B'NAI B'RITH FAMILY NIGHT
WV AT TIGER STADIUM
Jewish Information Service
Wednesday, June 24, 1987, 7:30 p.m.
I Vs. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Torah Outlines 'Laws'
Not Judged By Man
RABBI IRWIN GRONER
Special to The Jewish News
The 19th chapter of the Book
of Leviticus is unsurpassed in
the Torah for moral depth and
insight. While the Thn Com-
mandments are the fundamen-
tal statement of the moral law,
this chapter states laws that
are not simply a repetition of
those contained elsewhere, but
offer a new refinement and sen-
sitivity. They go beyond the
purely legal, to the moral and
spiritual implications of the de-
mand for justice. Consider these
two illustrations:
"Thou shalt not murder" is
the Sixth Commandment.
What if a person sees his
neighbor drowning, or attacked
by wild beasts, or the victim of
Shabbat
Acharei-Kedoshim:
Leviticus 16:1-20:27,
Amos 9:7-15
assault? Does he have a moral
obligation to intervene and
rescue his fellow? Verse 16
declares "Thou shalt not stand
idly by the blood of thy
neighbor." We have a moral
responsibility to save one in
distress.
Verse 14 states: "Do not put
a stumbling block before the
blind." The sages say that
means do not abuse the ig-
norance of a person by
misleading him. Do not expose
a person who is vulnerable to
those temptations which may
cause him to sin. Do not lend
money to a borrower without
witnesses, because he might
then be tempted to deny it. Do
not leave your valuables lying
about in the presence of your
servants, the temptation may
be too much for them.
These laws will not be found
on the statute books of Western
society because the act is dif-
ficult to define, the intent can-
not be proven and punishment
is not easy specified. It would be
almost impossible to summon
witnesses and objective
evidence. These are not the
kind of crimes punishable by
law, because the Torah ad-
dresses moral ideals.
Chapter 19 reaches the peak
of ethical striving in declaring:
"Thou shalt not hate thy
neighbor in thy heart" and
"thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself."
The sages of the Talmud say
that all these are Devarim
Hamesurim Lalev, matters of
the heart, promptings of the
Irwin Groner is rabbi of
Cong. Shaarey Zedek.
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conscience, which cannot be
dealt with in the public arena.
If you violate these standards,
no judge will subpoena you, no
court will summon you, no ear-
thly punishments will be levied
upon you. One awesome phrase
punctuates these ethical
demands, "Fear the Lord"
"The more you express yourself
as a Jew, the more you
can do for other people."
Natan Sharansky
TORAH PORTION
because He alone knows the
secrets of the soul, and only
before Him are revealed the
mysterious ways of our hopes,
fears and intentions. Know,
therefore, that in your love or
hate of your fellow man, there
is only One above, Who exer-
cises judgement.
This 19th chapter should lay
to rest once and for all the
classical libel directed against
our faith that Judaism is a
religion of "Law" concerned on-
ly with outer form and not with
inner character. Torah is
mistranslated as "Law." Law
cannot govern every aspect of
life, but Torah is intended to
refine the human spirit, inform
the conscience, and elevate
moral awareness.
This lesson needs to be
shared with all Americans. We
must recognize that although
the law as an instrument of
justice is very important,
ultimately the whole structure
of our society rests upon at-
titudes, loyalties and moral con-
victions. If these are not univer-
sally upheld and instilled, no
political system or legal process
can save us.
Consider the problem which
has been at the forefront of
Metropolitan Detroit's con-
sciousness in recent months.
We are profoundly concerned
about crime, particularly in
Detroit schools. Granted that
law enforcement agencies must
be strengthened, that greater
security measures must be im-
plemented, but these alone are
not sufficient to address this
tragic condition. Even were
there policemen in every wing
of every school, and on every
street corner of Detroit, if the
masses of people were intent
upon crime, all the police of-
ficers multiplied by ten could
not prevent assaults upon per-
sons and property.
It is not the policeman on the
corner who prevents crime. It is
the parents who raise their
children in conformity with the
rules of right and integrity. It
is the teacher who is able to
elicit from her students an
awareness of moral authority. It
is the community that sets
standards about the meaning of
respect for human life and for
decency.
Ultimately, a social order is
created out of ethical sensitivi-
ty and moral direction.
In a message to
ZOA convention delegates
September 26, 1986
The more you express yourself
as a Zionist, the more you can do for
Israel and American Jewry.
ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA
4 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016
212 481-1500
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BOYS SOFTBALL
GIRLS SOFTBALL
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