Parshat Va’Etchanan (And I Beseeched )
CARLSBAD, California — This week we read the Torah Portion titled, ‘Va’Etchanan’, which means ‘And I beseeched.” This portion is full with meaning and significance, as it recounts the giving of the Aseret HaDibrot / 10 Commandments and the Shma Yisroel / Hear O Israel. These passages are monumental and have literally changed not only the trajectory of the Jewish people, but of the entire world.
The Shma clearly and decisively demonstrates the Oneness of G-d; that He not only created the world and everything in it, but also that He is a personal G-d, involved in the daily details of our lives. The 10 Commandments emphasize the importance of acknowledging the One, True G-d, as well as G-d’s divine commandments. They bring into sharp relief the sanctity of the individual human life, human relationships, property rights, and even our attitude towards the possessions of others. In other words, it offers us the foundational necessities of society. Its laws are in stark contrast to the accepted norms of those days, when humanity lived strictly by the dictate of ‘survival of the fittest,’ making humanity comparable to the animal kingdom, and what humanity has (hopefully) evolved into, a society that cares for and insures justice for its weak and oppressed equally with the powerful.
However, there is one small passage that I wish to focus on this week. The Torah states, “You shall do what is fair and good in the eyes of G-d, so that it will be good for you, and you shall come and possess the good land that G-d swore to your forefathers…” (Deut. 6:18). The classic commentary simply explains the words, “fair and good,” as meaning, “compromise and going beyond the letter of the law.”
These days debates are raging about a whole host of issues. Our country is clearly divided. Protests are ‘flourishing’ and wanton destruction of many cities abounds. Fierce debates regarding our rights versus our responsibilities are ubiquitous.
As Jews should we be keenly aware of our Constitutional rights? The answer is that no people has a more profound interest in jealously guarding our rights than we Jews have. We have been victimized by everyone from lone gunmen to entire governments. Here, in the United States, described by the Rebbe as a “Nation of lovingkindness,” we have been largely spared systemic oppression and allowed to freely flourish, which has resulted in America’s Jewish community achieving unprecedented blessings.
With that being said, as individuals, it would seem that the words of Rashi mentioned above should inform our daily lives and the choices we make.
There is a Constitutional ‘right,’ and there is the ‘right’ thing to do. Both are important! But the Torah tells us to seek compromise and to go beyond the letter of the law. Compromise only applies when there are two oppositional positions. Going beyond the letter of the law means being willing to forgo what may be rightfully yours (in order to help someone who needs it).
Let us focus on doing what is fair and good, even when that means adjusting our personal claims. That doesn’t mean our rights aren’t important! It means that sometimes our rights do not insure fairness nor goodness, both of which lead us to the ultimate reward, as the passage continues, “so that it will be good for you…” (emphasis added).
Wishing everyone an uplifting, joyous, and HEALTHY Shabbos!
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Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort is Director of Coastal Chabads and Chabad at La Costa. Rabbi Eilfort welcomes readers’ comments and questions and may be reached at RabbiE@ChabadatLaCosta.com.