EXOD731 Whenever we encounter human interaction, we encounter ethical obligations. We have ethical obligations in our relationships with family members, with neighbors and friends, and with economic contacts such as customers, suppliers, employers, and employees. In addition, all of us are members of a community, a commonwealth, and this implies that we have ethical obligations as citizens. While the government often seems to be a faceless monolith, at best neutral and at worst hostile, we should recall that the best government is the embodiment of the aspirations of the entire community, and that even the worst government is preferable to anarchy. The Torah commands us not to belittle our leaders: "Do not do belittle the judge, and do not deride the prince among your people" [this verse]. Sefer ha-Hinnukh, an important commentary on the Torah, explains: "It is impossible for any settlement of people to exist without one person designated as their head, to perform his commands and carry out his decrees. For the views of people are varied, and they will never be able to completely agree on any issue; as a result, they will end up in inaction and nullity in their actions." The Hinnukh goes on to explain that even though leaders are fallible and will occasionally be wrong, action that is sometimes mistaken is far preferable to interaction. This principle applies to any society we find ourselves in. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God admonishes the Jews who are on their way to exile in Babylon, "Seek the peace of the city whither I have banished you, and pray on its behalf to the Lord; for in its welfare will be your welfare" [Jeremiah 29:7]. This mandate is the basis for the custom of saying a prayer in synagogue each Shabbat on behalf of the monarch, affirming that it is God "Who grants salvation to Kings." The ethical principle of good citizenship found in the Torah and in the prophets is also echoed in the Talmud, which summarizes: "The law of the land is the law." [Gittin 10b]. As long as a law is legitimate, equitable, and consistent with Torah values, we have a religious obligation to uphold it.

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EXOD734 Maimonides (sic) (Nachmanides commentary to this verse) reminds us that the Torah forbids Jews to curse a sitting Nasi, or king. Even if the person who holds the title is deplorable and miserable at his job (a moral sinner), this person may still not be cursed due to his current position. Cursing a man is equivalent to cursing the office, and respect for the office must be retained, no matter who has the post. But once the Nasi is removed, no such prohibition exists.

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EXOD732 Do not curse a nasi. It is impossible for people to live together unless they accept that one individual be their leader and everyone heeds what he says. After all, people differ greatly in their ideas and rarely see things the same way. Without a leader, a group seldom agrees on any one opinion or course of action. Such lack of harmony prevents accomplishing goals for the common good. Therefore, people must accept upon themselves that one leader will make the decisions and everyone will cooperate with what he says and do what needs to be done according to his way of thinking. The head of the Great Sanhedrin is acknowledged as the nation's guide regarding the laws and ways of the Torah. The king is the acknowledged authority on civil order. Because the leaders serve society in such beneficial ways, we cannot dispute their decisions, so we are forbidden to curse them even in private when no one hears. It is the way of the world that once someone allows himself to curse others privately, he eventually will speak out against them openly and disruptive disputes will break out.

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EXOD733 Do not curse God. Hashem separated man from the animals by bestowing upon him the power of speech. He gave man this power as a gift, for man’s good, to lift mankind above the animals. However, if a person curses Hashem he uses this gift for evil and thereby falls lower than the most disgusting vermin. His act is totally mindless. Therefore, the Torah warns us about the matter, for Hashem wants to send us only good, and any manner of speech that prevents Him from sending good to us is against His Will.

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EXOD737 You shall not curse a judge. This commandment removes from a judge any fear that those who come before him in court may curse him if he rules against them. Not preoccupied by such anxieties, judges can concentrate on understanding the facts of each case clearly and thus arrive at correct rulings. Since there are crude people who are led by their foolishness to hate judges who rule against them, this commandment serves another benefit. If the Torah did not forbid us to curse judges, people of poor character might utter such curses and having done so, they might be stirred to harm the judge in additional ways. The commandment is worded, “You shall not curse Elohim.” Although the references is to judges, included in this command is the Torah prohibition on cursing Hashem, God forbid. The Torah writes explicitly (Vayikra 24:16) that he who curses Hashem shall die. One should not ask, “Since the Torah spells out punishments for various acts, is it not superfluous for the Torah to state that those acts are forbidden?” The answer is: Were the Torah to state only the punishments, people might think that anyone willing to suffer the Torah’s punishments is free to commit the acts and he will not have violated Hashem’s will. In truth, however, the intent here is to prevent such acts from being committed. Therefore, the Torah must write explicitly that the acts are forbidden.

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EXOD735 See [[LEV379]] Leviticus 19:14 curse GATES 225

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EXOD736 We are forbidden to curse a judge even if we think that he has erred. Even though you might think that a judge has erred in rendering a decision against you, you are forbidden to curse him. It is very possible that he is correct and you are wrong, but you are unaware of the justice because a person often overlooks his own guilt (Sforno). However, even if the judge has in fact erred, you nonetheless have no right to curse him.

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EXOD738 It is a negative commandment not to curse a judge as Scripture says, You shall not God [this verse] [which is interpreted to mean judges]. If someone cursed a judge by the Divine name or by a substitute name of God, he should receive whiplashes twice (over this prohibition, and over the injunction not to curse a fellow-Jew) (Ya-yikra 19:14). This verse of the Bible is also an admonition not to blaspheme Hashem. If someone blasphemed Hashem by a substitute Divine name, he would transgress a prohibition. If someone blasphemed Hashem by the Divine name itself, his punishment is stated explicitly: And he who blasphemes the name of Hashem shall surely be put to death; the entire community shall stone him (Ya-yikra 24:16). This is the case if one blasphemes, even if he retracts in the time it takes to say a few words. At the present time, however, when we do not judge capital cases, he is excommunicated, and we keep our distance from him.

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EXOD739 See [[EXOD750]] Exodus 23:1 false SEFER 140

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EXOD741 Dietary Laws. A further illustration of the application of the sacred to Jewish life is afforded by the dietary laws. While they have exerted beneficial effects upon the health of the Jewish people, their hygienic value is but incidental. Their primary aim is to train the Jews in holiness. Derived from ancient tabus and intended at first for the priests (Ezek. 4:14; 44:31), they were subsequently extended to all Israel as the priest people of God (this verse, Deut. 14:21; 12:13-27). Their purpose is summarized in Leviticus 20:26: "And ye shall be holy unto Me; for I the Lord am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye shall be Mine." The Pharisees carried the rules of priestly purity from the Temple into the home (with ablutions before meals and with benedictions), thus turning it into a sanctuary and the table into an altar. They took over the temple mode of slaughtering and inspecting the sacrificial animals for the preparation of their meat (Shehitah and Bedikah). [K. Kohler, art. Pharisees, Jew. Enc. IX, p. 662]. The dietary laws were invested with the absoluteness of Divine commands. They were to be observed not because of personal taste, but as an expression of obedience to God. In the words of the Sifra to Lev. 20:26, "Say not, 'I do not like swine's flesh'; but rather 'I do like it, but abstain from eating it in accordance with the decree of my Father in heaven.'"

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