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DEUTERONOMY — 10:12 walk

DEUT420 One of the Rabbis' most important teachings, based on a biblical commandment, is the duty to imitate God's deeds (imitatio dei; see Deuteronomy 28:9 and this verse) [See the discussion of commandment 611 ("The precept to emulate the good and right ways of the Eternal Lord") in Sefer Ha-Hinnuch.] Yet, because of the rabbinic commandment to ethical behavior, the Rabbis limit the traits of God that we should imitate to those that promote kindness and holiness. ... we do not find in rabbinic literature statements instructing Jews to imitate God's more aggressive attributes. Thus, although the Torah speaks of God as "a jealous God," Jews are never enjoined, "Just as God is jealous so must you be jealous," or "Just as God is a zealot, so must you be zealots." [Dr. Samuel Belkin explains the reason for this omission: "[I]t is only God, who rules over jealousy, who is called a 'jealous God.' Man, who has no power to rule over jealousy, must rather imitate God in His attribute of kindness, and not in his attribute of jealousy" (In His Image, 29-30).

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:12 what

DEUT423 In its original context this biblical commandment can hardly be reduced to an observance of “the moral law.” … In truth covenant faithfulness embodied an integrated system of “ethical” and “ritual” acts. It may be more helpful to speak of Torah as an all-encompassing way of life through which the man born Jew nurtures his humanity and fulfills his particular divine vocation in the world. Thus a Jew who fails to identify with his people’s redemption from Egyptian bondage (who says “What mean ye by this service?”) and who denies the claim of mitzvot relating to Passover, is surely rejecting the covenant of his fathers. Shall we describe this rejection in ritual or ethical terms? While his neglect of a Seder may be characterized as a failure to perform certain ritual acts, it may also be token a lack of self-respect, of reverence for the sources of his being, and therefore be deemed an offense against his humanity, his people and the God of the covenant. Significantly, the Haggadah designates such a Jew as a rasha, an evil man. A Christian who fails to observe the Passover is not similarly culpable. Morality as “a basic requirement of the religious life” has distinctly Jewish as well as universal overtones.

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:13 good

DEUT426 To the same extent, then, that man accustoms himself to practice the virtues of goodness and kindness throughout all his life, will he enjoy the goodness and abundant chesed of the Holy One, Blessed be He, in this world and the next. We have found this holy virtue evaluated, in many instances, in the Kethuvim [“writings,” e.g., Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.; the third section of the Tanakh - AJL] and in Rabbinic literature, as being equivalent to Torah study, both in respect of saving man from suffering in this world and the next, and also of making him worthy of receiving all that is good.

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:13 good

DEUT425 The Torah clearly states that the performance of mitzvot will benefit each person [this verse]. We may not understand the nature of this advantage and we may not even understand how it works, but we can trust the Torah that we do profit in some way and that these rituals are not frivolous. The Midrash (Yayikra Rabbah 13:3) states that the purpose of the Commandments is to purify the Jewish people, which is also reflected in the Mishnah (Mishnah, Makkot 3:16). Just as the purification of any element involves extracting the harmful extraneous matter in order to be left with the highest form of the element, in the spiritual sense, we can look at the Commandments in the same manner. Through the Commandments, we become better people, since the Commandments help us to eliminate spiritual imperfections in our personalities and behavior. Again, we may not precisely understand how this works. But we can readily comprehend that the person who is constantly doing good deeds (mitzvot) to his fellow man will eventually have to become a good person, even if that is not his nature. In fact, even if a person did not believe in God, yet still performed all the Commandments, this person would be an admired human being who is a good and giving person. This can easily be seen by those who observe the details of the Commandments to visit the sick (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 335), help the poor (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 247-259), return lost objects (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 659-671), and a general emphasis (mentioned 36 times in the Torah, Bava Metzia 59b), to assist the downtrodden such as the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:13 keeping

