spirit

torah portion

Moderated
Responses

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42

August 24 • 2017

jn

ur world
ld today
d is d
dominated
db
by
anger and fear, affecting inter-
national relations as well as the
most intimate of encounters.
With Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur right around the corner, we are
each confronted with an important
question with regard to that anger and
fear: Am I part of the problem or am I
part of the solution?
moderated and measured
In this week’s Torah por-
responses. Anger and fear
tion, Moses continues his
dominate our lives. Perceived
instruction to the Israelites
insults are answered with
before they enter the
great fury. Feeling of disre-
Promised Land without him.
spect are responded to with
Among the laws and teach-
an even greater act of disre-
ings that Moses offers our
spect. Cycles of rage threaten
ancestors, he commands
to engulf us. It seems as if no
them with regard to cities of
Rabbi Aaron
one
is looking to pause — to
refuge. Upon settling in the
Starr
take a breath — and to think
Land of Israel, the Israelites
about the greater impact
were to set aside three cit-
of one’s words or actions. It
ies that were to be havens
seems as if no one anymore
for anyone who accidentally
favors
moderation
or would permit
committed manslaughter — revenge-
another
to
take
refuge
— to backtrack
free zones for “one who has killed
—
from
an
action
with
unintended
another unwittingly, without having
consequences.
And
even
when one
been his enemy in the past.”
does indeed seek to injure another’s
Then, Moses adds, when God
expands Israel even further, our ances- reputation, the response to that injury
is hardly proportional — it is rarely
tors were to add three more cities to
measured.
the original three. By preventing a
As the season of judgment is nearly
“Hatfield and McCoy” type of response
upon
us, may we consider how we
to an initial act of accidental death,
might
tone down our rhetoric, how
Moses proclaims, “Thus blood of the
we
might
weigh the impact of our
innocent will not be shed, bringing
actions, how we might moderate
bloodguilt upon you in the land that
our responses so that in our over-
the Lord your God is allotting to you”
inflated sense of ego the “blood of
(Deuteronomy 19:10).
the innocent will not be shed, bring-
The cities of refuge are to function
ing bloodguilt upon you in the land
for those who killed another acciden-
that the Lord your God is allotting to
tally. For purposeful murder, however,
you.” With Rosh Hashanah and Yom
our parshah indicates that the death
Kippur right around the corner, we
penalty is the only acceptable answer.
are each confronted with an impor-
“You must show [the murderer] no
tant question with regard to that
pity,” Moses explains. “Thus you will
anger and fear: Am I part of the prob-
purge Israel of the blood of the inno-
lem or am I part of the solution? •
cent, and it will go well with you”
(Deuteronomy 19:13).
Aaron Starr is spiritual leader of Congregation
In the case of unintentional man-
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.
slaughter, forgiveness is not neces-
sarily required, and yet revenge is not
permitted either. And in the case of
CONVERSATIONS
purposeful murder, only a proportion-
In what ways do you feel you have
ate response controlled by the elders
been wronged recently, and how
of the town is acceptable. Through the
have you responded to those per-
power of law, the Torah seeks to mod-
ceived wrongs? How might you have
erate our response to aggression and,
done so better? What examples of
in the name of maintaining a civilized
feuding do you see in the world
society, force logic and reason to over-
today? How might those feuds be
come emotion.
resolved or at least simmered down?
Today, our response to manslaugh-
What can you do to affect the rheto-
ter and murder is regulated by civil
ric and climate of anger and violence
law. Yet the lessons of the cities of
in the world today?
refuge are important. The world today
lacks logic and reason: a dearth of

Parshat Shoftim:
Deuteronomy
16:18-21:9; Isaiah
51:12-52:12.