Cursing and Criticism

 Mishpatim

Ex. 21:1 - 24:18

Précis: Having received the Ten Commandments (in the previous parasha), Moses now reveals ordinances (mishpatim) needed to implement a comprehensive system of laws. The first group of commandments (mitzvot) relate to the rights of servants (slaves), followed by rules about murder, crimes against parents, personal injury law, offenses against property, and bailment. A list of moral offenses follows, including seduction, witchcraft, sexual perversion, polytheism, and oppression of the “widow, the orphan, and the stranger among you.” The parasha also includes the command to observe a sabbatical year, the Shabbat, and then lists the requirements for the observance of the pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot). The command not to boil a kid in its mothers’ milk (a key proof text for the laws of kashrut) is mentioned, and at the conclusion of the parasha, we find a ceremony where the People, represented by Moses and 70 elders, have an encounter with the Divine Presence and accept the laws and the Covenant.

 

Ex. 22:2 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a leader among your people.” 

            Rabbi Neal J. Loevinger, writing in MyJewishLearning.com (2/2/16), notes that Chapter 22 contains a wide mix of laws, including civil liability to sexual prohibitions to dietary laws. He believes that in this context, this particular law is related to the other laws “in that everybody accepts some restrictions on their freedom in order that society may function.”

            Of course, the commandment not to curse a leader is conditional, and the Bible is replete with examples of leaders who are criticized, including Moses himself. We also have the famous incident of Natan’s critique to King David about Bathsheba.

            Why then do we have a commandment which goes often unfulfilled or violated? There is an important difference between cursing and criticism. If only the American People could understand this difference, then perhaps we might once again enter into an age when the idea of compromise is not viewed as a violation of patriotism. Cursing, Maimonides tells us, is a form of anger. Criticism is an attempt to find a better way of doing things.

            As Loevinger points out, Torah demands holding leaders accountable: none are above the law. To merely curse them without involvement serves no one and helps no one.

The Makom

 Yitro

Ex. 18:1 - 20:23

 

Précis:  Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with his father-in-law Jethro (“Yitro”) and with his family. Yitro acknowledges God, gives wise advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the ultimate transcendental experience, Revelation takes place as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.

 

Ex. 20:21 “Make for me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you.”

 

As is mentioned in Etz Hayim, the word for place (“Makom”) can be interpreted as a “sacred site,” which thus implies that there can be numerous altars scattered throughout the land, in contrast to what we read in much of rest of the Torah which concentrates worship in one national center – Jerusalem. Indeed, this interpretation is of terrific importance, because it reveals that God’s presence is not limited to a single place.

            This past week, we have witnessed yet another antisemitic attack on a Jewish place of worship, this time in Texas, and fortunately without the death of any congregants who nevertheless survived a horrid period of being held hostage. The fact that the neighboring religious institutions of all kinds (Protestant, Catholic, Muslim and others) quickly gathered to voice their solidarity with those under siege – is a sign that a Makom can be a haven for all who believe in God, in whatever way they do so.

            It is a reminder to all of us that our own Jewish institutions must be both a Makom and a place of safety to all who attend. With the help of local and state police, the FBI, and our own defense-oriented institutions, we can be partners with God in safeguarding all who enter our sacred sites.