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torah portion

Celebrating the 2017 Honorees

Responsibility
Th rough Ethics

T

Beverly Bennett

Dr. Stuart Falk

Margot Gardner

Elaine Greenberg

Dr. Robert Matthews

Evelyn Orbach

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Michael Weiss

SUNDAY, MAY 21

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32

March 23 • 2017

ax season is upon us. As
we work to catch up on our
accounting and complete
our forms, one threat looms large:
being audited.
In this week’s parashat, Moses
subjects himself to an audit! Why
would he do that?
The Torah reading describes how
the mishkan (desert sanctuary) and
its furnishings were assembled and
dedicated. In between the assem-
bly and the dedication comes the
audit: an itemized list of all the
precious metals used in making the
Tabernacle. Gold, silver and copper
For this reason, Moses insisted
are all accounted for, down to the
on a public accounting of how all
last shekel. Not a shekel, we
the donations were spent.
are told, was missing.
He wanted to be above
What triggered the
suspicion. He understood
audit? Did a suspicious
how powerful a motive is
Israelite accuse Moses of
greed, and he knew that
wrongdoing? No — Moses
anyone working with pub-
himself initiated the
lic money, no matter how
accounting: “Eleh pekudei
saintly, might be tempted
ha-mishkan … asher pukad Rabbi Jonathan
to misappropriate it —
al pi Moshe,” says the Torah. Berger
and so such a leader must
“These are the records
avoid any appearance of
of the Tabernacle that
misconduct. That’s why he
were drawn up at Moses’s
itemized the contributions
instruction.”
to the mishkan.
But why did he do so? The rab-
We are accustomed to looking to
bis offer an answer: Moses wanted
Judaism as a source of holiness to
our lives, especially through ritual.
to show the importance of being
But Judaism is an equally power-
above suspicion.
Society — both modern American ful source of ethics. In a recent
Jewish News column, Rabbi Eliezer
and ancient Israelite — requires
Finkelman wrote that Judaism
some level of public trust in order
extends fiduciary responsibilities
to function. If we don’t trust each
much more broadly than American
other, or our leaders, we can never
law does; even sellers must keep
build anything together as a soci-
the buyers’ best interests in mind.
ety. Respect for law and the legal
Here, too, Moses sets an example
system dissolves, as does a sense of
of integrity that we do not always
community. The damage caused by
see from our leaders, but we ought
corrupt leaders goes way beyond
to expect.
whatever sums of money they may
May we be blessed with leaders
have channeled to their own bank
accounts; the real harm comes from who follow Moses’s example — not
just avoiding guilt, but also acting
the corrosion of public trust.
in a way that inspires trust and
That’s why it isn’t enough for
embodies integrity. •
leaders to be innocent of actual cor-
ruption; they need to be free of the
Rabbi Jonathan Berger is rav beit hasefer
appearance of misconduct. It’s bet-
(rabbi of the school) of Hillel Day School of
ter to be innocent than to be guilty
Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills.
but it’s best to never be suspected.

Parshat Vayekhel/
Pekuday: Exodus
35:1-40:38; (Shabbat
HaChodesh) Exodus
12:1-20; Ezekiel
45:16-46:18.

