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DJDE
N
T
he ideal of justice is the the fate of the humblest, the weak-
theme of the beginning of est, the most pathetic of its mem-
this week's sedrah: "Judges bers. If things were otherwise, if,
and officers shalt thou make in fact, the leaders had been able
thee in all thy gates ... and they to prevent the crime and had not
shall judge the people with right- done so, then they would have in-
eous judgment. Thou shalt not per- deed been implicated and culpa-
vert judgment; thou shalt not ble.
respect person; neither shalt thou
Judaism recognizes the inter-
take a gift ... Justice, justice shalt dependence of all lives. We share
thou follow that thou mayest live responsibility for all. We are each
and inherit the land which the involved in every wrong we have
Lord thy God giveth thee."
the power to avert and failed to
And yet, the same
prevent.
Torah portion which
As Jews living in this
emphasizes the theme
post-Holocaust era, we
of justice, teaching us
are especially sensitive
that justice must be dili-
to the issues of moral re-
gently, vigorously and
sponsibility that were
intensely pursued if it is
addressed to all who
to be attained at all, has
could have saved Jew-
an unusual law that
ish lives and did not. We
seems incongruent with
recall the silence of reli-
the claim and ideal of
gious spokesmen, the
justice. The Torah pre-
indifference of the lead-
scribes a ritual that is to
ers of the free world, the
RABBI IRWIN
follow the discovery of a
death camps that were
GRO NER
murdered person out-
not bombed, the escape
SPECIAL TO THE
side of the city. If a per-
routes that were not
JEWIS H NEWS
son is found murdered
opened. How many of
in an open field, and the perpe- the leaders of that time could say,
trator of the crime is unknown, the "Our hands have not shed this
leaders of the nearest city are blood, neither have our eyes seen
obliged to offer a sacrifice of expa- it."
tiation. All the elders of the city
We turn our gaze to our coun-
are expected to wash their hands try and our age.
and to make the following public
Crime continues to be one of
declaration of disavowal: "Our America's major problems. It af-
hands have not shed this blood,
fects both the affluent and the
neither have our eyes seen it."
poor, the city and the suburbs, the
The rabbis in the Talmud ask older and the younger generations,
the obvious question: "Is this just, and all the races that comprise this
fair or even necessary? Why did country.
the most respected and revered
Our society has yet to deal with
members of the community have the most serious condition leading
to offer this declaration of inno- to crime, the proliferation of hand
cence? Who accused them of the guns all over America. I believe
crime? Indeed, who would even that the will of the majority of the
suspect them of such a terrible American people is for gun control
deed?"
legislation, but that will is frus-
The rabbis submitted the fol- trated by the indifference and ne-
lowing answer to their own ques- glect of the majority who have not
tions. What the elders were saying, yet emphatically expressed their
in their public declaration, was not collective views to our legislators.
a denial of outright murder. They
If we deprive the right side of
were disavowing any contributo- our support in this and in other
ry negligence on their part. They critical issues of public policy, we
were to say: "The victim did not add weight to the wrong side.
come to us hungry and we sent
The kind of city, country and so-
him away without food; he did not ciety we want is one in which each
come to us alone and we offered citizen sees himself as part of the
him no protection; he did not come community of concerned and free
to us friendless and we failed to be and responsible people devoted to
his friend."
the common good.
The leaders were the most re- -- When crime is rampant, we
spected people in the community.
should strengthen our assumption
They represented the entire city.
of the responsibility of the moral
They had to establish their inno- standards of our city. Like it or not,
cence. For all society is involved in we are, indeed, involved. Justice
depends not only upon judges; it
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi of
rests upon our choices and corn-
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
mitments. ❑