LEV160 A most upsetting factor in rendering a just and impartial judgment is the subjectivity of the judge himself. The obtrusive influence of self-interest and personal bias is most difficult to overcome. Scrupulous honesty and penetrating insight are required to detect the presence of such extrinsic motivations. To report a plague in one's own house, the Bible directs a person to say, "Something like a plague has appeared in the house" [this verse]. Learned though he be, where he is involved he cannot render a final decision. Only a cohen, an outside authority, may first pronounce his house unclean. On the other hand, this very element of subjectivity can often be helpful. To view a situation from the perspective of the one involved is to grasp the situation most fully and profoundly. While objectivity can make for impartiality, it can also make for insensitivity to the consequences of a judgment in terms of its human element. Therefore, some interpret the word m'thunim (deliberate) as though it read n'thunim (subject): Consider yourself as if subject to the judgment. Put yourself in the defendant's position. How would you have acted under similar circumstances? How would you judge yourself? Law implies a universally applicable rule, a general criterion which is a constant: a truth which holds good at all times and in all conditions. Yet, the particular area to which we apply the rule is a shifting and variable one. The problem for the judge is precisely this: to determine the crucial element in the situation which fixes its true character as distinguished from the irrelevant factors.

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LEV170 Yose ben Yohanan of Jerusalem said: … let the poor be members of your household; Pirkei Avot, Perek 1, mishnah 5. The kind of hospitality that our Torah requires is possible only when we look upon the poor and on our obligation to them, as if they were members of our own household. Charity indeed begins at home, but the "home kind" of charity should not end there. The Gaon of Vilna once approached a wealthy man for a contribution for a destitute family. The man countered by paraphrasing a verse from Psalms: "I perform acts of tz'dakah at all times," (Psalms 106:3) implying that his continuous giving absolved him from making any further contributions. Amazed, the Gaon asked him how he managed to give charity constantly. The rich man, very satisfied with himself, opened the Talmud and pointed to the Rabbinic interpretation of this verse, "who do charity at all times" -- that it refers to one who feeds his young sons and daughters (T.B. Ketuboth 50a). Determined to answer the man in kind, the Gaon replied with a smile, "But there is another passage in the Torah which reads, 'Let him not come at all times to the Holy Place' [this verse]. He who hides behind the excuse of the Rabbinic interpretation of 'at all times' can never attain holiness." Taking care of your own family does not absolve you of your obligations to the poor who turn to you. But not only must you consider your obligation to the poor as compelling as your obligation to your family; you must actually treat them as such. "Let the poor of the members of your household." Do not demean the poor individual or humble him. His having to accept charity is humbling enough. Do not add to his sense of estrangement. When he comes into your house, make him feel at home. Part of the duty of hospitality is to convert the poor into members of your household. (Continued at [[DEUT470]] Deuteronomy 10:19 strangers SINAI1 56-7)

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LEV173 Simeon the Just as one of the last survivors of the Great Assembly. He used to say: The world stands on three things: on Torah, Divine worship, and acts of love and kindness. Pirkei Avot, Perek I, mishnah 2. … this great Sage emphasizes that the three pillars upon which the world of Judaism rests are Torah, the study and fulfillment of Torah; avodah, service to God, and g'milath hasadim, man's kindness in action to his fellow man. This three-fold characterization of Judaism is contained in the famous High Holiday prayer: "Penitence, prayer and charity avert the severity of the decree." Penitence is possible only where a knowledge of Torah induces a sense of guilt; prayer is, of course, the service of the heart (it too is called avodah in Hebrew); and charity is the implementation of g'milath hasadim. The importance of this teaching for the modern Jew lies in its call for totality and balance. Too often today we meet the person who trumpets forth the size of his charitable contributions and proclaims: "So long as I give charity and exhibit a generous heart, I can safely ignore the elements of Torah and avodah." We also have the person who maintains that since he goes faithfully to the synagogue every single day, he is absolved from giving to charity. What Simeon the Just would have us remember is that one is required to be a total Jew by making a total commitment to Torah, avodah, and g'milath hasadim. In the High Holiday prayer that we mentioned, the Mahzor [prayerbook-AJL] reproduces three words above the three subjects of the sentence. They are tzom, fasting; kol, voice; and mamon, money; these are approximate synonyms or associated terms for penitence, prayer and charity respectively. However, these three additions when regarded from the aspect of their numerical value [gematria-AJL], are actually equivalent, each consisting of 136. Any two together, therefore, equal 272, and all three total 408. With this in mind, we can offer an interesting interpretation of the verse, "A man of brutish instincts (ba'ar) does not know, and a fool will not comprehend this (zoth) (Psalms 92:7). The numerical value of the word ba'ar is 272, and the numerical value of zoth is 408! Substituting for these multiples of 136, meanings in terms of our triad --penitence, prayer and charity--we emerge with the points just made. We are acquainted with a man who does not know, ba'ar--272, who ignores two of the required three principles. And we even know of the fool who does not comprehend zoth--408, all three of these pillars of Judaism. There are people who feel that by remaining loyal to only one aspect of Judaism they are fulfilling their obligation. But surely this is foolishness! We can extend this approach farther, and in a similar manner interpret the verse, "With this, b'zoth, Aaron shall come into the sanctuary" [this verse]. Only with the "408" – – with the total of all three activities, should the cohen gadol, the high priest enter the holy of holies on Yom Kippur. Should he approach the Almighty with only a part of the totality of Judaism, then he cannot adequately represent his people. Anything less than total Judaism is a truncated Judaism, an unbalanced version. Judaism, in a sense, resembles a tripod, a structure resting on three legs. Remove any one of the three supports and the structure will collapse. If a person be learned but not observant, if he be charitable but not disposed to worship, then he cannot possibly experience a full religious life. Such defective religiosity is bound to be shaky and is destined to topple.

