Yithro: The Law
Yithro: The Law
The Ten Commandments, the highlight of this week's parsha, are the archetype of (universal) law. The story that surrounds them informs the nature of law, how and why it is accepted, and what is needed for its continuation.
It takes an outsider, Jethro, to recognize the problem of having the law invested in an individual, even if it is Moses. The law becomes a mystery, revealed only by and to the great prophet. It becomes inaccessible and unpredictable. Who knows what to do or how to live? The law must be available to everyone.
There are complexities and esoteric elements in the law. It must cover all contingencies, included the unanticipated and the those open to honest differences in interpretation. People must adjudicate situations. Jethro instructs Moses to seek out the capable, trustworthy and those who spurn ill-gotten gains. Trust in the law, an important element in voluntary adherence requires the perception of fairness and wisdom in its execution.
The experience at Sinai defined the nation. Acceptance of the law defined membership in the nation. Those who do not accept it have excluded themselves. This voluntary, non-hereditary naturalization defines an important seed of democracy.
Thus, for the Israelites, and their descendants the Jews, the law becomes their most sacred possession. It becomes their gift to humanity. It is an ongoing recognition that life can be governed by an outside force that is stronger than any individual person or group of people.
The commandments are the words of Gd. They are given and demanded by a force too powerful to fight; an entity that is infinitely more intelligent than the humans the law is meant to control Perhaps that is part of the meaning of the first commandment: I am the Lrd your Gd: I am the entity that liberated you from Egypt and (beyond) the most powerful thing you can imagine The commandments are not negotiable.
The law has problems in its practical application. It cannot consider the specific of a situation, the hunger of the thief, the entitlement of the abuser. Reasonable accommodations can be made by wise, disinterested parties. The study of the law becomes the highest occupation of people. The study of the commandments are universal
The people cling to the law because they believe in the law itself. We believe that it is fair, it rules over everyone equally. It allows freedom from the arbitrary and random. I miss that feeling in America today.
There are complexities and esoteric elements in the law. It must cover all contingencies, included the unanticipated and the those open to honest differences in interpretation. People must adjudicate situations. Jethro instructs Moses to seek out the capable, trustworthy and those who spurn ill-gotten gains. Trust in the law, an important element in voluntary adherence requires the perception of fairness and wisdom in its execution.
The experience at Sinai defined the nation. Acceptance of the law defined membership in the nation. Those who do not accept it have excluded themselves. This voluntary, non-hereditary naturalization defines an important seed of democracy.
Thus, for the Israelites, and their descendants the Jews, the law becomes their most sacred possession. It becomes their gift to humanity. It is an ongoing recognition that life can be governed by an outside force that is stronger than any individual person or group of people.
The commandments are the words of Gd. They are given and demanded by a force too powerful to fight; an entity that is infinitely more intelligent than the humans the law is meant to control Perhaps that is part of the meaning of the first commandment: I am the Lrd your Gd: I am the entity that liberated you from Egypt and (beyond) the most powerful thing you can imagine The commandments are not negotiable.
The law has problems in its practical application. It cannot consider the specific of a situation, the hunger of the thief, the entitlement of the abuser. Reasonable accommodations can be made by wise, disinterested parties. The study of the law becomes the highest occupation of people. The study of the commandments are universal
The people cling to the law because they believe in the law itself. We believe that it is fair, it rules over everyone equally. It allows freedom from the arbitrary and random. I miss that feeling in America today.
posted by Sheldon Goldberg at 8:25 AM
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