By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California–One of my congregants asked a recent synagogue class, “How can we try to be respectful and understanding of the ultra-Orthodox when they are at the forefront of hostile activities like rioting at places which are open on Shabbat and more recently, vandalizing a girls’ school in Bet Shemesh because it bordered their neighborhood?”
A different reframing of your question might read: Must respect be earned, or is respect given carte blanche to all people? Moreover, what does Jewish tradition say about these important questions?
According to Hillel’s famous advice, “What is hateful unto you, do not do to your fellow man,” Hillel demands that we treat each person with respect. Authentic religion begins with the cultivation of respect toward others. Whenever religious teachers fail to instill within their followers a reverence for life, religion becomes a sham.
Two Jewish ethical philosophers, Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas, develop Hillel’s message howbeit through different paths. Buber maintains that God is the third partner in every human relationship. The way we treat our fellow human beings says much about the way we feel about God. Anyone who mistreats his neighbor paradoxically behaves like an atheist.
Levinas adds that the human face reflects the Divine face, and each person must act ethically toward the Other—even if he is not necessarily deserving of respect. Levinas argues if somebody mistreats you, you have no ethical right to mistreat another human being. Two wrongs do not make a right.
In practical terms, Levinas makes a good point. If your employer acts like a jerk, that does not entitle you to act like one also. Standing up to abuse is one thing; you have every right to question his judgment–however, you need not act like a jerk in the process!
The question gets more complicated when you have a large religious group misbehaving, rioting, and threatening the lives of innocent bystanders because of religious reasons.
In this instance, Levinas’s ethical approach breaks down and loses some (but certainly not all) of its validity. Buber’s criticism of Levinas is well known, for Buber claims morality is like a two-way street. If somebody mistreats you, there is no a priori responsibility to play the role of victim. You have no obligation to show that person respect. Morality operates on a symmetrical principle of mutual give and take–contra Levinas!
Let us return to our original question: Must respect be earned before it is given?
Not necessarily.
As mentioned above, respect is something we must show to all people; however, if the Other acts in an anti-social manner, society has the duty to incarcerate its offenders, criminals, and deviants. The victimizer is unworthy of respect. It is very difficult to truly respect somebody who has not even a scintilla of healthy self-respect.
This is exactly the problem we now have with the Haredim rioting in Israel. Fortunately, some Haredi leaders have condemned the violence, while others are determined to encourage more civil unrest.
*
Rabbi Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom in Chula Vista. He may be contacted at michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com