Parashat Shoftim: Social Justice

Parashat Shoftim: The Pursuit of Justice (Tzedek)

Torah: Deut 16:18 - 21:9

Haftarah: Is 51:12 - 52:12

Brit Chadashah: John 1:19-27, Acts 3:22-23

Main Points

Moses directs Israel to appoint judges.

Types of worship that are forbidden.

Legal decisions of the Judge and Priest.

Commandments for the King of Israel.

Provisions for the inheritance of the Priests and Levites

Prohibition of idolatrous practices.

Laws concerning prophets.

Cities of refuge.

Laws concerning property and legal witnesses.

Laws of war.

The unsolved murder and purification of the land.

Justice (Tzedek) was required of the Israelites and was a part of their commitment to dwell in the land God was giving them (Deut 16:18-20).  The pursuit of justice was not just an issue just for the judges. The you in the verse is meant to convey that the pursuit of justice was everyone’s requirement, and this concept touches many things in life. The Sages stated that the Jewish concept of justice should be pursued regardless of issues concerning profit and loss and should apply to justly pursuing both the means and the end. The pursuit of justice is a core defining concept in the life of the Messianic.

Why do we pursue justice? Why is God so focused on it? Because God is concerned about his people mirroring his character so that his love and compassion can be a testimony in the world. Injustice corrupts the purpose of God. It hurts people. It makes God’s people look like phonies. Israel was to be on a relentless pursuit of all that was right and was called to be a voice and helping hand to those who were suffering. Most importantly of all, justice is a part of God’s character (Is 11:4, Is 30:18, Jer 32:19). Scripture says that God loves justice (Is 61:8). It is the foundation of his throne (Ps 89:14). His justice is even present in wars, specifically the wars of Israel (Rev 19:11).

God is no respecter of persons. He loves everyone equally. He does not show favoritism or partiality. He does not rob from one person to give to another. He cannot be tempted or corrupted through pleas, bribes, or bargaining. He treats the rich and poor equally and loves them both. He does not abuse (spiritually, emotionally, or mentally) or mistreat. His heart is moved with compassion when people suffer and are being hurt, regardless of who they are. He loves all of his creation intensely from the ant that crawls on the ground to the smartest, richest person in the world. He gives us free will and the choice to serve him or not and uses the same measure (his word) to judge us all. He will never violate his word, twist it, or misuse it to manipulate others. God loves justice because it embodies his truth and extends the awareness of his love. God loves justice because he is the judge. He defined holiness and right behavior based on his person and wants fair and just behavior from his people.

For his love to abound, it abounds mainly in us. His love is seen through our relationship with him, in how we love and respect ourselves, and in how we faithfully communicate his love to others in terms of our treatment of them.

Michah 6:8 The prophets directed that God wanted his people to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Is 1:17 continues to say that we should learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, and not allow the helpless to be taken advantage of. Scripture uses words like defend (the weak and fatherless), uphold (the cause of the poor and oppressed), rescue (the weak and needy), and deliver (from the hand of the wicked) in relation to justice indicating that the concept involves not just an acknowledgment of the bad, but a commitment to act righteously in response to it (Ps 82:3-4). Pursuing justice is an expression of faith (Prov 24:24-25) that puts us on the front line of defending biblical righteousness in a corrupt world. Like many values in scripture, we cannot just agree that justice is good, we have to embody it as a life practice vocally, with our actions, and even our money. Notice how justice is also linked to mercy and compassion (and also humility, Zech 7:9) and also plays a role in heavenly judgment (Matt 7:21-23, Matt 25:31-46).

Justice in Jewish terms is when all people are treated fairly and equitably in the judicial system, government, business, and is also applied from person to person. In recent years the concept of justice, especially social justice, has been linked to tikkun olam (healing or repair of the world through our actions such as volunteerism and humanitarianism). It is also linked to the idea of g’milut hasadim (acts of loving kindness). People of faith care about justice (Prov 29:7), love it (Prov 21:15), and seek to understand it (Prov 28:5). Applying it in our personal lives is a large part of sanctification. People have a right to personal dignity, their ideas, and their voice. We do not have to befriend everyone or agree with a person’s lifestyle to be respectful. We also do not have to accept (or advocate) the terms of culture, its worldview, or do anything contrary to our faith. We can be just and respectful as a mark of godliness.

