A national conversation is taking place about the "stand-your-ground" laws that a number of States have passed in recent years. The controversy generated by the case of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was killed by a gun (allegedly) fired by George Zimmerman, a volunteer community watch coordinator for a gated community in Sanford, Fla., has caused many to question whether those laws encourage unjustified violence in threatening situations.
While the right to self-defense is a principle deeply rooted in Jewish biblical and rabbinic sources, this week's Torah portion actually calls on us to think about how not to stand our ground as we respond to the needs of others.
In the famous Holiness Code found in the portion of Kedoshim (the second of our two Torah readings this week, Leviticus 16:1-20:27), we find a far-reaching commandment in Leviticus 19:16: Lo ta'amod al dam re'ekha, "you shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor."
The rabbis of the Talmud understand this verse to obligate Jews to save people from mortal danger (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 73a). There are different opinions in the Jewish legal tradition about how much risk one is obligated to take in order to save the life of another in distress. Some require the bystander to put him/herself in uncertain danger to save the life of someone in certain danger; others do not require any risk of one's own life. This issue is at the center of Jewish legal debates on the permissibility of kidney donation in situations where there is risk to the donor.
A famous case in the Talmud records a story of two men traveling in the desert. Only one of them has enough water to survive. The sage Ben Petura argues that the water should be shared so that one does not witness the death of the other. However, Rabbi Akiba contends that the one who possess the water should drink it since one's own life takes precedence over the life of another. The rabbis adopt Akiba's latter position as normative practice. But what about cases in which it is not certain that you will die? Should you take a risk to save your fellow human being? How much risk? There is much disagreement in the tradition on these questions.
There is also a lively discussion among rabbinic authorities about how much money one is obligated to spend in order to save the life of a person in distress. According to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (popularly known as the Chafetz Chaim), a great rabbinic authority of the early part of the 20th century, one is obligated to spend all one's money if necessary to save another's life (Ahavat Chesed 2:20).
While most authorities consider 20 percent of one's wealth the upper limit for charitable giving, this case might be an exception to the normal limits of charity since the obligation derives from the commandment not to "stand idly by the blood of your neighbor," which demands the use of all of our resources. Indeed, this biblical injunction may be the most far-reaching command obligating us to assist those whose lives are in jeopardy because of disease, hunger, abuse or war.
The Israeli Knesset actually passed a Lo ta'amod al dam re'ekha Law in 1998. It requires a citizen "to proffer assistance, when able to do so without endangering himself or his fellow, to a person who, in close proximity, and following a sudden event, is subject to a serious and immediate danger to his life, his person, or his health." This piece of modern Israeli legislation requiring a citizen to assist another in danger is a direct outgrowth of the biblical verse from our Torah portion. In general, U.S. law does not mandate a similar obligation to intercede on behalf of another citizen.
The debate about "Stand your ground" laws encourages us to think about the limits of individual rights when we are confronted by danger. Important as this discussion may be, we must also be attentive to the obligations we have to preserve and protect the lives of our fellow citizens.
Those involved in the national conversation about health care reform, poverty and unemployment would do well to listen to the words of this week's Holiness Code. If life is sacred, then our society must take the obligation to save life with utmost seriousness.
Washington seems filled with people willing to stand their ground, to take a stand and defend sacred principles. Saving the lives of our most vulnerable citizens may require a different stance, one that calls on us not to stand firmly but to act boldly on behalf of those in need.
ON Scripture -- The Torah is a weekly Jewish scriptural commentary, produced in collaboration with Odyssey Networks and Hebrew College. Thought leaders from the United States and beyond offer their insights into the weekly Torah portion and contemporary social, political, and spiritual life.
Leviticus 19 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre
Kedoshim - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kedoshim - Parsha - Weekly Torah Portion
Kedoshim - Torah Portion - פרשת קדשים | Hebcal Jewish Calendar
The Jews, under the (Mosaic) Law code, with its many stipulations, were to go, according to the Scriptures, to the descendants of Aaron, the priests of the tribe of Levi, to be taught this Law, as they were the ones designated to explain the Law. (Lev.19: 8-11; Deut. 24:8; Malachi 2:7) The word "Rabbi" is not found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Even Moses is not called Rabbi in Scripture. However in the second century BCE a change occurred. A class of non-priestly scribes and scholars began to challenge the legitimacy of the priestly monopoly of Torah (Mosaic Law) interpretation. The instigators of this were the Pharisees, a new group within Judaism, who set up academies. By the first century CE, the graduates of the Pharisaic academies were given the title "Rabbi" by other Jews, rabbi meaning "my teacher" or "my master" in Hebrew. Now all the Jews would refer to Rabbi so and so, as the "expert" on some portion of the Law. Nothing could be done without consulting the "rabbi".
Christianity is wraped up in 2 commands. Love your God with all your mind, soul , and heart. And love your neighbor as your self. There is no place in the new test where one can return evil for evil.
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" Matthew 9:12-13.
"For all have sinned , and come short of the Glory of GOD" Romans 3:23. Life.
Would he have chosen to save only his jewish wife, as you all choose to do today, or would he have done the same with his arab wife unlike what you do with your neighbors today?
Shiska is Goyim
though you refer to Palestinians (Arabs)
Galatians 4 mentions the "situation" with Hagar was done as an example, the moral of the story is to choose the spiritual path and not the physical
Though Shalt NOT Kill
- God
Doesn't get simpler than that. Tell Mr. Leviticus his boss trumps him.
Iran comes to mind.
Here, we use the Constitution. Nothing else.
Choose today whom you will serve, if God is (spirit) God serve God, if Baal (religion) is God, serve Baal (religion)
JESUS CHRIST said" "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13. Life.
it is a narrow road, with pit falls (traps) on our way to "share in the divine nature", what seems to occur on the religion side and an example would be with Jeremiah and the Priests or Jesus and the Pharisees, as the inner workings of the holy Spirit advance people and change their heart to love, they become "called out from among them"
this becomes a strained relationship with the house of worship, because the overcomer is no longer concerned with structural rules, services or rituals, as a means to connect with God, my opinion is that this is what Baal is, and it would become visible in the "relationship" Paul had with the "Church in Jerusalem", whereby the Apostles struggled with: do we continue on in the new spirit or fall back to the old way?, Peter gets the vision, but Peters out, Paul probably had the same "father-son talk" with Peter the same way Jeremiah and Jesus did with their respective "religious groupings"
there's lots of that too i hear
"If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten that he die, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him."
“If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death”. (Leviticus 20:9)
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death”. (Leviticus 20:10)
“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death”. (Leviticus 20:13)
“Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property “ (Leviticus 25: 44-45)
“A man or a woman who acts as a medium or fortuneteller shall be put to death by stoning; they have no one but themselves to blame for their death”. (Leviticus 20:27)
“Anyone who blasphemes the LORD's name must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel” (Leviticus 20:15)
“If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire”. (Leviticus 21:9)
JESUS said unto him, Thou shalt love The LORD thy GOD with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets" Matthew 22:36-40. Life.
Get your terminology correct, Rabbi
It was actually worked up sometime in the 7th century BCE by Temple priests. The Hebrews didn't really have a coherent national or religious identity much before that. The Moses/Exodus story was an identity-building myth. So were the Adam, Noah and Abraham tales.
It was actually written between 1440 and 1400 BC and the Bronze age was just coming to a close. The Temple wasn't built until 600 years later so there were no "temple priests". And Jews and Christians actually became religions "of the book" at the same time and for the same reasons after 70 AD when the Temple was destroyed. Until then even Christians, who were nothing but a jewish sect, worshipped in the temple along with the pharisees.