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LEV771 He [Hillel] used to say: …. And if not now, when? Pirkei Avot, Perek I, mishnah 14. The Torah commands, "Before an aged one, rise" [this verse] as a sign of respect. Some commentators give a striking interpretation: "Before you become an aged one, rise." In other words, do not wait until you are well advanced in years before returning to religion. Elevate yourself, rise in spirituality before old age sets in by degrees. Do not say, I will start observing the Sabbath when I retire from business; or, I will start visiting the synagogue when I have children. "If not now, when?" How can you be sure that you will reach that period in life? Or that if you do, you will be able to accomplish these things which you are neglecting now? Rise, elevate yourself now, before the years slip away into old age, leaving you fixed in your habits.

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LEV805 Let the ethics and decency of Torah not stop at the doors of the beth midrash, the House of Study. Conduct your business in the spirit of the Torah. Remain honest, honorable, fair. The Torah commands, "You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length, weight, quantity" [this verse] Rabbi Isaac Scher, the head of the Slobodka Yeshiva, quoted Midrash Sifra that "judgment," which usually refers to the judicial process in a court of law, is used here about the business of weights and measures mentioned after it. The Torah speaks to a merchant who is measuring a yard of material: At this moment you are a judge and your action is tantamount to a legal decision. This is a case involving you and the customer. A certain amount of merchandise goes to your customer; the balance remains for you; and a sum of money changes hands. Give him thirty-five inches instead of the full yard, and you have robbed him. Charge him less than the fair price and you are cheating yourself.

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LEV887 Akavya ben Mahalal'el said: Reflect on three things, and you will not come within the hands, the power of sin: know from where you came, whither you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a future account and reckoning. From where you came--from a fetid drop; whither you are going--to a place of dust, worms and maggots; and before whom you are destined to give a future account and reckoning--Before the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He. Pirkei Avot, Perek III, mishnah 1. The commentary Yen L'vanon (a commentary on Avoth by Naphtali Herz Wessely, 1725-1805, German Hebrew author and educator, pupil of Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz) interprets Akavya's questions in a comparative sense: You, man, consider yourself to be the crown of creation. You have been given dominion over the creatures of the earth. Yet, wherein lies your greatness? Consider your origin: were you not conceived in gross sensuality? Compare yourself to the lower forms of life and the flowers, where the species are perpetuated in innocence, without sensuality. Again, consider your final end. Here, too, man appears inferior. When a flower dies, one can make perfume of it. When an animal dies, shoes and clothing can be made of its hide. But when a human being dies, he is buried. Even in the length of time needed for development to maturity, man appears an inferior species. We read, "A bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, when it is born.…" [this verse]. The interesting thing about an animal is that it is a "sheep or a goat" as soon as it is born. Very little time is needed before it starts to function as an independent organism. Man, however, has the longest period of infancy and helplessness. Years of growth are required before he becomes self-sustaining. Both in his physical origin and in his bodily destiny man, in comparison with the lesser creatures, is quite unimpressive. Wherein, then, lies his superiority? The answer, inevitably, must be that man's greatness lies in his freedom to be self-transcendent, in his very ability to reflect on his physical origin and destiny and find them lacking in meaning, bereft of significance. And so, contemplation of the first two questions of Akavya must lead us to his third statement: "Know before whom you were destined to give an account and reckoning." This freedom of ours implies responsibility. This inadequacy of and dissatisfaction with our life here and now force to realize a transcendental goal in which we will stand "before the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He."

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LEV1060 See [[EXOD692]] Exodus 22:24 interest SINAI1 17

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NUM32 They [the men of the Great Assembly] said three things:… and make a fence for the Torah. Pirkei Avot, Perek I, mishnah 1. People wonder about the need for the many Talmudic laws that we are required to observe. Essentially they are a "fence," instituted to protect the biblical commandments against the danger of violation. This is a basic approach, found in the Bible itself. The nazir is a person who took upon himself a vow of abstinence which forbade him to drink any wine or other intoxicating liquors [this verse ff.] The Bible, however, imposes upon him further restrictions: he may not drink vinegar derived from wine, or eat dried grapes, raisins or anything else derived from the grape vine. These are fences designed to keep the individual distant and remote from the area where danger might lurk. Man is only human and can succumb to temptation. The least association with the forbidden can ignite a chain reaction which could shortly lead to the most flagrant transgressions. The Sages of the Talmud had a most realistic view of human nature and the power of the attraction of sin. If you have a small-voltage battery with water exuding, you can touch it without receiving a shock, because it is weak. But if you have a 110-volt battery, you must insulate it against the strength of the current by putting tape or some other material around it. When you are dealing with a powerful dynamo, certainly you need something even stronger by way of insulation. The Sages were well aware of the power of sin. Both in its moral and intellectual forms, sin appeals to the human being with a force and pull that is almost compulsive. Furthermore, sin is all-pervasive. Particularly in the lands of our dispersion, the very environment militates against Torah and its observance. Under such circumstances, the Sages were wise to insist upon heavy and continual insulation. "Make a fence around the Torah." Stay far away from sin.