Justice is not about uniform and regulated fairness at all costs. Nor is it about avoiding offense or about our convictions being silenced. Sometimes the pursuit of justice and offense goes hand in hand. In a sin and violence-wrecked world, standing for what is biblically just has a cost and will often run counter-cultural to societal thinking and political ideologies. Justice does not advocate for sin. It is concerned with establishing the rightness of a relationship between people and protecting their humanity and dignity in society.

From the standpoint of our study, justice can be divided into three areas: interpersonal, religious, and social justice.

Interpersonal Justice

We have written a lot about interpersonal integrity and honest dealings. We will mention some of them here. We are to be truthful and not deceive, cheat, or lie to get ahead. We are not to take advantage of another due to physical or mental incapacity or capitalize on a desperation situation. We cannot manipulate, covet, envy, coerce, oppress, or extort another for gain. We are to be honest and compassionate in our dealings with one another and hold all human life to be as valuable and precious as our own. Our goal is to faithfully reflect the love of God to everyone and testify of his mercy. For the remainder of this section, we will cover some outstanding points not mentioned in other parts of our text.

Standing for injustice requires us to see things as they are. We cannot be blind to who is the perpetrator and who is the victim. If we are, we risk victim and offender roles being reversed and our compassion being misplaced. If we overgeneralize our compassion and penalize everyone regardless of whether they are the offender or victim, attacker or defender, we end up perpetuating suffering and demonizing both parties. We also cannot be biased and constantly frame one person’s action as all bad while framing the others as all good, regardless of their motive and bad behavior.

We should acknowledge that God had made us (in his image), and we have a responsibility to judge one another fairly and without bias, prejudice, or partiality (maso panim).  Judging fairly helps us to not be fixated on only the negative qualities of a person, negative stereotypes, or flawed prejudicial thinking. Judging fairly requires us to see the whole person, not just the part we are irritated with. Further, if we are to judge fairly and with a godly heart, we must embrace and internalize the precepts of justice so that they are a part of our lives, thoughts, and actions.

We may appear authentic when we act but that is not always the best measure of who we are. It may say a lot about who we are striving to be. The best measure of ourselves is who we are when we are alone in our thoughts and time with God. Prayer comes from a word meaning to judge oneself. In American society, many stay away from this type of self-introspection and instead plow ahead in life carrying bias and prejudice against people or situations. We tend to be so fast-paced that we do not stop long enough in prayer or life to consider our thoughts, emotions, or intentions that come into play as we decide how to respond to people and life. As a result, many of our assumptions about people and life itself can be flawed because they are emotional responses that are never really challenged.

The truth is that many people do not like themselves. They do not want to look at their character and hate how they often respond but do not take care to change any of it. It is easy to evade our own lack of character when we justify ourselves by circumstantial ethics, our enamored sense of purpose, or define ourselves by our positions, or what we do.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov stated wrote we should always judge both ourselves and others favorably. We can judge ourselves very harshly out of shame, guilt, or anger. When we are depressed, discouraged, and down on ourselves we can struggle with feeling that everything and everyone is against us. We can feel like we are a failure and are incompetent. Judging ourselves favorably is about putting our circumstances in context and looking at them realistically against the backdrop of our lives.

We can have an overblown sense of shame (halbanat panim) and guilt in the face of our wrongs especially if we do not connect with our conviction to change them. A commitment to change brings hope that the future will be different. There is justice to confronting the truth about self, loving who we are and what God called us to be, and placing our whole person under God’s authority. If we are tormented by negative messages and self-hate, we need to work to justly see ourselves through God’s eyes and understand his love for us. It is godly to love, honor, and respect yourself.

