The Everyday Torah: Weekly Reflections and Inspirations by Bradley Artson

Author:Bradley Artson [Artson, Bradley]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Published: 2008-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Hesed: A Traditional Value

We live in an age of vigorous political debate, as liberals and conservatives present their views of the world and their prescriptions for how to redress our problems in books, articles, and speeches all over the country. Perhaps because the stakes are so high, perhaps because there is no real consensus, how we understand the issues confronting us has important ramifications for the future we leave to our children. Within the Jewish community, Jewish progressives and Jewish neo-Conservatives offer competing assessments of how Jews ought to act politically.

No one argues with the recognition that American Jews are a very liberal group. Liberals insist that this progressive stance has deep roots in Jewish moral and religious values. Conservatives insist that this liberal posture may once have served Jewish self-interest, but it is no longer beneficial to us and no longer moral.

One of the points of contention between the political factions is looking out for number one. On the one hand, there are those who argue that our attempt to care for other people is an effort we cannot afford financially and is in opposition to our own self-interest. As Jews, we are the butt of the hatred and bigotry of the rest of the world. No one cares about our safety and our welfare, and no one lifts a finger to come to our aid. When the Jews were in trouble in World War II, the nations of the world turned their backs on us. And whenever the State of Israel is in need, the rest of humanity is willing to sit on its hands and let Israel sink. In such a world, Jews had best look out for themselves by looking out only for themselves.

In opposition to that stance, Jewish progressives insist that looking out for justice for all and making special efforts to care for the poor and provide opportunities for ethnic minorities and women is the best way to protect Jewish self-interest and reflect Judaism's traditional moral concerns. In times of financial straits, resentment, and animosity, the Jews are among the first to become scapegoats. If we expect others to treat us with justice, we must be sure to treat others as we would be treated ourselves. On a purely practical level, looking out only for ourselves will put us in a precarious position with the majority culture.

But from the perspective of morality, these progressives argue, there is an even more compelling point. The answer to Cain's selfish question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is a resounding "yes." The law most frequently repeated in the Torah is that "you shall have one law for yourself and for the stranger who dwells in your midst." Legislation that enforces setting aside tithes for the poor is at the cornerstone of Torah law. We are commanded to provide for the widow and the orphan. We established the world's first universal public education system (for males). Not merely our modern history, but our Torah legislation impels placing the concerns of others high on the Jewish agenda.

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