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NUM34 In both Scripture and Talmud we have an entire complex of laws dealing with the subject of "vows": whether and how a Jew may take on himself certain restrictions or extensions in addition to those which the Torah imposes, and which "oaths" give his intention the force of Torah law. In general, tradition did not look with favor on oaths and vows. Nor did it approve of people who abstained from things that the Torah permitted. In the words of the Talmud, "Whoever takes a vow, even if he fulfills it he has called a sinner" (T.B. Nedarim 77b); again, "If someone takes a vow, it is as if he built an authorized alter; and if he fulfills it, it is as though he had offered a sacrifice upon it" (T.B. Yebamoth 109b, Nedarim 22a, Gittin 46b). This attitude is confirmed by a law that applies to the nazir, a person who took an oath to abstain from drinking wine, cutting his hair and becoming ritually unclean: when he completed his period of abstinence, which usually lasted thirty days, the Torah required him to bring a hattath, a sin-offering. But whatever was his sin, that he should have to offer this sacrifice? For one, the nazir sins by denying himself some of the pleasures which are God's gift and blessing to humanity. Secondly, the nazir is, in effect, adding something to the Torah, as it were. Apparently he considers the manifold prohibitions of the Torah insufficient, and he comes to "improve" on them by adding new ones. This is possibly an act of devotion and worship, but it is misplaced religiosity.… As a rule, then, the nazir is not regarded with favor in Judaism. Nevertheless, there were those who chose to take the vow in the face of the disapproval, and for many being a nazir for a while was helpful. The vow of abstinence could strengthen and reinforce a person's resolve and efforts to control his passions and tumultuous impulses. In this sense Rabbi Akiba says, "Vows are a fence to self-restraint." ... [However] if a person becomes a nazir out of sheer braggadocio, to show that he is more pious than the next man, or if he acts impulsively, in a fit of irrational masochism or self-modification, he acts sinfully.

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NUM109 He [Hillel] used to say… In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man. Pirkei Avot, Perek II, mishnah 6. By this dictum Hillel qualifies his earlier teaching, "Do not separate yourself from the community." If a community is organized on the principles of Torah and recognizes its supreme authority, by all means, "do not separate": Work with it and give it your best. But what of a group that "goes after the desires of its heart"? What do you do when "the crowd" decides to visit a gambling haunt or some vile "place of pleasure"? Do we still say, "Do not separate"? No, concludes Hillel; sometimes the situation calls for a man, for the individual who will stand up to the group, who will say no! There are times when you must resist, go against the tide, be a non-conformist. Even if no one else has the wisdom or courage to be that man, even if everyone else has become part of the faceless crowd, the 1000-headed monster that is the spineless creature of conformity, you, the observant Jew, are the son of Abraham, he was called the 'ivri, because he stood on one side ('ever) of a great religious battle for the recognition of the Almighty, while the whole world stood arrayed against him on the other side. You must strive to be that man, standing on your own two feet. Bear this in mind: If the Jewish people had always gone along with the majority, there would be no Jewry and no Israel today. Yes, says Hillel, do not separate yourself from the group. But when that group has forfeited the right to be called "men," when righteousness and justice and Torah have departed--in the place where there is no man, you must stand up and fight the majority; you must be the man. Hillel was one of the most humble and patient people of his time (T.B. Shabbath 30b-31a). Yet, when the hour called for it, he allowed the community of Jerusalem to appoint him, an immigrant from Babylonia, as their nasi, their head, rather than any of their own leaders (T.B. Pesahim 66a). Can we reconcile such action with humility? I believe we can. To be humble does not mean that you refuse to appraise yourself realistically; neither does it require you to reject responsibilities, refuse to assume office, or rule out positions of leadership. Moses was the most humble of all men on the face of the earth, as Scripture attests [this verse]. Yet he led, rebuked and exerted his people; and surely he must have been aware of his historic significance. As we face up to our weaknesses, so should we honestly appraise our strengths and capacities. The humble person is not one who disparages his abilities and sees himself and others about his true talents. He is rather someone who accepts his talents and abilities, faces his historic opportunities, accepts his responsibilities. But he adds in utter honesty, "All this has been given me by the Almighty to serve Him and fulfill some small part of His plans for the universe. All this is no cause for arrogance or conceit. I am what the Creator has made me, and I must do what my situation demands of me." Where there is no man, strive to be a man.

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