We elevate our level of self-importance (our person or tasks) to the point where it is easy to trample others. When we are crusading and feel noble, our actions can feel right because our cause feels right. In reality, our actions can be corrupt, demean, or disregard others when it is not attached to a biblical viewpoint. Crusading often leads to bad behavior and life responses when we have a little truth but lose sight of the person. Pride can lead us to feel that we are right and everyone else is wrong. Arrogance can lead us to feel that we are better or more important than others. Being critical and judgmental can lead us to target others and condemn them while ignoring the “plank in our own eye”. Selfishness can interfere with our pursuit of godliness, and we develop spiritual fruit that does affect others, but our self-centered nature can cause us to barter and trade with our spirituality instead of giving God’s love as a gift to those around us. We need machrio l’chaf zechut which means influencing others to virtue or to judge others favorably. Did you know that the Torah mentions God’s directive for us to love the stranger more than 35 times? We have to manage life, but we cannot lose sight of those around us.

Did you know that the pursuit of justice can be a type of fast? In Is 58 the prophet spoke of the purpose of fasting as having a direct connection to our treatment of people. The people in question were religiously observant on the outside but did not have the love of God on the inside. God called them out for their duplicity and questioned why they fasted at all. God’s fast is not always about abstaining from food. In this case, God called them to abstain from unrighteousness and dedicate themselves to pursuing justice, mercy, and compassion.

Is not this the fast I choose: to release the bonds of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke,

 to let the oppressed go free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked, to cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh and blood? (Is 58:6-7, TLV)

Harsh judgment sabotages faith and hope. It also promotes shame. The Pirkei Avot 1:7 directs us to judge the whole person and lean toward a favorable judgment. To do this Jewish thinking directs us to start our consideration with the positive aspects of their actions and character first. This is particularly important when we refuse to rush to judgment upon hearing of a failure in a person of faith. We all make mistakes and sometimes we can make bad mistakes. If we do not make harsh and hasty judgments, we can stay away from impinging our own character out of overreacting, acting on gossip, or accepting another’s one-sided take on what happened. Our critical nature can destroy the good that people can do and rob them of their place when we convince them that they should not speak, have an opinion, or when we discredit them and scoff at their efforts. The doing of righteousness and abstaining from selfishness and mistreatment is one of the best types of fasting in scripture.

When we commit ourselves to obey the commandments, do a good deed, or do an act of tzedekah (justice) the traditional blessing marks a mental and spiritual acknowledgment of doing a sanctified, intentional action. Taking the time to acknowledge your efforts helps to pause and dedicate your actions intentionally to God. It is just a space of dedication to share a moment with HaShem and be conscious of his partnership with your efforts.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who calls us to holiness through mitzvot, commanding us to pursue tzedek/justice.

The Gospel as a Social Justice Movement

Social justice empowers society to be more equitable and compassionate. It inspires people to transcend negative stereotypes, prejudicial thinking, and inequality. This is important because we cannot just give the Gospel to others. We have to be okay with helping them, serving them in humility, and making God’s house a place for all people who desire to follow biblical righteousness and holiness. We cannot wrong others or oppress them regardless of who they are (Ex 3:9). We cannot wrong the widow the helpless, or those who are incapacitated. We cannot stand unphased in the face of suffering, unprovoked aggression, hatred, or abuse.

It is true that biblical history unfolded in a time where almost everything that was done had to be done by hard, manual work. Most of this was done by men. The nation had to be protected by men, built by men, and as a consequence administrated by mainly men. This was the ancient world. It is thought that the Persian empire was one of the most egalitarian. We see traces of egalitarianism in ancient Israel and more in the Brit Chadashah as the Apostle Paul constantly acknowledged the pervasive Roman culture while keeping a softer stance on the exclusivity of gender.

The biblical message concerning the treatment of people is both timeless and boundaryless. It is applicable to both men and women and can be used in every cultural arena. If it is used properly, it results in freedom, equality, and calls everyone to serve God in respect and dignity together. Messianic congregations can be mindful of social justice issues without embracing sin or being steeped in a victimization culture. It can be acknowledged and rightly pursued without it being a primary form of evangelism or being a message so prevalent that it drowns out the Gospel.

