EXOD367 … the doctrine of the punishment of children for the sins of the fathers [this verse], a practice common in ancient societies on the assumption that punishment of a child strikes at the father, was upgraded by the prophet Ezekiel, who stated: "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son; the soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). In the words of the Talmud: "Ezekiel came and annulled it" (the punishment of children; Makkot 24a). There was no compelling need or reason for this talmudic statement. Ezekiel's doctrine could have been reconciled with the Pentateuchal pronouncement relating to the punishment of children by attributing to the prophet the talmudic opinion that limits the transfer of parental guilt only to children who persist in the sin of their ancestor (Yoma 68a). Furthermore, it is widely assumed that the Pentateuchal transfer of guilt is exclusive to the sin of idolatry. By the time of Ezekiel (6th cent. BCE) idolatry was no longer a threat to monotheism (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 7:13). The prophet would therefore have been justified in reverting to the normal biblical standard of compassion and justice. The Talmud ignored these explanations and instead chose to established the principle of an evolutionary process of moral precepts which gave the prophet the right to "annul" a Pentateuchal perception.

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EXOD392 The earth is full of the fruit of thy labor. (Psalm 104:13). The Bible and the Talmud hold labor in high regard. "When thou eatest the labor of thy hands, happy shalt thy be, and it shall be well with thee" (Psalm 128:2). A laborer contributes to the welfare of society and is instrumental in advancing God's design for building up the world. "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath" (Exodus 20:8-9). In the view of Rabbi Judah haNasi (2nd cent.), these verses convey a dual command. "Just as Israel was instructed regarding the Sabbath [when they must rest], so are they instructed regarding work [that they must work the rest of the week]" (Mechilta deRabbi Simon b. Yochai on Exod. 20:9). Labor was thus invested with the theological virtue of the performance of a mitzvah. The Judaic attitude to labor was shaped by two divergent social religious motivations: a strong opposition to idleness and an equally deep opposition to any servitude which diminishes man's freedom of action. The labor of self-employed people was highly lauded, but exploitation of other people's work for one's own interest was severely criticized and curtailed. Abhorrence of idleness was forcefully asserted in the Bible and Talmud. "Everyone that is slack in his work is a brother to him that is a destroyer" (Proverbs 19:9). "Rabbi Judah b. Bateira said: 'If one is not occupied by any work, what shall he do? If he has a yard which is in disrepair, or a pasture which has been neglected, let him go and repair it [so as not to be idle], for it is written: "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work" [this verse]. What is the implication of "and do all thy work" [a redundant phrase]? To teacher us that he who has a neglected yard or pasture shall busy himself with it'" (Avot deRabbi Natan 11).

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EXOD401 See [[EXOD1030]] Exodus 34:6 compassion BLOCH 57-8

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EXOD417 Honor of parents is honor of God; dishonor or parents is dishonor of God. "Rabbi [Judy HaNasi, 2nd cent.] said: 'Honor of father and mother is dear to him who created the world [God] for he equated honor and reverence for them with honor and reverence for him, and cursing of parents is like cursing him'" (this verse, Mechilta). The exalted status of parents is inherent in their biological kinship to their children. Philo the Alexandrian (1st cent.) expressed this view in the following passage: "Parents are human, they are born and die, but they are also divine because they created life" (On the Ten Commandments). Philo's words are not to be taken literally as an attribution of divinity to the personage of a parent, a belief prevalent in some ancient cults. He is merely stating that parents possess divine qualities. The ability to create life is a divine power which they share with God, the creator of all life. By honoring the divine qualities of parenthood one also honors God, who bestows these powers upon them. By the same token, if one dishonors his parents he also dishonors God. In the words of Ben Sera (2nd century B.C.E.) "He that forsakes his father is a blasphemer" (Ecclus. 3:16). The traditional link between parenthood and God helped create the father-image of God in a spiritual and physical sense. According to tradition, it is God who implants the soul in the body. He is therefore the spiritual father of the human race. Beyond that, it is God's established law of nature which makes it possible for the human embryo to grow and develop. In the words of the Psalmist: "For thou hast made my reigns, thou hast knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalms 139:13). This concept provided the basis for the Talmudic statement that "there are three partners in the creation of man, God and father and mother" (Kiddushin 30b).

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EXOD454 Saving a human life is the most meritorious deed. By the same token, taking a human life is the most heinous crime [this verse]. Even a nation at war must take all possible steps to avoid the shedding of blood. According to a biblical injunction, the Jewish army must offer peace before launching an attack (Deuteronomy 28:10). In the words of Maimonides (12 cent.), one may not wage war against a nation without first offering peace, regardless of whether it is a permissive war or a war of obligation (i.e., In self-defense; Melachim 6:1). Josephus (1st cent.), a military commander in the early stages of the Jewish rebellion against Rome, wrote as follows: "When you are about to go to war… it is a right thing to make use of words to them before you come to use your weapons of war.… assure them that you do not wish to wage war, nor take from them what they have… and if they hearken, it would be proper for you to keep peace with them" (Antiq. bk 4, chap. 8:41). Josephus also reasserted the regard which Judaism has for the enemy who is killed in battle. "Let our enemies that fall in battle be also buried; nor let any dead body lie above ground, or suffer a punishment beyond what justice requires (Antiq. bk. 4, chap. 24). The moral repugnance against taking another person's life, even an enemy's, was expressed by Rabbi Yitzchak (4th-5th cent.): "Just as David was praying to God that he should not fall into the hands of Saul, he also pray that Saul should not fall into his hands" (Shochar Tov, Psalms 7:1). A defeated the enemy, who no longer poses any danger, should be accorded humane treatment. Rabbi Chamam b. Chanina (3rd century) struck a highly moral tone in the following statement: "Even though your enemy has 'risen up early' to kill you [Exodus 22:2], and [after being disarmed] he comes hungry and thirsty to your house, give him food and drink" (Midrash Proverbs 25:21).

