Friends, Enemies and Biblical Literalism

Ki Tetze
Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19

Précis: The parasha might be subtitled, “entering society” because it goes into great lengths to describe the creation of a just and moral society. It begins with the phrase “when you go forth” (ki tetze) to battle, and explains the rules for the treatment of captive women. This parasha, according to Maimonides, contains more commandments than any other - more than 70 of the 613 contained in the Torah. Laws concerning the rights of first-born and dealing with disobedient children follow. The next section concerns care for corpses, restoration of lost property, and kindness to animals. A mixed assortment of commands, the source of many rabbinic interpretations, include requirements that there be sex-distinct clothing; that mother birds not be separated from their eggs; that roof-tops have parapets; that seeds not be mixed in a field, and that “tzitzit” (fringes) be worn on garments. Laws related to marriage, adultery, maintaining the ritual purity of the camp, charging interest, vows, divorce, usury, and justice to the widow, orphan, and stranger are listed. The parasha concludes with commands for the kind treatment of animals and Levirate marriage.

Deuteronomy 23:8-9 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your kinsman.”
Deuteronomy 25:17-19 “Remember what Amalek did to you as you came out of Egypt; how he struck those in the rear when you were faint and weary. Therefore, when Adonai your God has given you rest from your enemies in the Land… you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you will not forget.”

The two verses cited above create something of a quandary for the modern reader. We are reminded in this parasha that war is coming – and war will be so terrible that many restrictions are placed on how that war is to be conducted.

And yet, in the midst of this preparation for war, a war in which we are to eradicate the Amonites and the Moabites from the land (23:8-9), we are reminded that we are not to hate our arch-enemies, the Edomites, because they are "kinsmen" ("brother" may be a more precise translation). After all, Edom is considered to be the decedents of Esau, twin brother of Jacob. (Adding to the confusion is the fact that the Sages, writing in times of Roman persecution, used Edom as a euphemism for Rome, ascribing all that was evil in the world to Edom.) So special consideration – even in time of war - is to be afforded to Edom.

But in the same parasha, we read again (as we do on Shabbat Zachor) of the need to blot out the remembrance of Amalek, which in our tradition is the embodiment of all things evil. Even Haman is a descendant of Amalek.

How does this relate to the current events of our world? We, as American Jews and as supporters of Israel, could ask whether we must consider the Palestinians our brothers, like the Edomites, and refuse to “abhor” them, or whether we should consider them like Amalek, who deserve no quarter and whose depravity takes them outside of any chance of reconciliation. Can Fatah be Edom, and Hamas be the modern Amalek?

We could ask that question, but if we do, we run a terrible risk of attempting to make a 21st century political decision based on conflicting Biblical verses. To do so is to fall into the same trap that literalists and fundamentalists fall when they find a position and then seek Biblical support for their conclusion.

I submit that the Torah offers lessons to guide our thinking, but that we cannot look at a single verse in isolation and base a complex political decision on a single verse. While it may be expediant to find Biblical support for a position we have already decided is the correct position, that is not the way to be guided by Torah.

We read here that there are at least some enemies who may not be hated, while there are others who are so depraved that even their memory must be erased. Perhaps decision makers need to remember that both verses appear in the same parasha, and that it is too facile to cite one verse and forget the other.

Seeking and Finding Justice:The Humanity of our Adversaries

Shoftim
Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

Précis: The parasha Shoftim (literally, “judges”), begins with a commandment to Moses to establish judges for Israel. They are to decide cases brought before them and govern with fairness. The remainder of the parasha includes warnings against false testimony, idol worship, as well as rules for kings. We find warnings against false prophets, magicians, soothsayers and witches, and read about the requirements for cities of refuge. In short, the parasha is devoted to ways to create a civil, moral society for the People as they enter the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 16:20 “Justice, justice you shall pursue that you may live and inherit the land which Adonai your God gives to you.”

This famous phrase (in Hebrew: tzedek, tzedek, tirdof) is more than a challenge to live in a “just” society. As Rabbi Hertz points out, the Jewish ideal of justice is “the awe-inspired respect for the personality of others, and their inalienable rights.” Because we are all created in God’s image, he reasons, “Judaism requires that human personality be respected in every human being - in the female heathen prisoner of war, in the delinquent, even in the criminal condemned to death.” In short, where there is no justice, there is no recognition of God.

As Rabbi Plaut notes, the Hebrew word for justice (tzedek) is almost identical to tzedakah (giving to others, or charity). When a Jew helps another person who is less fortunate, he is not “giving charity;” rather, the Jew is seeks to achieve justice.

Justice demands that we consider all other humans as beings worthy of our respect. Sadly, in the political debate we see now underway in the United States about health care reform, the loss of civility in discourse, and the attacks by the extremes on the bona fides of their opponents, miserably fail to meet the biblical tenet of mutual respect. One’s political opponents – even when misguided or speaking deceitfully – are still human beings who deserve our recognition as fellow human beings. When we treat each other with suspicion, mistrust, and hatred, we have forgotten the humanity of those with whom we disagree.

Justice also demands that the Israelis continue to see their opponents – both domestic and foreign - as human beings. Nothing is gained, and much is lost, when Israelis distrust and attack the patriotism of those with whom they disagree inside the country, or when fear and hatred prevent their recognition of Palestinian humanity. Certainly, Palestinians and other Arabs fail to recognize the essential humanity of the Israelis when they blame Israel for all of the evils which persist in the Arab world.

This important ethical principle – the essential humanity of every human being, created in God’s image - is the foundation for all interpersonal relationships, within families, in congregations, or in larger communities. When we respect our fellow human beings by pursuing justice, we are recognizing God’s existence in our daily lives.