Racial Ethics in the Congregation:

Unfortunately, racial problems are still a part of congregational life in some places in America. We have made a lot of progress but there is still more work to do. There are congregations that are opposed to having a racially mixed congregation, racially mixed couples, or biracial children. They tend to be very cold and can in some places even get angry when a person violates one of their culturally held racial beliefs. They may tell their children not to play with another or be passive if their child is rude or unkind to someone of a different race or ethnicity. They may also shut people out and not allow them to participate or serve.

Rooting out racial problems in the congregation is a top-down issue. The Rabbi and organization need to have strong written policies and vocal support to form religious culture and avoid racism. I served under one pastor who came from a very racist area of our state. During his sermons, he would regularly talk about prejudice and why it was wrong. He stated on many occasions directly from the pulpit, “If being next to a person of a different race somehow rubs you wrong and you cannot walk in love with them and their children, find another congregation. This is not the place for you!”

Religious Ethics:  

The Jewish religion is one that is packed with different races, movements, philosophies, and ethnicities. When Messianic culture is brought into the equation, many more variations come into play with Christian beliefs. Because of the wide diversity of people in Messianic life we want to provide a place for all people to worship where they can be valued and participate in congregational life. Racism in action or speech should not characterize our interaction with newcomers, the public, or our presence on social media.

Messianics often get grief from other religious groups. Jews criticize because they are offended that we look and sound too Jewish. They see the inclusion of Yeshua in their practices as heretical and offensive to Jewish life and can be verbally abusive (ona’at devarim- verbal abuse) and sometimes outrightly hostile. It is amazing that one can still be a Jew and be atheist, but no longer be a Jew if Messianic. When many Jews accept Yeshua, they are shut out completely from the Jewish community. Parents, siblings, and relatives disown them, and they are treated like they actually died. In some cases, the parents or larger family will actually sit shiva have a death certificate drawn up and may even order a casket to be buried (yes, the persecution can be that bad).

The church world has a lot of Replacement Theology and also views the inclusion of anything too Jewish as heresy (this belief is in direct opposition to early Apostolic life and practice, clearly written about in the Book of Acts). It is horrible to say, but many people have been dismissed for living Torah, even when their theology is in line with the Christian congregation they attend. Almost every Messianic will see this type of religious abuse and experience hostile, religious speech somewhere. If the Apostles lived in our day among Catholic and Christian circles, they would be labeled as heretics for not forsaking all Jewish ways. That is unfortunate. Messianic faith was the first expression of faith, and it is still valid today.

Some Messianic movements have strong dogmas that are not rooted in Jewish thought. These dogmas can become the place where congregational casualties can arise and religious damage can occur. Some refute the traditional view of Jewish monotheism (the theology that God is a singular being) and slander others as heretics. In the oneness messianic movement, we hold to the traditional Jewish, biblical theology that God is one and like the Apostles recognize that Yeshua was fully God and fully man. Some Messianics believe it is not possible to be in fellowship with God or accepted by him without living a fully Jewish life and they end up condemning people. Others make an issue of the pronunciation and form of God’s sacred name and carry their theology to the point where the cry of a person’s heart and their needs or acceptance before God is dependent on a perfect pronunciation of his name. Some movements shut others out and discriminate against them because they were not born or raised as Jews or are connected to any living Jewish relatives. Some of these groups have requirements so exacting they are more stringent than actual Jewish denominations. These dogmas are a travesty and have caused a lot of confusion.  

Gender and Age Ethics:

Women in ministry is still a hotly debated issue in major denominations today. It is no different in Messianic circles. For some, there is a belief that women should not be in leadership at all while others argue over the few places they will be allowed. Some question the validity of Paul’s writing (he was not an Apostle but wrote two-thirds of the Brit Chadashah) while others question how far to take them. We live in a day where women are equals in the home, business, education, military, and the greater society. When they get to a congregation, they are told in many places that spiritually, covenantally, and physically they are subordinate to their husbands and cannot be godly women otherwise.

