EXOD297 High on the list of Social Ethics is the care of the sick. God Himself is described as visiting those who are infirm and racked by illness. [See Midrash Rabba to Gen. xviii]. When Rabbi Joseph once preached on [this verse], he explains the latter half of the verse to mean that they must be taught the importance of kindly deeds (hadderech) and the urgency of visiting the sick (yeluchu bah). The story is told of Rabbi Akiba who, visiting a disciple when he was gravely ill, personally attended to his wants. On his recovery, he came to the Rabbi, transfigured by gratitude, assuring him that his visit it was that put new life and hope into him. Where upon Rabbi Akiba taught that "he who does not visit the sick is guilty of shedding blood; the reward of such a visit is that one is saved from Gehinnom, from the Evil Inclination and from all kinds of suffering" [Cf. Ned. 40a]. Great, especially, must be the respect to be shown to the dead. Even a High Priest who is a Nazirite may attend to the burial of one who has no immediate relatives or friends to do so [Such a corpse is called 'met mitzvah.'] The study of the Torah may be interrupted if thereby a person to be brought with greater respect to his final resting-place. [Meg. 3b]. Such consideration for the living and the dead reflects the ideal human relationship advocated in the Torah.

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EXOD300 Let us first consider the question of the authority or source of obligation of these wider and more vague areas of Jewish morality. We find that the Rabbis had a proof-text or biblical source upon which to append their notion of lifnim mi-shurat da-din: "And thou shalt show them the way they shall walk therein and the actions which they shall do." Rabbi Eliezer of Modi'in says: "and the actions" refers to din proper; "and they shall do" refers to lifnim mi-shurat ha-din [this verse; Mekhilta, Yitro; Bava Kamma 100]. Thus, the Torah itself urges us to conduct ourselves beyond the measure of the law. Indeed, Rabbi Isaac of Corbeil lists the obligation of lifnim mi-shurat ha-din as one of the 613 commandments (Sefer Mitzvot Katan). (Continued at [[DEUT290]] Deuteronomy 6:18 right SPERO 169)

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EXOD301 Behaving Beyond the Letter of the Law. The Talmud (Bava Metzia 30b) states: "The only reason Yerushalayim was destroyed is because they behaved according to the letter of the law." This teaches us that we must act with tolerance and forbearance even when the law is on our side. Regarding the verse, "And you shall teach them the ordinances and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work they must do" [this verse], the Sages say, [The words] 'the work they must do' mean that they are required to act beyond the letter of the law." Only when all other alternatives are exhausted should one resort to a beis din. Even then, if the dispute concerns a small sum of money and it is within one's financial capability to do so, he should give up the money. However, a poor person may pursue his claim in most cases.

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EXOD302 The only specific Torah reference to this word ["Betza"] refers to one quality needed for Jewish leadership, specifically the judges that Yitro-Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, advised him to appoint. One of their necessary qualities must be that they "despise greed." Nachmanides explains that for people to be proper judges, they must despise even the idea of money in general, the obtainment of physical possessions, and they should not even care about their own wealth at all. Therefore, such a person can never be tempted to accept bribes when they're offered to him. Reva explains that since his own possessions are meaningless to him, if this judge is threatened by a litigant that he will burn down the judge's field if the judge rules against him, the threat will not faze or cause fear in this judge. Rabbeinu Bechaye brings this explanation, but then adds that hating greed signifies that a judge despises people who intentionally steal from others in order to gain wealth. Tur also explains that such a judge has no desire to be rich, which inoculates him from ever accepting a bride.

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EXOD303 Rather than merely finding fault with what others do, we should offer constructive suggestions. When Yisro saw that his son-in-law Moshe was judging the entire Jewish nation by himself, he told him that this was not good (verse 17). Yisro warned Moshe that he was wearing away both himself and the people who needed judgments (verse 18). Yisro therefore advised Moshe to delegate power to subordinates who would judge the smaller cases, while Moshe would judge the larger ones. ... Some people always find fault with the way others do things. They should learn from Yisro and suggest ways and means of improving the situation, rather than merely complaining and criticizing.

