NO...NO....NO

Let’s take a look at the 10 commandments.  How many of them are phrased in the negative.

2. You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved idol, or any likeness of any thing... you shall not bow down to them, nor serve them...

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your fellow.

10. You shall not covet...anything that is your fellow's.

There are 7 out of these 10 commandments that tell us what we are not to do.  If you were to walk into a classroom today, children are not used to hearing what they are not supposed to do.  Instead teachers are reminded to state their expectations in the positive.  So instead of teachers saying do not run in the building….one would hear, walk in the building. Parents also have a tendency to state expectations in the positive….be kind, be a good kid!  But in order to know what kind and good are, is it not true that a child must also know what they are not to do?   Being kind is when you do not make fun of someone else.  Being Kind is when you do not let an individual sit alone while everyone else is sitting by someone.  Specific instructions about what one is not to do leaves little room for guesswork!

What is the reason that 70% of the commandments given to us in this week’s parasha are phrased in the negative rather than in the positive?  Rabbi Jack Riemer points out, “Of the six hundred and thirteen ‘mitzvot’ in the Torah, three hundred and sixty-five, more than half are “Thou shalt nots;” “A stranger you shall NOT wrong,” “Do NOT follow the multitude to do wrong,” “You shall NOT take a bribe”, etc.

Hillel’s version of the golden rule is phrased negatively. “That which is hateful to you, you should NOT do to your fellow human being.” (Riemer)

The Sages of the Talmud put their ethical maxims in negative form often. “Do NOT separate yourself from the community.” (Riemer)

Why?  Why so much in our religious language often couched in negative talk?  Perhaps it is because we have to learn how to say, “No” to ourselves when we are faced with life’s temptations that are not moral or ethical.  It is only when we can separate ourselves from the wrong-doings of society which are often quite enticing that we can honestly say that we are living a life that is filled with meaning and holiness.

As Rabbi Reimer points out,if you think about our history “we,  the  Jewish people have survived because we were the great ‘no-sayers’ of history.  We have said, “No” to paganism, to dictators, to pressures of all kinds throughout our history. Our heroes are people like Mordechai, of whom it is written, “All the people bowed to Haman, but Mordecai did not bow.” And Matathias, who said, “Let others serve the king, but I and my sons will not.”

How would our world as Jews look today had these examples not been set for us in the past?  I suppose part of our no-saying is also apparent when we look at the world and say, “No we will not accept it as it exists today.  The world needs to be repaired.” We know there is hunger, homelessness, illness, poverty, violence, and hatred. We know we must work to end suffering and not accept discrimination against the have-nots of society.  That is the basis for tikkun olam.  By first saying no to the ills we see, we are able to focus on the positive behaviors that we must incorporate into our lives to change the world for the better.

Do you believe that there are things in life which are truly wrong and evil?  Do you think the modern world sees life this way too or feels that it is best not to judge because it depends on your perspective?  What happens in a society when individuals refuse to speak out against the wrongs they see happening? Where will we be as a society or a civilization if we cannot say “NO” to the ills we see happening now?  Judaism does not believe that morality is subjective, up to each individual to decide how they see things.  That is why the mitzvot are specific and tells us exactly how we are to conduct our lives.