In the Roman era, it was a detriment to the Gospel for women to be too independent and not subject to their husbands. In our day it is a detriment for the Gospel for them to be subordinated like a servant under their husbands, not treated as equals, or be discriminated against on religious grounds. Many Jewish homes throughout history were thought to embrace egalitarian ideals to some degree and some of these ideals show up in the biblical narrative. AMI recognizes that women and equality are not a foreign theology in scripture and hopefully, more Messianic congregations and others in the Christian world will accept that fact.

Congregations in the Christian world can struggle with the issue of when a young person can participate in ministry activities. In Messianic Jewish congregations this process begins when the child reaches Bar/Bat Mitzvah age. Prior to this ceremony, the child prepares, learns some Hebrew, as well as scripture. After this ceremony, the now young adult is expected to begin taking ownership of his/her spirituality on a larger scale and participate in the congregation as a contributing member. This Bar/Bat Mitzvah serves as a rite of passage formally transitioning boy/girl into young adult status.

Some congregations can struggle with allowing their youth to engage in meaningful ministry. What normally happens is the parents are spiritually disengaged and the youth are shuffled off to their special service to attend. They are not viewed as capable or useful to teach, serve to any prominent degree, or have a place where they can invest their energies for the kingdom. Our youth are plagued with low expectations, low opportunities, and low trust. They have nothing to engage or be responsible for and are constantly treated like they are immature, unreliable, and untrustworthy. In American religious culture, our youth are seen, thought of, and treated like children until they are 18, then we wonder why they are chasing the world where they can be treated better and have more opportunities to contribute. If you are Messianic, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a mental and spiritual rite of passage that will give an enormous advantage to children. Connecting that to the function of the larger congregation and some good mentoring opportunities can help children own their spirituality and make personal investments in living for God.

Socio/economic ethics:

Some congregations are so focused on having prominence in their communities, they are no longer looking for the lost and hurting. They are looking for people who have wealth and influence. They spend so much time looking good that if someone too undone walks in, the apple cart of stability is disturbed, and people get nervous. They spend so much energy catering to the image they are creating that they have problems working with people who are hurting and desperate. As a result, these congregations do not have much patience with the poor, lost, convicts, or those with broken foundations and it is not long before people realize that the only ones who can serve are people who give the most. A person once told me that his church did not mind sending people to help in prison ministry, but they did not want the convicts to come to their church, serve the congregation, or marry their daughters. Some movements/districts are so influence-minded that they will not even consider allowing someone in the ministry if that person does not have a family connection with other ministers in the fellowship. All of these represent wrong-spirited ministry.

Ethics for animal treatment:

Judaism has a long history of being sensitive to the proper treatment of animals. In Gen 1:26 man was given dominion over animals. In the time of Eden, Adam and Eve ate only what grew from the ground. Generations after they left the garden, mankind was immersed in violence and the flood happened. God then permitted them to eat animals. This was probably a necessity, but it also came with a prohibition. Genesis 9:3-4 states that man was permitted to eat animals, but not with the blood in it. In practice, they could not tear off the limbs of the living animal or cut off its meat while the animal was still alive. While God permitted the consumption of animals after the flood he forbade unnecessary cruelty to animals at the same time. Notice this is repeated in the Apostolic council (to abstain from blood) in Acts 15 when they recited the Laws of Noah. The prohibition for the cruelty of animals is known in the Talmud as “tza’ar ba’alei chayim” or suffering of animals. It has become a staple requirement in kosher certification. Other passages like Deut 22:10 prevent two different animals from plowing together. This separation may seem odd until one realizes that the ox and donkey are not equally yoked and the offset in their strength can cause injury to both animals. There is an ethic behind everything in scripture. In Prov 12:10 animals are to be fed appropriately and in Deut 25:4 the ox can grain as he treads. In Deut 22:6-7 scripture prohibits the gathering of the baby eggs and her mother at the same time and also prohibits boiling a calf in its mother’s milk (Ex 23:19). In Ex 20:8 even the animals get to rest on Shabbat. God cares for the animals in his creation and has called us to responsibly do the same. We are to ethically care for them and prevent suffering.

