Justice, Peace, and Truth

This has been a week of great turmoil and sadness in the United States. I don’t need to review the scenes of violence and hatred that have permeated our airwaves and the internet.  I do need to try to figure out if our tradition can teach us how to move forward when faced with such times. What should our expectations be of the way we are to live with one another and what should our end goals and our current means of achieving those goals be?

There has been a slogan used after the death of George Floyd that has been on signs and chanted repeatedly.  “No Justice, No Peace.”  Judaism actually links these two thoughts together as well.

Let me share with you a passage from Tractate Derech Eretz Zuta, a minor tractate of the Talmud:

תמן תנינן רשב״ג אומר על ג׳ דברים העולם קיים על הדין ועל האמת ועל השלום. א״ר מונא ושלשתן דבר אחד הןנעשה הדין נעשה אמת נעשה שלום. ושלשתן בפסוק אחד נאמרו שנאמר (זכריה ח׳:ט״ז)אמת ומשפט שלום שפטו בשעריכם. כל מקום שיש משפט יש שלום (וכל מקום שיש שלום יש משפט

There¹¹In Babylon. they taught: Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel used to say: By three things does the world endure: justice, truth and peace.¹²Cf. Aboth I, 18 (Sonc. ed., p. 10). R. Muna said: The three are one, because if justice is done, truth has been effected and peace brought about; and all three are mentioned in one verse, as it is stated, Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates,¹³Zech. 8, 16. [indicating that] wherever justice is done peace is to be found.

When the passage says by these three things the world endures, it is in effect saying that the world is sustained or lasts by these three things. They are not understood as the reasons that G-d created the world, but as what is required in order for the world to continue to operate smoothly and not disintegrate into anarchy. In other words, justice, truth, and peace are things that are required if societies are to function smoothly. Individuals and nations need to interact peacefully and honestly, and governments need to uphold justice. When governments respect and protect the rights of their citizens, the individuals in society will not have to struggle for their survival. That is a prerequisite according to Jewish thinking for all individuals and offers an opportunity for all to be able to live a  G-d centered life.  (Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld, Torah.org)

A blessing is found in this week’s parasha that expresses the desire that G-d should watch over us, look favorably upon us, and grant us peace.  You know it as the 3-fold priestly blessing which we say during the Amidah and on Erev Shabbat when we bless our children.

יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהוָ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ ^‎

יָאֵ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃

יִשָּׂ֨א יְהוָ֤ה ׀ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃

“May the Lord bless you and keep you;

May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24 – 26)

When I think about this blessing, it would almost seem as if we are hoping to be passive recipients of G-d’s blessings, with the ultimate blessing being peace.  Peace, Shalom, comes from the word Shalem, complete.  So, as we are hoping for peace in our lives, we are in effect hoping for more than just quiet.  Peace is a sense of completeness that comes from knowing that we have dealt honestly with others, that we have not allowed hatred to shape our actions towards others, that we have not inflicted pain upon others or profited by their loss.  When our behaviors reflect loving kindness, justice, and truth, we can face the world with no remorse.  We can be granted peace. 

Let me share another take with you about the concluding blessing, “May the Lord grant you peace.” A midrash adds these strange words: “Peace when you enter, peace when you leave, peace with every man.” What does that mean?  The 19^th century Chasidic master, Ktav Sofer, explains: “Peace when you enter” means peace in your home.  “Peace when you leave” means peace in your country.  “Peace with every man” means peace in the world.”

(Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer, also known by his main work Ksav Sofer or Ketav Sofer, was one of the leading rabbis of Hungarian Jewry in the second half of the nineteenth century and rosh yeshiva of the famed Pressburg Yeshiva. His official German name was Samuel Wolf Schreiber.)

The Ktav Sofer was telling us that before we can strive for peace in the world, our first obligation is to make sure our home is safe.  There can never be world peace if our own home is under attack.  Before we get to the global issue of world peace we must feel peace and security in our own home.  We know what it is like when anti-Semitism is in our community, we do not feel safe in our homes (and with that I include synagogue).  We have put cameras and security systems in place to deter others from harming us. We have asked neighbors near the cemetery to keep their eyes open to any vandalism there.  We have been in touch with our local police department and even Homeland Security.  Here in Lincoln, we might not worry about being attacked when we walk on the streets because we don’t necessarily have outward garments that others identify as “Jewish.” But what happens when hatred is based on the color of one’s skin? What happens when prejudice and acts of violence are perpetrated against blacks and other people of color? What happens when racism is institutionalized in a society?  Can cameras keep members of the black community from feeling  the known disparities regarding  wealth, income, criminal 

justice, employment, housing, health care, political power and education that exist in our society?  We have now experienced more than 100,00 deaths from Covid19 in this country and more than 40 million Americans filing for unemployment.  The data shows us that there is a disproportionate number of these deaths and job losses within communities of color.

This week I sent notes and made phone calls to my black friends here in Lincoln and across the country, to check on their well-being. I also wrote letters to our Mayor and the Chief of Police.  My friends were appreciative that I reached out to them. I figured it is only by having positive relationships with others that we can establish the change we want to see.  Change takes communication, listening, goal setting and action.  Change requires us to speak the truth, act justly, and seek resolutions that benefit all citizens. 

Questions:  (This one posed by the Mayor’s office)…  What ideas do we have to foster a dialogue around racial justice within our community, particularly the faith community.

Does being Jewish inform your attitudes about pursuing justice, truth, and peace?  If so, how.

·  Donate to local organizations committed to fighting racism and intolerance;

·  Vote for elected officials who oppose police brutality and respect the rights and dignity of all Americans, especially black Americans and other people of color;

·  Call on President Trump to stop fanning the flames of hatred and intolerance through racist statements, Tweets and indisputable “dog whistles” to white nationalists and neo-Nazis;

·  Join others in the Jewish community and beyond to speak out against racism and the taking of black lives. Together with others, we must let the world know that black lives matter;

·  Ensure that our own Jewish community recognizes and includes Jews of color in every aspect of Jewish communal life; and

·  Support non-violent protestors exercising their full right to free expression to keep the pressure on every sector of society.