LEV930 The body is morally neutral and potentially good. The body is neither bad nor good. Rather, its energies, like those of our mind, will, and emotions, are morally neutral. All our faculties can and should be used for divine purposes as defined by Jewish law and tradition. Within these constraints, the body's pleasures are God-given and not to be shunned, for to do so would be an act of ingratitude toward our Creator. The body, in other words, can and should give us pleasure to the extent that such pleasure enables us to live a life of holiness.… In these matters Judaism differs markedly from both the American secular review of the body, on the one hand, and from Christianity, on the other. Because of its view of the body and its central story of Jesus dying on the cross, pain plays a positive role in most Christian thought. The closest Judaism comes to that attitude are the rules governing Yom Kippur and historical fast days like Tisha b'Av, on which we are to "afflict our souls" through fasting, sexual abstinence, and other forms of physical self-denial. But in each case, such abstinence is restricted to that day alone and is designed to call attention to the spiritual theme of the day; deprivation itself is not expected to effect atonement or historical memory. In fact, if a person's life is medically endangered on Yom Kippur, the law not only permits but actually requires him or her to refrain from fasting and to take appropriate measures to ensure life and health. (See this verse,; M. Yoma, chap.8, and later rabbinic commentaries and codes based on that).

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LEV954 See [[LEV821]] Leviticus 20:2 death HURWITZ 77

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LEV1014 Verbal abuse of anyone is forbidden by the Jewish tradition under the biblical command, "and you shall not wrong one another" (this verse). This prohibition precludes verbal abuse of minors as well as adults, (B. Bava Kamma 90a; M.T. Laws of Assault and Injury 3:5; and S.A. Hoshen Mishpat 420:38)) an important point to note especially by teachers and parents. In addition to these general interdictions of verbal abuse, Jewish sources tell a man to be especially careful not to abuse his wife verbally, "for since she cries easily, it is all too easy to oppress her." (B. Bava Metzia 59a. Literally, "for since her tears are common, her oppression is near.") Similarly, the Talmud says that a man's wife is given to him so that he might realize life's plan together with her; he certainly does not have the right to vex or grieve her continually and without cause. "Vex her not, for God notes her tears." (B. Ketubbot 61a). These commands are derived, in part, from the promise that the man is required to make in the wedding contract to honor his wife. Indeed, "He who loves his wife as himself and honors her more than himself is granted the scriptural promise, 'You shall know that your tent is in peace.'" (B. Yevamot 62b; the biblical verse quoted is Job 5:24). Contemporary readers may be justifiably offended by the sexism of some of these remarks, but that modern sensitivity should lead us to argue that wives as well as husbands are duty-bound to avoid verbally abusing their spouses, for husbands, too, can and do feel hurt by such shaming.

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NUM95 … appropriate sanctions should be imposed on people who knowingly allege false charges to harm the accused or gain sympathy for themselves. So, for example, falsely accused people should avail themselves of any and all remedies prescribed in civil law. In addition, though, they have a right to expect the Jewish community to demonstrate its disgust at such behavior and its unwillingness to tolerate it. Depending on the situation, that might include dismissal from a job in the Jewish community (on grounds of moral turpitude); expulsion from the camp, school, or synagogue in which the incident took place; and, minimally, a demand for a public apology. In the process of dealing with such an instance within a community, the relevant laws prohibiting defamation (motzi shem ra), lying (sheker), and even the related law about plotting witnesses (edim zomemim) (For defamation, see Numbers 12:1-6 and Deuteronomy 22:13-19. For lying, see Leviticus 19:11. For plotting witnesses, see Deuteronomy 19:15-21.) should be taught, along with their rabbinical developments, so that this instance may become the occasion to teach people the kinds of speech the Jewish tradition expects Jews to avoid. All sanctions imposed on the accuser, of course, apply only to cases were no abuse had occurred and the accuser knew that; they would not be appropriate in cases where there is reasonable question as to whether the defendant's actions constitute abuse or not. In such cases, the accuser, in lodging the complaint, acted out of an honest, even if mistaken, understanding of the situation and is in blameless for doing so. The defendant can then dispute that understanding in a judicial tribunal if she or he thinks that the accuser misconstrued the situation, and the judges can decide.

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NUM168 (Continued from [[LEV471]] Leviticus 19:16 idly DORFFLOV 65). Thus, even though the Torah says cryptically that Zelophehad had "died for his own sin" (Numbers 27:3) without identifying it, Rabbi Akiva asserted that Zelophehad was the unnamed man in Numbers 15:32–36 who chopped wood on the Sabbath and suffered the death penalty for desecrating the Sabbath. Rabbi Judah ben Betaira then said to Rabbi Akiva: "Akiva, one way or another, you will have to answer for what you said: if you are right [that Zelophehad is the one who desecrated the Sabbath], the Torah shielded him [by not spelling out his name] while you divulged that; and if not, you have maligned a righteous person." (B. Shabbat 96b). Even if Zelophehad had desecrated the Sabbath, by Rabbi Akiva's time Zelophehad had long been dead, and so there was no practical reason that anyone had to know that. Without such a pragmatic justification for divulging the sin, Rabbi Akiva was at fault for violating the strictures against "speaking of the bad" (lashon ha-ra). Thus, if I am interpreting Jewish law to allow professionals to keep confidences that reflect badly on the client and may even cause harm to third parties, I would surely insist that professionals keep their clients' confidences when nobody else has a practical reason to know those facts.