DEUT427 Since the problem [of assimilation] is such a threat to Jewish survival, what can the community and individuals do to reverse the trend and help more Jews feel Jewish and remain part of the community? The best way, as outlined earlier, is through the performance of mitzvot. In fact, the Midrash (Midrash, Sifri, Re'ah 24) states that those mitzvot that the Jews were careful to observe helped to keep the Jews alive, and Jews today still keep these same mitzvot. There are numerous Torah references to Jewish survival and the thriving of the community tied to mitzvah observance (Leviticus 26:3-6, this verse, Deuteronomy 11:13-15). Rashi, however, makes specific reference to Jews in the Diaspora, where the threat of assimilation exists. He says (Rashi commentary on Deuteronomy 11:18) that the only reason to keep mitzvot in countries outside of Israel is to ensure the spiritual survival of the Jewish people so that the Jews can return to Israel and keep the commandments. Of course, mitzvot today are equally obligatory on Jews everywhere, but this concept points out just one underlying purpose of keeping the Commandments. ... For those who will not move to Israel and who do not keep the Commandments, is there any hope to prevent assimilation? To answer, it is necessary to find a precedent, a time in Jewish history when Jews did not or could not keep Commandments and yet remained Jewish in spirit. There was such a time, before the Jewish people received the Torah and its Commandments but were able to remain distinctively Jewish. The place was Egypt during the period of Jewish slavery. In fact, the one mitzvah they have previously been given, brit milah [i.e., circumcision - AJL], , they abandoned (Shemot Rabbah 1:8). How, then, did they remain distinctively Jewish? The midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 32:5) says that in Egypt the Jews kept three practices (that were not mitzvot) that kept them Jewish. Although there are different versions of this midrash, the consensus of practices kept in Egypt were that Jews wore distinctively Jewish dress, were called by distinctively Jewish names, and spoke a distinctively Jewish language, which kept them alive as a people. What does this teach us for potentially assimilated Jews of today who will not keep the commandments? Distinctively Jewish dress helps a person identify as a Jew. This can be translated into wearing a kippah, wearing tzitzit, or, for a woman, wearing certain clothes that are identifiably Jewish in this day and age. These clothes need not be Jewish in origin, just as the coats and hats of many of today's chasidim originated as the dress of the non-Jewish aristocracy of Eastern Europe. Today, this garb is identified as distinctively Jewish dress. So, too, any dress that is identified as Jewish (such as the long dresses worn by many observant Jewish girls today) will help to preserve the Jewishness of the person wearing it. Then there is the Jewish name. Most potentially assimilated Jews were given Hebrew names at birth. By using this name and not the Christian (English) name, a person will immediately identify as Jewish, both to others and to the person himself or herself. In addition, by using this name (even the Yiddish name), a person will also identify with the deceased relative he or she is usually named for and thus will create a connection to the Jewish past. Finally, Jewish language will help to preserve Jewish identity. The language can be Hebrew, Yiddish, or even Ladino for Jews from Spanish-speaking countries. In all cases, speaking this language will help a person to identify as part of a distinctive group called Jews. For many people, any one of these is a difficult and alien step to take. Nevertheless, we can see that these kinds of actions can stem the tide of assimilation. ... It is up to the larger Jewish community that cares about the continuity of Judaism to help persuade marginal Jews to remain in the Jewish community through these practices.

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:14 belong

DEUT429 One consistent theme in the Bible is the fact that God is not only the Creator of the earth, but the “owner” of it. (Deuteronomy 10:14). Because God is the owner of all assets, He has the right to distribute them as He wills. Human beings may, at God's behest, own property, but God requires us, as the Torah’s commandments indicate, to give charity from “our” resources, gained from our temporary lease on God's property. Those who refuse to provide for the poor thus effectively deny God’s sovereignty, for such people dispute God's ultimate claim to all the earth and the right of God to demand that some of His property be redistributed to the poor. Consequently, the Rabbis deemed refusal to assist the poor nothing less than idolatry. (T. Pe’ah 4:20)

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:14 belong

DEUT428 Contrary to the contemporary notion that my body belongs to me, our tradition teaches that our bodies belong to God. As owner, God can and does demand that we take care of our bodies throughout our lives, very much as the owner of an apartment legitimately requires that those who rent it take reasonable care of it during their occupancy. Jewish law, therefore, prescribes a number of positive obligations that we have to take care of our bodies (proper sleep, exercise, diet, hygiene), and it forbids mutilation of the body, taking undue risks with it, and suicide. (For God owns our bodies, see Genesis 14:19, 22; Exodus 19:5, 20:11; and Deuteronomy 10:14). The duty to take care of our bodies is summarized best in M.T. Laws of Ethics (Hilkhot De'ot), chaps. 3-5. The Rabbis derive that from Deuteronomy 4:9 and 4:15. For the commandment not to harm yourself, see M. Bava Kamma 8:6 and B. Hullin 10a. For the prohibition of committing suicide, see Semahot (Evel Rabbati) 2:1-5; M.T. Laws of Murder 2:3; Laws of Courts (Sanhedrin) 18:6; Laws of Mourning 1:11; S.A. Yoreh De'ah 345:1-3; and Encyclopedia Judaica 15:489-491 at Suicide. On these topics generally, see Dorff (1998), chap. 2.)

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