LEV1079 See [[EXOD1978]] Exodus 21:2 six DORFFWITO 112-3

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LEV1118 A covenant of mutual promises binds both parties only as long as they both abide by their agreement, and the intent of the covenant is to accomplish mutually beneficial goals. A covenant of love, on the other hand, is intended to establish a lasting relationship that will survive misdeeds by either party, for the purpose of the covenant is the relationship itself. As indicated above, the Torah describes God’s covenant with Israel in both ways. Therefore sometimes God calls Israel to account by punishing Israel severely for failing to abide by the terms of the covenant (e.g., Leviticus 26:14-43; Deuteronomy 28:15-29), and at other times God asserts that even when Israel strays, God will stick by the covenant in maintaining the loving and lasting relationship God formed with our ancestors, the patriarchs and matriarchs, in some sources on condition that Israel return to God's ways and in some sources even without the act of teshuvah, return (e.g., Leviticus 26:44-45; Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 30:1-10).

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LEV1150 See [[LEV1118]] Leviticus 26:14 obey DORFFWITO 41

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NUM144 See [[EXOD1073]] Exodus 34:7 visits DORFFWITO 47-8

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NUM147 See [[EXOD1073]] Exodus 34:7 visits DORFFWITO 47-8

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DEUT14 See [[EXOD827]] Exodus 23:6 rights DORFFWITO 238-41

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DEUT44 ... the Torah and, even more, the later rabbinic tradition spell out in very specific terms the morals God requires of us. Although this last point is the subject of debate among Jewish thinkers, I am among those who maintain that the inherent morality of God requires rabbis in each generation to apply the law with moral norms in mind. This requires some explanation. Deuteronomy 17:8-13 says that when a Jew has a question about God's law, he or she should go to the judge of the time and obey that person's instructions. That passage established the authority of human judges in each generation to interpret and apply God's law. Because the Torah, unlike the American Constitution, specifically forbids amendment in Deuteronomy 4:2 and 13:1, the Rabbis used their judicial power expansively to establish Jewish law to deal with new circumstances and remain relevant through time. In this process, I contend, rabbis from the time of the Mishnah to our own era have been properly and importantly influenced by the understanding of God as morally good, for that requires that they interpret God's law in ways they construe to be moral. That is, Jewish theology has, and should have, a direct effect on Jewish law. The extent to which that is true, if it is at all, and how moral concerns should enter into legal debates are both matters of considerable debate among contemporary rabbis and Jews generally. I maintain that Jewish belief in a moral God has an important role to play in shaping the law and in motivating us to live by its demands.

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DEUT50 See [[EXOD516]] Exodus 21:1 rules DORFFWITO 14

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DEUT72 See [[DEUT526]] Deuteronomy 11:19 children DORFFWITO 213

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DEUT311 (Continued from [[DEUT47]] Deuteronomy 11:22 ways DORFFWITO 18-9). As indicated earlier, in many ways chesed denotes the personal, individual aspects of tikkun olam, while tzedek and mishpat denote its social elements. Furthermore, similar to chesed, tzedek and mishpat are core values of the Jewish tradition. Thus, at the end of the first chapter of Ethics of the Fathers (1:18), we read an alternative list of values on which the world depends: “Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel says: The world depends on three things: on justice (ha-din), truth, and peace, as the Bible says, ‘Judge in your gates truth and justice (u’mishpat) and peace’” (Zechariah 8:16). Like chesed, the justice aspects of tikkun olam are also part of God's very essence: “Righteousness and justice (tzedek u’mishpat) are the base of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness (chesed ve’emet) stand before You” (Psalms 89:15; see also 97:2). The Book of Proverbs asserts that if a person pays attention to wisdom, “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and attain knowledge of God... He reserves ability for the upright and as a shield for those who live blamelessly, guarding the paths of justice (mishpat), protecting the way of those loyal to Him. You will then understand what is right, just and equitable (tzedek u’mishpat u’meisharim)—every good course” (Proverbs 2:5, 7-9). Consequently, to seek God is to seek justice: “Listen to Me, you who pursue justice, you who seek the Lord... For teaching (torah) will go forth from Me, My way (mishpati, “my justice”) for the light of peoples … Listen to Me, you who care for the right (tzedek), O people who lay My instruction to heart!” (Isaiah 51:1, 4, 7). From the Bible's point of view, then, the tasks of discerning the just and the good and then acting on that knowledge are not just central to our Jewish identity; they are what God demands of us: “Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord...” (Deuteronomy 6:18). Many philosophical questions immediately arise from that verse and the other passages we have been considering. What do we mean by the terms kind, just, right, and good in the first place, and how are they different from each other? How shall we determine the courses of action that are good or that are right or good in morally ambiguous situations? And how is God related to our moral discernment and action? We will consider such questions in chapter 3, but for now, suffice it to say that tikkun olam and its component values have deep roots in the Jewish tradition, identifying core values in the identity of both Jews and God.

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