NUM104 Some students claim that since they are prepared for the exam and merely let others copy from them, they are doing nothing wrong. They claim that this kind of cheating, called passive cheating, is not wrong since the cheating students would get their information elsewhere anyway. Why lose friendships by covering up one's paper? Is this argument valid? The situation can be analogous to gossiping, or the sin called, in Hebrew, lashon hara. If people want to speak evil of others, but no one wants to listen, this sin could not be committed. In cheating, as well, if all who studied refused to passively cheat by letting students copy, no one would be able to cheat in this manner and they would have to develop more dubious, less reliable methods or not cheat at all. And if one just sits passively and lets others copy, Judaism does hold that person responsible. In the classic sin in the Torah about speaking evil about another person, Miriam spoke evil to Aaron about their brother, Moses. Although she did the speaking, as the verb is in the singular, the Torah [this verse] records that both Miriam and Aaron spoke, in order to teach that one who listens passively is just as guilty as the one who speaks. The Talmud (Arachin 15) states that this one act kills three individuals: the speaker, the listener, and the person being spoken about. Using this analogy, it can clearly be seen that a person who cheats passively is no less guilty than the active cheater, even though the passive cheater does not benefit. In fact, Judaism demands even more. Not only may a person not passively cheat by letting others copy, Judaism also expects a Jew to stop the cheating of the other people. If someone sits by and sees a sin being committed and could have stopped it, that person is also guilty (Shabbat 54b). Therefore, the honest student must try to prevent the cheating. Of course, the possible recriminations from other students may make it psychologically very difficult to openly tell the teacher who cheated, but there are other options. The threat to tell the teacher before the act is committed often can act as a deterrent. If a group of students can ban together in the effort, it becomes far easier. And when finally telling the teacher, it could easily be done anonymously, thus easing the pressure a bit from the person informing.

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NUM108 Another aspect of Jewish modesty, tznuit, is related to another Hebrew word often translated into English as modesty, anavah, which is synonymous with humility. Jewish modesty, therefore, involves Jewish humility. What exactly is Jewish humility? Many people mistakenly believe that a humble person is one who thinks very little of himself or herself, but this cannot possibly be correct. It is written in the Torah [this verse] that Moses was the humblest of all men on the face of the earth. It would be very difficult to claim that Moses thought of himself as a very simple, low person, no better than anyone else. Moses was certainly conscious that God chose him to be the Jewish leader to take the Jews out of Egypt, which after an initial reluctance, Moses did in a very admirable manner. Could it be possible that Moses actually thought he was no better or no more spiritual than anyone else? After all, it was Moses himself who wrote down these words (dictated by God) that he was the humblest of all men. Clearly, Moses knew he was a great man. He was greater than any other prophet in history (Numbers 12:7-8 and Deuteronomy 34:10). Moses certainly wasn't foolish enough to think he was nothing out of the ordinary. He was a realist who understood his greatness. Therefore, Jewish humility cannot be defined as a feeling of self-worthlessness. What, then, it is Jewish humility? The quality that made Moses truly humble is that he did not ascribe any of his greatest to himself. He understood that all of his greatness came from the Almighty. This is true humility: acknowledging one's greatness, talents, and achievements in a realistic manner, but attributing all of life's achievements to God, and not to oneself. Even though man must work hard to develop his or her talents and the intelligence he or she was given, without these innate gifts (physical or spiritual, from God, all the hard work in the world could not help a person achieve greatness. When Moses did sin in the Torah when he hit the rock, his sin, according to Nachmanides quoting Rabbi Chanenel (commentary on Numbers 20:8), was that Moses caused the people to think that it was he and not God who performed the miracle of extracting the water from the stone. That is the meaning in the verses that explain the sin (Numbers 20:12 and Deuteronomy 32:51) "that you… did not sanctify Me (God) in the eyes of the people." Therefore, it [i.e. Jewish modesty] is this quality--understanding that one's achievements not only come from the self, but are attributable to others as well, especially to God.

