I TORAH PORTION I

AMERICRH SOCIETY

FITTI TECHHION -

IS1FIFIEL INSTITUTE

Dual Standards
Affect Our Lives

OF TECHHOLOGY.INC.

THE DETROIT CHAPTER
AMERICAN TECHNION SOCIETY
PRESENTS:

RABBI IRWIN GRONER

Special to The Jewish News

T

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48

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1991

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his week's Torah por-
tion refers to business
practices in ancient
Israel. The text declares:
"Thou shalt not have in thy
house, diverse measures, a
great measure and a small
measure, a large weight and
a small weight. You should
have a perfect weight and a
just weight, that your days
may be long upon the land
which God gives to you."
This law addresses those
engaged in commerce, ad-
monishing them that their
weights and measures were to
be precise. If a person possess-
ed different kinds of weights,
he could practice deception by
purchasing his goods with a
large weight and selling them
with a small weight. Thus, he
could purchase more than
rightfully was his and sell
less than the customer had
paid for.
This commandment from
Deuteronomy, which em-
phasizes the standards of
business honesty, has a larger
meaning. It affirms the truth
that our lives should be of one
standard. Life should not be
composed of different
measures and different
judgments that we apply to
obtain conditions and terms
favorable to ourselves.
One of the most serious
charges that can be levied
against our age is that we live
by dual standards, individual-
ly, collectively and nationally.
How do we judge others,
and how do we judge
ourselves?
We judge others by their
deeds and by their outward
actions, and our judgments
are harsh.
How do we judge ourselves?
By our thoughts, intentions,
hopes and feelings. When we
commit an error, we are kind
to ourselves. We take into ac-
count all of the extenuating
circumstances, all of our dif-
ficulties, problems and
burdens. But when we weigh
the faults of others, we do not
refrain from using a different
measure and putting our
thumb on the scale.
Consider the following:
"Isn't it funny . . . when the
other fellow takes a long time
to do something, he's slow;
when I take a long time to do
something, I'm thorough.
When the other fellow doesn't
do it, he's too lazy; but when

Rabbi Groner is rabbi of
Congregation Shaarey Zedeh.

I don't do it, I'm too busy.
When the other fellow states
his side of a question strong-
ly, he is opinionated; but
when I state my side of the
question strongly, I'm being
firm. When the other fellow
overlooks a few of the rules of
etiquette, he's rude; but when
I skip a few of the rules, I'm
original?'
Recently, I came upon a
store in northern Michigan
which carries the following
sign: "We buy junk — we sell
antiques."
We have another set of dou-
ble standards: The values we
profess and the values by
which we really live.
We extol self-control and we
practice self-indulgence.
We proclaim brotherhood
and we are guilty of prejudice.
We teach young people the
sanctity of human life and
reverence for moral ideals,

Shabbat Ki Tavo
Deuteronomy
26:1-29:8
Isaiah 60:1-22

but the media portray the
themes of brutality, depravi-
ty and decadence in living col-
or. We proclaim ourselves a
non-violent people, but we in-
sist that each person be allow-
ed to own his own gun. You
and I are not guilty of all
these things. But collectively,
we share in the responsibility
for these double standards, a
responsibility not to be
discharged by blaming our
political leaders or the party
in power.
On the international scene,
we observe different scales by
which countries are
measured. As Jews, we have
long recognized that the coun-
try of Israel has had to cope
with the double standards of
international judgment.
When Israel was threatened
with destruction by its Arab
neighbors, no nation came to
its defense. When Israel hav-
ing successfully fought wars
for survival, continues now
the struggle to maintain
security in the presence of
Arab hostility, its actions are
condemned. Justice for the
Jew is never meted out by the
same standards applied to
other people.
The time has come to reject
"double standards" in every
aspect of our personal and col-
lective lives. ❑