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NUM330 See [[NUM168]] Numbers 15:32 man DORFFLOV 65

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NUM379 Judaism would have us recognize the idolatry inherent in a life devoted exclusively to work and would have a balance our commitments to work with serious time and energy spent on other important values, most especially those of family. Overzealous commitment to work does have a deleterious effect on one's sexual and family relationships, (Classical Jewish law recognized this in demanding that a man who wanted to change to a job that would require him to be home less often could do so only with his wife's permission, even if the new job meant he would earn more money. His wife's permission was also necessary if he wanted to ply his trade in a far away place rather than a near one. See B. Ketubbot 61b, 62b; M.T. Laws of Marriage 14:2 and S.A. Even Ha'ezer 76:5) and the Jewish tradition would have us remember that one's family should take precedence over one's job. This is poignantly stated in the Rabbis' comment on (this verse) where the tribes of Ruben and Gad asked to stay in the lands the Israelites had already conquered on the eastern bank of the Jordan River so that "we might build sheep pens for our Flocks and cities for our children." On this the Rabbis comment: "They were more worried about their possessions than they were about their sons and daughters, for they mentioned their flocks before their children. Moses said to them: "Do not do that; what is primary should be primary and what is secondary, secondary. Build first cities for your children and afterwards pens for your Flocks." Tanhuma, Mattot, 1:7, and see Rashi on this verse and Numbers Rabbah 22:9) As both men and women in our society are increasingly taking on the responsibilities of careers, then, it is important to reaffirm that both men and women have critically important rules to play in providing marital companionship for each other and raising their children. Achieving a proper balance of work and family, of course, is not easy. Since most parents in our day do not live with an extended family nearby, the full burden of supporting themselves while simultaneously rearing children falls completely on them. Moreover, especially for men, but increasingly for women as well, American society defines "success" almost totally in terms of climbing the ladder at one's job. Years from now, though, when we look back on our lives, most of us will not feel bad that we did not spend more time working; we will instead regret the time that we did not spend with our spouse and children, particularly when they were young and readily available for interaction. All too often, it is not until children reach their teens or twenties that parents feel secure enough in their jobs to find the time to do things with their children; by that time, however, the children are interested in building their own independent lives and rarely have time or interest in doing things with Mom or Dad. Judaism's long-term vision about what is really important in life, as embedded in the Rabbis' commentary on the request of the tribes of Rueben and Gad, should help us keep our priorities straight as young adults and as older spouses and parents as well.

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DEUT62 Even though return and supplication are always good, they are particularly so and are immediately accepted during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement,") as the Bible says, "Seek the Lord when He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6). This only applies, however, to an individual. But as for the community, whenever its members return and offer supplications with sincere hearts, they are answered, as the Torah says, "For what great nation is there that has a God so close at hand as is Lord our God whenever we call upon Him?" (this verse). (M.T. Laws of Return 2:6).

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DEUT73 Jewish law … obligates grandparents to assume [the costs of grandchildren's formal and informal Jewish education, e.g. Jewish day school, camps, youth groups] if they are at all able to do so. The Rabbis based this duty of grandparents on (this verse). On that verse the Rabbis said: "Are grandparents responsible for teaching their grandchildren? ... "And you shall teach your children" [Deuteronomy 11:19], from that I only know that I must teach my children; how do I know that I must also teach my grandchildren? Because the Torah says, "and make them known to your children and to your children's children [Deuteronomy 4:9]. (B. Kiddushin 30a). Thus grandparents who have the economic means to contribute to the Jewish education of their grandchildren should see it as their duty to do so. They should also see it, of course, as their distinct privilege, for they are thereby making concrete contributions to the ongoing chain of the Jewish tradition in the most personal way possible, through their own posterity.

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DEUT147 Marriage provides the venue for having children but is also, in the Jewish view, the context in which children are educated. Parents have a duty to educate their children in Judaism, including its moral component. (Deuteronomy 6:7, 20-25, 11:19. This was already one of Abraham's duties (Genesis 18:19)). Parents may use schools to help them fulfill that duty, but they must periodically check to make sure that their children are in fact learning what they should, because ultimately the duty to educate children remains theirs. Moreover, much of the Jewish tradition can be taught only at home, for this is a tradition that is not restricted to the synagogue or school: It tends to influence virtually every detail of life.

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