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EXOD457 See [[LEV576]] Leviticus 19:17 hate BLOCH 156-7

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EXOD506 A moral condemnation of war was inherent in the prohibition of the use of metal tools in the construction of the sanctuary's altar [this verse]. The use of a chisel, an implement of war, would profane the altar, a symbol of peace and reconciliation. King David was not authorized to build a temple in Jerusalem because "thou hast shed blood abundantly and hast waged great wars" (I Chronicles 22:8). An idealized picture of an era of lasting peace, millennia ahead of its time, was drawn by prophets of the eighth century B.C.E. in poetic terminology which has not lost its force with the passage of time. "And he [God] shall judge between nations and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4). The cessation of war will come when the discordant elements of mankind learn to live in unity and peace. This vision was expressed by Isaiah in the following allegory, "And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lay down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them" (Isaiah 11:6). Isaiah's prophecy was echoed in almost identical words by his younger contemporary, the prophet Micah (Micah 4:3–4). The dream of a messianic age emerged in the sixth century B.C.E. The prophet Zechariah envisioned it as an era of discernment and peace when nations will be governed by law and not by the sword. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). "And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace unto the nations" (Zechariah 9:10). In the view of Maimonides (12th cent.) the messianic era will not usher in a change in the order of nature, except that there will be neither famine nor war, nor rivalry nor contention (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 12:5). Needless to say, even in the messianic era there will be a great need for the quality of compassion. Its value, then as now, will depend on whether it is used to promote justice or to defeat it.

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EXOD531 … sex is a conjugal right and duty inherent in the marital status. This duty is independent of procreative obligations and must be discharged even if the latter have already been fulfilled [this verse].

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EXOD537 A husband's obligations to his wife are listed in the Pentateuch: "Her food, her raiments, and her conjugal rights, he shall not diminish" [this verse]. "Food" is the comprehensive term for board and lodging. The standard of living which a husband must provide depends upon his income. It is unethical to demand of a wife that she be content with a living standard below that which is maintained by the average person within her husband's income bracket. It is equally unethical for a husband with a potential for a higher income to deny it to his wife on the ground that he prefers greater leisure than most people of his age enjoy. On the other hand, it is unethical of a wife to demand a higher standard of living which is beyond her husband's ability to attain. Men who are married to wealthy women may tend to slack in their efforts to make an adequate living. The rabbis were generally critical of husbands who prefer to depend on their wives' income (Pesachim 50b). They issued a dire warning to him who secretly entertains hopes of inheriting his wife's estate. "In the end she will bury him" (Avot deRabbi Natan 3:3). Many modern families have two breadwinners. Women seek employment to increase the family income or out of a preference for the stimulation and challenge of a job. A wife's gainful work is perfectly proper, provided it does not preclude the primary function of bringing children into the world or deprive young children of a parent's company and supervision.

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EXOD540 (Continued from [[GEN1172]] Genesis 24:14 her BLOCH 213-4). The fine character of the wife must be matched by the equally fine character of her husband if the couple is to create the wholesome home environment essential to the upbringing of children. Yet the early Judaic literature on the subject appears to give greater emphasis to the moral stature of the wife. Eliezer informed Rebecca's family of Isaac's great wealth (Genesis 24:36) but did not touch on the question of Isaac's character. The lyrical description of an admirable wife by the author of Proverbs, "A woman a virtual who can find?" (Proverbs 31:10) [aka "Eshet Hayil" -- AJL], has no parallel passage along the lines of "A man a virtual who can fine?" Warnings against the influence of immoral wives (Ecclesiastes 7:26, Proverbs 9:13) are not coupled with similar censures of the damaging influence of roguish husbands. Hagiographical admonitions to young men are mostly centered on their obligations to honor their parents. On the other hand, admonitions to young women mainly relate to their roles as wives and their obligations to their husbands. Any conclusion that the stress on a wife's qualifications and duties is an indication of the prejudicial attitudes of a male-oriented society is fallacious. On the contrary, the Pentateuch lists a husband's obligations to his wife [this verse] but has no similar text mandating a wife's duties to her husband. Indeed, according to rabbinical rules, a wife who has the means to hire servants is exempt from performing domestic duties. Surely such a liberal law reflects no anti-feminist prejudice. Similarly, the fact that father and mother were placed on an equal level in the Decalogue with regard to filial obligations of parental honor dispels any notion of sexual discrimination. The biblical emphasis on the woman's qualifications for marriage was primarily due to her vital position as the first teacher in the life of her young children and her ability to influence their ethical perceptions at a most formative age. The Book of Proverbs distinguishes between the role of the father and the role of the mother in the raising of children. The father disciplines but the mother instructs (Proverbs 1:8).

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