:18) "Not for emptiness did He create it, but for settlement He formed it." Rather, due to Tikkun HaOlam, we force his master and he makes him a free-man, and [the slave] writes a document [of debt] for half his value. Beit Hillel retracted and ruled in accordance with the words of Beit Shammai.

(6) [With regard to] one who sells his slave to a non-Jew or to someone outside Eretz Yisrael, [the slave automatically] goes free. We do not ransom captives for more than they are worth, due to Tikkun HaOlam. We do not help captives escape, due to Tikkun HaOlam. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: "[It is] due to the enactment of the captives. We do not buy sefarim [books of the Tanach written in holiness, on parchment, and used for personal or public study, or for reading aloud in public. Sometimes the intent is specifically Torah scrolls], tefillin, and mezuzot from the non-Jews for more than their worth, due to Tikkun HaOlam.

"And he said to his people" (Shemot 1:9) - he begun with a gathering for advice first, and was punished first, as it is written "on you,and your people and all your servants" (Shemot 7:29). ... Rabbi Hiya said that Rabbi Simon said: there were three people in that gathering: Bilam, Yov and Yitro.

Bilam who advised it - was slain; Yov who was silent - was afflicted with sufferings; Yitro who fled - his descendants were rewarded with seating on the Chamber of Hewn Stone, as it is written "And the families of scribes that dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Sucathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab". ...

If one could protest, but neither protests nor pays attention to acts by sinful people, then it is akin to flattery, because the sinners think [to themselves]: since they are neither protesting nor reproaching us, all our deeds are good. And we were commanded to destroy evil among us, as it is written "and you will burn the evil in your midst" (Deut. 13:6). And our sages of blessed memory said (Shabbat 54b): those who are able to protest regarding wrongdoings in his house and does not protest is seized for the wrongdoings of his house; in his city and does not protest - seized for the wrongdoings of his city; in the entire world and does not protest - seized for the wrongdoings of the world, as it is written "and one will stumble in his brother" (Lev. 26:34), and our sages of blessed memory: will stumble in the sin of his brother. And we say (Sanhedrin 27b): it teaches that all are responsible for one another.

Rav Acha said in the name of Resh Lakish: 'a kohen gadol that sinned is flogged'. ... Resh Lakish said that if a Nasi (Patriarch) sinned, he is flogged by a court of three. ... Rabi Yudan Nesiah heard this and was furious and issued a warrant for his arrest. Resh Lakish fled to Mugdala, and others say to Kfar Yitia . In the morning Rabi Yochanan went to the House of Meeting and Rabi Yudan Nesiah went to the House of Meeting. [Rabi Yudan] asked Resh Lakish: Why did you do this? Resh Lakish said [to R. Yudan]: "Did you think that for fear of you I would stop [proclaiming] the teaching of God?!"

On the eight day the prince of the tribe of Menashe, Gamliel Ben Pedahtzur. ... This is written "I obey the king's orders [and uttering an oath by God]" (Kohelet 8:2). that you should not rebel against his command... Does this mean even if he tells you to transgress the words of God? Therefore it says "and uttering an oath by God" - the verse comes to inform you that the [utterance of God] takes precedence over the command of flesh and blood [=the King].