Jewish thought recognizes the link between the compassion and respect we give to lowly animals and how that plays into how we respect and treat people. God was against the exercise of cruelty in all respects. It also says a lot about our sensitivities to those in the past who have denigrated human beings to be no more valuable than livestock or have called them chattle. We do not degrade our animals or humans.

Other scriptures dealing with compassion for animals: Lev 22:28, Ex 23:5, Deut 22:4

Ethics regarding climate change:

In Genesis 1:28 God gave man dominion over the earth. In Genesis 2:15 God made man (humanity) the stewards of what he created. They were to care for it, protect it, and maintain it. This is the scriptural basis for humanity to be environmentally responsible for the world they were given. Is God concerned about the care for the world he made? In Rev 11:18 God states that he would destroy those who destroy the Earth. If we lack respect for what we have been given, we will lose it.

The nations were enraged, but Your wrath has come and the time for the dead to be judged—to reward Your servants, the prophets and kedoshim, and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy the destroyers of the earth. (Rev 11:18, TLV)

The climate change debate has been hotly argued in and out of science circles. Whether it is man-made, will end up being man-made, or relegated to nonexistence is an issue science will have to flesh out. There have been prominent voices for and against its direction and causes. When there is a larger consensus and understanding among the experts on both conservative and liberal ends, we will know that we have a solid position.

The safest place to stand on the issue is for climate responsibility. The industrialized nations of our planet have the capability to destroy large swaths of our world and render them toxic if we are not careful. Proper engineering and control in addition to proper safety and government oversight is necessary to ensure the safety of civilian populations. Sometimes placement of a facility ensures more safety. Sometimes the maintenance of it is the foremost concern. Back in the 1970s and prior there was not a lot of thought about safety or the environment. Industrial plants contaminated waterways, polluted air, and sometimes even made the ground toxic. One facility in our area was known locally as the “Killing Fields” because someone died every time a turnaround happened. Some facilities in our area were plagued with explosions, toxic releases, and constant accusations of the industries being responsible for making the area a “Cancer Alley”.

What changed? The population did. People do not want to work for facilities that are unsafe or toxic. Some companies demanded that their managers live onsite next to the industrial plant to ensure that they were committed to safety. Public pressure, ad campaigns, union strikes, public accountability meetings, and protests were also a part of calling public and government attention to what was going on. Social responsibility for our climate combines all stakeholders (the public included) to ensure that accountability is enforced, and cities remain safe places with breathable air.

In one place in our area, a small community and its churches banded together to fight against a corporation that had to literally buy out almost all of their property due to the fear of toxic chemicals in the ground. Protests have happened in communities where toxic releases happened then the recovery process was botched, resulting in contaminated groundwater and soil. These things threaten our communities and need to be addressed. Direct action is often the only way to voice these concerns. Fortunately, the climate change debate has opened up media avenues where individuals and small groups can get their message out. Even the government has reporting resources so that communities can report spills and releases. If you live in a place where there is not much of an industrial presence a lot of the climate change debate may just be a political construct. For those who live in heavily industrialized areas with a memory of what happened over the past thirty years, direct action and protests happen for good reason.

Reproductive ethics:

There are two questions about reproductive rights that need to be answered. One is when does life begin? The other is the unborn child a separate entity in the womb. In and out of Jewish and Christian circles there are differing opinions. Jewish denominations agree that life technically begins when the baby takes its first breath and experiences independent existence, apart from the mother. They also agree that if the actual life of the mother is at stake, abortion is permitted. Orthodox denominations prohibit abortion unless the life of the mother is in danger. Conservative denominations are more permissive, allowing for abortion in cases where both the health (physical or psychological) and the life of the mother are at risk. Reform denominations additionally allow for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or when the child will be born with severe defects or handicaps. All major Jewish organizations hold that a baby is a part of the mother’s body until it is separated. There are Jewish pro-choice organizations in Judaism, but how they define the time of life and where personhood starts is still different from the Christian view.

The question is are they right? If the same procedure would be considered cruelty to an animal, it should not be done to people. If there is a prohibition of boiling a kind in his mother’s milk, why would it be ethical to kill it in the mother’s womb. While the Torah levels civil damages (Ex 21:23-25) to an unborn child who is killed accidentally, it does not cover an unborn child killed intentionally. Unborn children were not killed intentionally in Israel. The closest equivalent we have is when parents would offer their children on the altar of Molech. God was against this type of idolatry, but it was also cruel.

