Spirituality

TORAH PORTION

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Shabbat Mishpatim: Exodus 21:1-
24:18; Jeremiah 34: 8-22, 33:25-26.

No, I do not want the eye of anyone
rowing up, I was taught by
who has hurt me in my life. Seeing
my parents to be the bet-
them being mocked or exduded or
ter person. Whenever I was
wounded won't erase my memories of
hurt by someone, the message to me
when I was treated that way. I would
was always "two wrongs don't make a
never want someone to experience pain
right!' I was never led to believe that
on my account, even if they caused
hurting the person who hurt me would me pain. I am still young; but I am old
accomplish anything besides leaving
enough to have seen for myself that my
me feeling even worse at the end.
parents were right: What goes around
As I grew and the concept of justice does come around, and we all have
became more defined, they taught me
enough pain and wounding coming at
the same lesson in a more sophisti-
us even without exact retribution.
cated way. "What goes around comes
If we all went through life saying
around" was their mantra. I was being an insult for an insult, a cold shoulder
told that not only should I not seek
for a cold shoulder, we would all end
revenge and stoop to the
up mean and alone. That
other person's level, but I
is not a world I want to live
didn't even have to.
in, and I surely wouldn't
Somehow, I was learning,
want the world to become
the universe itself would
that way on my account.
teach that person a lesson.
In the end, people should
It was inevitable. All I had
get punished when they
to do was to wait and see. It
injure another or steal or
gave me a modicum of com-
even murder; but for those
fort at the time, but I never
injuries that are tougher
truly believed that it would
to
see, we can still learn a
Rabbi
really happen. Would the
lesson
from this passage.
Jennifer T.
person actually feel the pain
All
we
have to do is spin its
Kaluzny
that I was feeling? If some-
message
in a positive man-
Special to the
how the world did exact
ner.
"An
eye
for an eye" — if
Jewish News
some sort of punishment
someone cares for you and
on the person who caused me so much
watches over you, care for them in kind.
pain, would I know it? If the universe
"A tooth for a tooth" — if someone
visits the sins of a person upon them-
cooked for you when you were sick
selves and the victim of the original
or in need of help, return the favor. "A
offense is not there to see it, does it
hand for a hand" — contribute to your
really happen? I wasn't convinced.
community because you never know
In this week's Torah portion, we
when you might be the recipient of
read the famous words of "... eye for an that tzedakah. "A wound for a wound"
eye, a tooth for a tooth, hand for hand, — heal this world. For every wound
foot for foot; burn for burn, wound
you see, do two acts of gemilut chasa-
for wound, bruise for bruise" (Exodus
dim, acts of lovingkindness. That is the
21:24-25). The intent of the passage,
kind of exact retribution I like. 0
as the rabbis explain it, was never to
be taken literally. It was never to be
Jennifer Kaluzny is a rabbi at Temple Israel
read or understood as actual, physical
in West Bloomfield.
retribution.
This passage conveys the severity
of bodily injury and the need for the
Conversations
perpetrator of such injury to be pun-
What are some other ways we
ished in kind. Whether that is through
can turn this passage into a
monetary damages or today, serving a
positive message? How can
prison sentence, the punishment had to
we take responsibility for our
fit the crime, but should not repeat it.
actions?

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January 31 • 2008

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