ר"ע תיתד תונויצל ינויערה גוחה ,םולשו זוע
This week's Torah portion Devarim is the first section of Deuteronomy. Throughout this book Moses, prior to his death, addresses the Israelites who are about to enter the Land of Israel. Deuteronomy consists mostly of ethical teachings and accounts of the Israelites' conquests before their entry to the Land of Israel. Moses recounts events of the recent past to teach the Israelites ethical lessons. Moses is fully aware that he will not lead the Israelites into the Land of Israel and is fearful of the moral decline that will face them after his death. The narration of the Israelites' conquests is intended to strengthen the Israelites and prevent such a moral collapse. The main part of this Torah portion contains descriptions of the Israelites' conflicts with other peoples since their departure from Egypt until their entry to the Land of Israel. Each of these struggles relates to war in some way. Some of them are full-fledged wars while others are encounters which did not result in war following G-d's command to avoid war.
Devarim is not the only Torah portion that deals with war-related issues. All of Deuteronomy, in general, deals with war and associated laws and principles. The subject of war is the forum for ethical teachings given by Moses. In Deuteronomy we learn about the obligation to call for peace before declaring war (Deuteronomy 20:10), when to destroy an entire city and when the male population should be killed (Deuteronomy 20:12), regulations when taking women captive during war (Deuteronomy 21:10), and the prohibition against cutting down fruit trees during a siege (Deuteronomy 20:19).
Why is Moses so afraid of the moral decay of the Israelites especially during the time of war? Moses, a leader who understands the Israelites well and is sensitive to its moral character, is apprehensive that the Israelites will lack the necessary ethical reserve without his presence. He is particularly fearful that this lack might be detrimental to the Israelites during times of war.
The Israelites about to set foot in the Land of Israel are children of slaves, raised and educated by the generation that left Egypt. This previous generation was born into and reared in cruel conditions of slavery. This generation experienced the totality of slavery with no legal process and where power of the master over his/her slaves had no constraints.
The institution of slavery is based on maintaining power. The strong party, whether the strength is based on physical or economic conditions, abuses its power to enslave the weak elements in society. These conditions adversely affect both those in power and those enslaved. The "slave ethic" can then develop among the slave population and has two facets. In the eyes of the slave the world based on the exercise of power. When the enslaved person is able to gain power, he/she then abuses it. With the second component of the "slave ethic," slaves feel that since they were exploited and abused in the past, they are always right even when they gain power and consequently abuse this power towards others.
The idea of the slave ethic appears throughout the Bible. The first aspect of the slave ethic, abuse of power, is mentioned in the Bible in expressions such as "For three things the earth doth quake and for four it cannot endure: For a servant when he reigneth..." (Proverbs 30:21-22) and "Slaves are ruling over us, there is none to deliver us out of their hand (Lamentations 5:8). The second aspect of the slave ethic, the feeling of constant deprivation, is expressed in the many warnings to the Israelites not to abuse their power in their relations towards the weak. The justification of these warnings is "For you were strangers in the Land of Egypt." Beyond the literal meaning of this verse is just the reason that G-d fears the Israelites might oppress the stranger. Since we ourselves were slaves, we might abuse our power and feel vulnerable yet upright in this situation.
The "slave ethic" especially manifests itself during times of war. War demands the use of power in order to defeat the enemy. This situation is even true in circumstances where war is justified and its aims are honorable. Having power can lead to ethical decay for anyone particularly when an individual has been raised in conditions where power forms the basis for relations between individuals in the society. To combat these influences Moses gives laws to the Israelites to limit their use of power and their abuse of power towards the weak.
The conflicts mentioned in this Torah portion reflect the ideological battle Moses wages with the "slave ethic." In three cases of confrontation in this week's Torah portion, crossing through the border of Moab, Seir, and Ammon, the Israelites are commanded not to provoke these peoples and not to make war with them. In the fourth struggle, the conflict with Sihon, although G-d commands Moses to wage war and is explicit about the certainty of war, Moses still sends angels to Sihon with words of peace.
In his account of these four events, Moses is attempting to teach the Israelites that even in periods of conquest and war, war should be initiated only if it is absolutely necessary and all alternatives have been used. Using power to achieve the ultimate goal is deplored. Even when war seems unavoidable and the opposing side does not respond to a call for peace, the search for peace must first be exhausted.
Moses was especially very concerned about moral decay among the Israelites before they entered the Land of Israel because he knew they would possess sovereignty over their own land. Sovereignty translates into power, which means the opportunity to manage their own lives, the occasion to initiate war against other peoples, and the possibility of ruling over other peoples. Abuse of this power can lead to moral corruption in relations between social and economic classes as well as with other peoples.
This week's Haftorah portion provides an example of the abuse of power. Isaiah describes the ruling class exploiting the weaker members of society - orphans, widows, and the poor. The people, however, carefully uphold the religious rituals including bringing sacrifices to the Holy Temple and observing the holidays. These ornate religious ceremonies perpetuate the institutions of power and social injustice. They also cleanse the consciences of those in power, who are naturally the wealthy and ruling classes and who instill in the people a belief in their righteous conduct and spiritual loftiness. For this reason, Isaiah strongly condemned those Israelites who used the prayers and ceremonies to perpetuate their power while in reality they were in such a state of deep spiritual corruption. Isaiah's description of hands full of blood reaching upwards in prayer is a powerful and shocking image.
This week's Torah and Haftorah portions are read on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av. The Sages viewed Tisha B'Av as a day when we should conduct ourselves as Moses did in the book of Deuteronomy. We should learn lessons from the past and do our own national soul-searching based on these lessons. Our situation today, since leaving conditions of "slavery" in the Diaspora when we were ruled by other peoples and gaining our "freedom" with a sovereign state, is similar to the Israelites when they left Egypt and became a sovereign nation dwelling on its own land. On this Tisha B'Av, we should, then, examine our conduct as a sovereign nation with its own land and be inspired by the battles Moses and Isaiah waged with the "slave ethic."
Gitit Nahliel-Rotberg is a rabbinical pleader.
|
|
|
| |
| Home |
The Movement Objectives and Principles You can Help! |
What's New Activities and Current Events |
Articles and Position Papers Peace Judaism and Israel |
|
|
|
|
Weekly Parsha (Hebrew) Weekly Parsha (English) |
Search Our Site | Links To Peace Movements |
Contact Us
OZ veSHALOM - NETIVOT SHALOM
P.O. Box 4433, Jerusalem, 91043 Israel
Tel: 02-5664218, for Shabbat Shalom only call 053-920206
ozveshalomns@gmail.com
©
Copyright 1997-2003 by Oz Veshalom. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.