GEN1502 See [[GEN1353]] Genesis 31:42 empty-handed BOROJMV 28-30

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GEN1510 See [[GEN1353]] Genesis 31:42 empty-handed BOROJMV 28-30

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GEN1514 See [[GEN1353]] Genesis 31:42 empty-handed BOROJMV 28-30

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GEN1525 See [[GEN1353]] Genesis 31:42 empty-handed BOROJMV 28-30

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GEN1558 While significant to the moral shaping of groups, boshet – a sensitivity to the judgment of worthy others—has long been a defining quality of the Jewish self. Yehiel b. Yekutiel, the 13th century Roman ethicist, characterizes boshet’s essence as an ability to conduct ourselves in an unpretentious, introspective manner Sefer Malot Hamiddot. It reflects our continued concern with how others view our behavior. Since we are determined to avoid being shamed, we find that a major consequence of boshet involves treating others with respect, even if we disagree with them on crucial issues. It teaches us that any public shaming of our neighbor is a horrendous evil. To guide us in this regard, the rabbis point to the Torah’s   stories about Tamar and Joseph in which both characters refuse to put others to shame. Condemned to death for apparent harlotry, Tamar will not identify her father-in-law Judah as the man who made her pregnant. This is the rabbinic interpretation of Tamar’s reasoning: “If he confesses, well and good, but if not, I would rather die than put him to shame by publicly acknowledging him as the father of my unborn child.” Judah soon admits to Tamar’s innocence, declaring: “She is more righteous than I”—a stunning praise of her character Genesis 38: 25 – 26. At the end of the story of Joseph and his brothers, we read that when Joseph finally has them in his power, he tells his servants: “All of you leave my presence” [this verse]. Only then does Joseph reveal his identity. True, he had just accused the brothers of both robbery and espionage. But these accusations pale when compared to the public shame Joseph would have caused his siblings if he publicly revealed that they once sold him into slavery. Joseph risks their fright and possible retaliation rather than publicly humiliating them. Tanhuma Vayiggash 5. Yet in their idealism, the rabbis demanded that we balance these examples of idealized action with the Torah’s commitment to reprove our neighbor who has behaved unacceptably. It would be shameless of us, and imply that we do not really care about certain values, were we to say nothing and let the other person continue acting badly. Since giving and hearing criticism are not easy for either party, the author of Orhot Tzaddikim sensitively suggests that we reprove our friend in private, very gently. And should these best-intended remarks evoke shame, and our friend responds defensively by verbally attacking us, we should not answer back in kind. People being what they are, reproof has always been one of the hardest disciplines to accept. Even today, when we are supposed to be open to people’s “different strokes,” relationships require very delicate maneuvering, for shame is a supremely powerful force.   BOROJMV 190-1

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GEN1609 See [[GEN951]] Genesis 18:13 I BOROJMV 238-40

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EXOD42 Moses' daring achievements save the Jewish people. He is impulsive enough to kill an abusive Egyptian taskmaster who won't stop beating a Hebrew slave [this verse]. He is undaunted by the power of Pharaoh, as great a king as the world had known, and he is strong-willed enough to lead the rebellious Jewish people out of Egypt to freedom (Exod. 5-12). Even God's fierce anger does not stop of Moses from trying to change God's "mind." How astonishing, then, is the Torah's description of him: "Moses was exceedingly humble, more so than any other man on earth" (Num. 12:3). What specifically prompts the Torah's mention of Moses's humility is his response--more accurately, his lack of response--to Miriam and Aaron's personal attack on his wife (Num. 12:1). The narrative tells us that Moses says and does nothing to retaliate. He remains remarkably passive to his sibling' denunciations. For someone with his history of explosive outbursts, such behavior is completely unanticipated. Bahya b. Asher tells us that Moses's "exceeding" humility was caused by his unwavering focus on his goal, shalom bayit, the family harmony so esteemed by our tradition (Kad Hakemah). Of all the praiseworthy qualities he possesses, it is Moses as the model family man that the Bible chooses to honor for his personal code of anavah.

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EXOD191 (Continued from [[LEV209]] Leviticus 18:5 laws BOROJMV 257-8). R. Tarfon's formula "It is not your duty to finish the task, but neither are you free to desist from it" (Avot 2:16) has been cited so often in recent years that it has become something of a cliché. It was a soothing balm for the chronic Jewish overachievers who could not complete all that they had overextended themselves into attempting--and if that remains your complaint, we commend Tarfon to you. But familiarity and a change of social ethos have turned a sensible limitation into an excuse for being almost as satisfied with starting something as with carrying it through to its conclusion. Perhaps for the foremost tasks of humanity, contentment with making a beginning contains sparks of moral grandeur. But for the myriad of small duties that make up responsible living, we prefer what we learn from the scoring rules of America's favorite spectator sport, major-league baseball. The pitcher who successfully concludes the game receives credit for the win, not the one who goes to the showers after a few innings. The Bible describes a similar situation. Moses, knowing Joseph's wishes to be buried in Canaan, exhumes the patriarch's bones in Egypt and schleps them through the desert for forty years [this verse]. But since Moses doesn't enter the land, it Is Joshua, Moses's successor, who buries Joseph's remains, which is why this is mentioned in the book that bears Joshua's name (Josh. 24:32). This observation leads the rabbis to comment: "Not the one who begins the task, but the one who completes it receives credit for it" (Gen. R. 85.4).

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EXOD213 "Abba Saul said that the verse, 'This is my God and anvehu, I will glorify him' [this verse] should read, 'This is my God and ani ve-hu," I and He,' teaching that 'I am to be like God.' As God is gracious and compassionate, so I should be gracious and compassionate" (Shab. 133b). "The prophets regularly remind God: 'Just as a father has mercy on his children ... so must You have mercy on the sinners of Your people Israel'" (Exod. R. 46.4). "Consider how plentiful are the mercies of the Holy One for the people of Israel... For when God sees the sufferings that the wicked wreak on the righteous, he weeps into His folded arms" (Tanna debe Eliyahu, E.R. chap 17, p. 87).

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EXOD221 Some Jewish thinkers emphasize the general sense of yirat ha-El as sufficient reason for avoiding sin. "Antigonus of Sokho used to say: Be like servants who serve the master without the expectation of receiving a reward, and let the fear of God simply bring you to it" (Avot 1.3). R. Joshua b. Levi interprets the verse from Psalms: "Happy is the one who fears God" (112:1) to mean: "Happy is the one who can master the evil inclination, as God meant for human beings to do" (Avodah Zara 19a). As the fourteenth century Rabbi of Toledo, Judah Asheri said: Keep your mind open to whatever may remind you of the fear of Heaven; be not diverted by the jibes of others, nor by your own lust" (Hebrew Ethical Wills). The fifteenth century philosopher Joseph Albo tells us:"The fear of God is not the fear of a human being. If one is in fear of an [earthly] ruler, one is in constant terror and dread, which shortens one's life, whereas fearing God prolongs it.... He who is happy is he who fears God, for this fear does not lead to timidity but to might, so that his seed shall be mighty on earth" (Sefer Haikkarim [The book of principles]). In the sixteenth century Italian sage Ovadia Sforno teachers: "Anyone who knows how greatly God ought to be praised will fear God because of this, rather than because of any punishment God may visit on us" (commentary on [this verse], in Mikraot Gedolot).

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