We believe that life begins in the womb at conception and that the unborn child should be honored (Is 49:15-17) as a life, protected against harm, and intentional termination (Gen 9:6). Ps 139:13-16 states that God created our consciousness, knew us, formed us, and ordained our days from the womb. We agree that abortion should be allowed if the life of the mother is at risk. We hold that the life of the mother takes precedence over the life of the baby. In Jewish thought, a baby that threatens the life of the mother in birth is considered a “pursuer”, in terms of the mother’s life. In the rare situations that a mother experiences a debilitating injury, the family will need to make a determination based on the condition and extent of the injury. This is also an important point if a young girl was molested/raped and carrying the pregnancy would be damaging to her body or take her life. Adoption is also a good consideration for mothers who cannot raise their children for whatever reason. It is no longer a stigma and can be the most compassionate option for both mother and child.

Politics and Social Justice

In our day, justice has grown to be a political term that indicates a movement’s justification and acceptance for a group or activity that has been marginalized or disparaged by society or religious circles. The problem is that many times what is being championed ends up being a promotion and elevation of unbiblical lifestyles and causes. The term “justice” in political circles has come to mean recognition and acceptance and has strayed from its biblical root of defending the righteousness of God. R’ Simhah Bunim of Pshischa asked “Is justice still justice if it is acquired through unjust means?” Biblical justice is when the right things are pursued in the right ways, using the right means to the right end.

Sometimes the political justice that is sought ends up promoting one group in society, at the expense of another. Righteousness cannot be attained by pursuing unrighteous means. Having a just relationship with a person (or group) cannot be attained by promoting unbiblical values that destroy society and tear down the fundamental fabric of respect, family, and community. Biblical justice does not require us to forsake our values and morality, it calls us to embrace and embody them (related concepts are truth-emit, and integrity or innerness-penimiyut). Respect can be given to anyone. We do not have to condone the life they live. Honor can be given due to a person’s position, without liking the person in it (kevod habriyot- honoring one another). Especially in social functions where the speaker is an important or honored guest (Yiddish-choshuve gast). Consideration and compassion are universal values that hold our societies together, as diverse as they are. We can disagree and even discuss biblical values without abusing or character assassinating others.

Our sense of social justice is a response to the brokenness of the world. It addresses the plight of the impoverished, disadvantaged, marginalized, or helpless. We do not justify or accept sinful living, nor do we accept the hyperinflated concepts of special class privilege (according to political thinking) by any measure. We seek to bring the rich resource of our biblical worldview to bear on the problems that surround us. When people are desperate, suffering, vulnerable, or are forgotten, that call for help should strike at the heart of every Messianic to respond as if they were the hands and heart of Hashem. God has called us to be a voice and do as much as we can to help those who are hurting. This was the calling of the prophets. If we keep our convictions out of the public arena and pass social change to our politicians and social organizations, the most they can hope for is a politicized and/or monetized bandage. That is not the Gospel. The Gospel is the power of God to save, heal, and deliver through the saving message of Yeshua our Moshiach. It is in the redeeming power of God to raise up, transform, and empower people to live better lives despite their upbringing, circumstances, or cultural messages. The Gospel still empowers people! Yeshua is still the answer!

Shabbat Shalom

Rav Calev

Next Feasts:

Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset, Oct 2nd and ends at sunset on Oct 4th.

Yom Kippur begins at sunset, Oct 11th and ends at sunset on Oct 12th.

Sukkot begins at sunset, Oct 16th and ends at sunset on Oct 23rd.

Hebrew words to know:

Ona’at Devarim- Verbal Abuse

Halbanat Panim- Shame

Machrio L’Chaf Zechut- Influencing others to virtue or to judge favorably.

Penimiyut- Integrity or Innerness

Kevod Habriyot- Honoring one another.

Choshuve Gast – (Yiddish) An important or honored guest.