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EXOD304 (Continued from [[EXOD289]] Exodus 18:13 magistrates OXFORD 481). Judaism embraces the use of judges, not jurors, to decide criminal cases, and so the quality of justice depends on the quality of the judges. The Torah already requires that they have high moral character and wisdom. [this verse, Deuteronomy 1:13-14]. Maimonides summarizes the later rabbinic tradition in asserting that judges must have seven fundamental qualities: wisdom, humility, fear of God,  distain of money, love of truth, love of people, and a good reputation. They must also, as he explains, have practical life and family experiences. They must be aware of the "absurdities" of idolatry and magic so as not to fall victim to them. They must be people of stature so that their judgments are excepted. And they must judge in a manner likely to lead to a just verdict. The judge must show patience, intelligence, humility, and respect for persons when sitting in court. The judge must always hear both parties to the case, and must not discriminate for or against any of the parties. The judge must deliberate with care but not delay in pronouncing his verdict. He must assume the responsibility to render an individual opinion and not rely on the opinion of even more prominent judges. M.T. Sanhedrin (Laws of Courts) 2:1-7 (By Laurie L. Levenson, "Judaism and CriminalJustice"

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EXOD305 There must be transparency and accountability when it comes to public funds even if the people involved have impeccable reputations. People in positions of trust must be, and be seen to be, individuals of moral integrity. Yitro, Moses' father-in-law, had already said this when he told Moses to appoint subordinates to help him in the task of leading the people. They should be, he said, "Men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain" [This verse]. Without a reputation for honesty and incorruptibility, judges cannot ensure that justice is seen to be done.

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EXOD306 It has rightly been said: One who emerges from a beth-din that has just confiscated his jacket [in judgment] should go on his way singing [that he has been spared from thievery]. Shmuel said to R. Yehudah: This is intimated in the verse: "and also all this people, and its place shall come in peace. (Sanhedrin 7a)

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EXOD307 The larger the group we try to persuade to live together, the harder it is to make everyone happy. One is fortunate, then, if one lives in a community where the justice system is sound and the political life healthy. But even the best social systems require a moral citizenry. The founders of America warned coming generations against fractiousness and factionalism. The need for social unity is equally strong in the Jewish tradition: "Hezekiah said: Great is peace, for the Torah says about the wilderness journeys of the Israelites, 'And they journeyed… and they pitched' [Num. 33:5]. There was sufficient dissension that that people are described in the plural. When, however, they came to Mount Sinai, they all became one camp, as it is stated, 'And there Israel camped before the mount' [this verse]. God noticed that Israel had come together and knew that this was the time to give the Torah to the people of Israel" (Lev. R. 9.9). Knowing the degree of contention and existing between Jews in our time, we are inclined to imagine the notion of a unified Jewish community as another of the Bible's miracles! More significant, though historically questionable, is the report: "Although the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel were in disagreement--what the one forbade, the other permitted--the school of Shammai did not refrain from marrying women of the families of the school of Hillel, nor did the school of Hillel refrain from marrying those of the school of Shammai. This should teach that they showed love and friendship toward another, practicing, 'Love truth, but also peace' [Zech. 8:19]" (Yev. 14b). Trying to extend these attitudes from family and neighborhood to our nation and the world is a critical moral challenge of our time.

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EXOD308 According to the Mishnah Avot 1:18, one of the three foundations of the universe itself is peace. And when two of those foundations of the universe, truth and peace, are in conflict, peace wins out Bereshit Rabbah 11:7, implying that peace may indeed be the highest value in the universe. The Talmud Yevamot 65b explicitly points out that when truth comes into conflict with peace, that is, telling the truth would destroy the peace, one may lie in order to preserve the peace (under certain conditions). According to the Midrash, the entire creation, everything on earth, is equal in value to peace Bamidbar Rabbah 11:7, as it says in the Siddur that God created peace and He created everything (else) (beginning of the first blessing before the Shema in the weekday service). There is only one place mentioned in the Torah where the entire Jewish people were united in peace as one, implied by the use of the singular form "he camped" rather than the expected plural form "they camped." [This verse]. Only then, at Mount Sinai, when they were at peace, without division among themselves, as a singular unit, could God give the Jewish people the Torah. Vayikra Rabbah 9:9. All the ways of the Torah itself are peace Gittin 59b as it says in the verse in proverbs Proverbs 3:17. God openly tells the people in the Torah Leviticus 26:3-6 that their reward for keeping all the commandments will be peace (in the land as the Midrash Sifra Bechukotai 1:8 explains in greater depth.

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