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NUM123 See [[NUM108]] Numbers 12:3 humble AMEMEI 184-5

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NUM124 See [[NUM108]] Numbers 12:3 humble AMEMEI 184-5

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NUM153 … all three biblical names for the term Jew [Hebrew, Israelite, Jew] describe, in some fashion, the characteristic of individuality. With all the sources pointing to the importance of individuality in Judaism, the Torah itself seems to take an opposite viewpoint. In outlining the importance of adhering to Jewish law, the Torah [this and following verses] states the concept of "one statute for all," "one law," and "one ordinance." The Jewish people are thus admonished to conform. The Torah's logic in taking this view is easy to understand. It cannot be left to the individual to decide on which day of the week to keep Shabbat, just as the individual rituals of the Shabbat or any Jewish holiday cannot be arbitrarily decided by each Jewish man or woman. Failure of Jews to conform to basic principles and actions would inhibit or obstruct any sense of Jewish community or unified religion.

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NUM157 See [[LEV951]] Leviticus 24:22 one AMEMEI 221

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NUM193 Should the Jewish community spend millions of dollars of public monies to build Holocaust memorials? Should the death camps and other reminders of Nazi Germany be left standing when their memory causes so much pain to those who experienced the Holocaust firsthand? Both questions require an emphatic yes, from a Jewish point of view. The Talmud (Menachot 43b) says that based on the verse in the last paragraph of the Shema (this verse), only when one sees something will that cause the person to remember. This remembrance will then lead to action. Although this specific concept is mentioned in the Shema regarding the wearing of tzizit (the blue-colored fringe will remind one of the sky, the sky of God, and so forth), the educational use of a visual effect is well-known in secular society and is used in Jewish ritual as well. People remember best by seeing. Although this generation may not need a visual device to remember the Holocaust because it took place so recently, future generations will certainly need Holocaust memorials, museums, or the remnants of the actual sites to help them visualize and remember. In an age where active attempts are made by many groups to forget the Holocaust or even to claim that it did not happen, these visual memorials are necessary to tell the world what really happened.... The Talmud (Megillah 28a) records that when a synagogue was in disrepair, covered with grass, the people were not allowed to repair the damage, since they should suffer when they see a synagogue in ruins. In a different way, when the Jewish people see the remnants of the camps, they are reminded not only of what transpired in those camps, but of the "disrepair" of the Jewish community in Europe, which will never be rebuilt.

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NUM206 … in the first rebellion against Torah authority, Korach and two hundred and fifty men from the tribe of Reuven protested against Moses' right to leadership [this verse]. The question has been asked by the commentaries how it is that Korach, who was from the tribe of Levi, teamed up with all these men from the tribe of Reuven. Many answers are offered (such as that Reuven, the eldest of Jacob's sons, felt cheated out of leadership, as did Korach), but Rashi (commentary on this verse) explains that the configuration of the camp regarding the various tribes and the tribe of Levi around the Tabernacle was such that the family of Korach (Kehat) were next-door neighbors of the tribe of Reuven. It was because of this proximity and their relationship that Korach influenced these people to join him ... peer pressure, the influence of those in the same physical proximity, impacted negatively.

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NUM207 When it comes to argument, the Mishnah (Avot 5:17) makes it clear which type is sanctioned and is "Jewish" and which type of argument undermines the peace. The argument or rebellion of Korach who challenged the authority of Moses in the desert [this chapter], is not an "argument for the sake of Heaven," as Korach tried to undermine the entire authority of Judaism. However, when the argument is "for the sake of Heaven" with no personal gain intended, such as the arguments of Hillel and Shammai, who argued in mishnaic times on many points of Jewish law, it is permitted and even encouraged. This type of argument does not undermine peace. In fact, although they disagreed vehemently, the houses of Hillel and Shammai intentionally intermarried to show that they were at peace with each other (Yevamot 14b) (See the chapter "Friendship" for an amplification of this concept). Thus, our goal is the goal mentioned by Zechariah (Zechariah 8:16) that friends should speak in truth to each other, be fair in judgment, and, at the same time, attain peace.

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NUM262 See [[NUM108]] Numbers 12:3 humble AMEMEI 184-5

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