Shabbat Ki Teytzey
Who deserves respect?
These past three weeks have been marked by an impressive and sometimes confusing range of laws, first promulgated in the Book of Exodus and added to in the Book of Leviticus.
Now, they are repeated in the final communications of Moses’s life before handing over to Joshua. The confusion arises because, in many cases, the identical law given in Exodus and repeated in Deuteronomy has slightly different nuances. Such as honoring your parents and now respecting your parents. Remembering the Sabbath and now keeping the Sabbath. One law says about animals mentions Oxen and sheep. Another talks about Asses. And another about Oxen and Asses. One talks about visiting the sins of the fathers on the sons. Here it says fathers should not be punished for their children’s deeds and children not punished for their fathers’. These are just a few obvious examples.
There are a lot of issues that were missing in Exodus but mentioned here. Military issues of who we can fight against. What the conditions, precautions and safeguards must we obey. As well as moral obligations. And what we might call political instructions establishing the structure of king, priest, and judge. This is the tripartite foundation of the Jewish constitution so to speak. And all separate from prophecy.
The roles and functions of the judge and the priest are mentioned. And in two cases the phrase used adds something that seems superfluous. “ The Judges and Priests who will be in those days.”
In Deuteronomy Chapter 17,L8 &9 it says: If a case is too complex for you to decide, be it a controversy over homicide, civil law, or assault—matters of dispute in your courts—you shall promptly go to the place that your God chooses and appear before the Priests the Levites, and the judges in charge in those days.
Later in Deuteronomy 26,3 it says in the context of bringing First Fruits. The person brings his first produce and makes a declaration.
By the way, those of you familiar with Hagadah of Pesach will be familiar with as one of the responses to the question of why this night is different is “My Forefather was a Wandering Aramean.” And not the more popular ” An Aramean tried to kill my Forefather”!!!.
“You shall go to the priest in charge in those days and say to him, “I acknowledge this day before your God that I have entered the land that God swore to our fathers to assign us…. And you will declare my forefather was a wandering an Aramean etc.”
What is the point of saying “The judge and the Priest who will be at that time”?
The Talmud answers:
“This comes to tell you that Jerubaal (Gideon, who was a simple farm worker) in his generation is as worthy of being treated like Moses in his generation; Bedan ( Samson according to some) in his generation is like Aaron in his generation; and Jephthah ( who swore irresponsibly to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house to greet him) in his generation is like Samuel in his generation. Contrasting outstanding leaders to less impressive ones. This serves to teach you that even the least of the least distinguished individual, once he has been appointed as a leader over the community, he must be treated like the greatest of the great, and all are required to heed him and obey ( TB Rosh Hashanah 25b)
This is so relevant! We look around us today at our leaders, both religious and political almost everywhere and we see either mediocrities, incompetents or people who have failed to rise to the heights we had hoped for. And naturally enough, we now feel free to heap as much contempt as possible upon them. But very often the best of that generation chose not to accept public office. And just as important people we did not expect much from, rise to surprise for the good. And this is what this superfluous text is telling us. Once they have been appointed, we owe them respect. Certainly, until they prove that they did not deserve it. And so, they should be replaced in the hope, that they will do a better job. The position commands respect. Otherwise, chaos will ensue.
Deuteronomy 21;10-26;1.
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
