2008 Woodie Awards
Tikkun Olam through Social Justice
Shlomit Cohen
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Features
One of the most compelling and beautiful aspects of halakha is its ability to address the needs of both the nation and the individual simultaneously. Because the Torah allows for a multiplicity of views and paths within the halakhic framework, the halakha allows us the room to develop as individuals while remaining a cohesive and unified nation. It is precisely in these extra-halakhic issues that we have the most room to cultivate our sense of self. It is in these grey areas, where there is no definitive halakhic imperative, that we find room to develop a personal approach to Hashem, which will then inform our service of God and humanity.
An important example of this is found in the area of social justice. I am often asked to explain and justify the value of social justice from a halakhic perspective. These questions are common among Jews who grapple with the hierarchy of giving and the imperative to create a more just and equitable world.
Naturally, the first thing an observant Jew does is turn to the halakha to determine an appropriate course of action. After all, it is halakha that guides us in how to interact with the world, and it is our commitment to halakha that has allowed us to preserve our traditions and ensure continuity. However, although there are extensive halakhic discussions regarding our obligation to care and provide for the Jewish community, the halakha does not really touch upon our collective responsibility for the global society.
Chief Rabbi of England Jonathan Sacks explains that the lack of halakhic literature about our responsibility to the broader world community does not detract from extra-communal social justice as a fundamental Torah value. On the contrary: many chapters in Tanakh are devoted to rebuking the Jewish people for their social justice shortcomings, and countless mitzvot come to redress society's inequalities. Rabbi Sacks explains that "the question [of collective responsibility] was not asked because it never arose," but not because Judaism does not value the notion of collective responsibility. Rather, the chief rabbi asserts that, "the inference I draw from the Bible as a whole is that the moral demands on humanity are universal."
An important example of this is found in the area of social justice. I am often asked to explain and justify the value of social justice from a halakhic perspective. These questions are common among Jews who grapple with the hierarchy of giving and the imperative to create a more just and equitable world.
Naturally, the first thing an observant Jew does is turn to the halakha to determine an appropriate course of action. After all, it is halakha that guides us in how to interact with the world, and it is our commitment to halakha that has allowed us to preserve our traditions and ensure continuity. However, although there are extensive halakhic discussions regarding our obligation to care and provide for the Jewish community, the halakha does not really touch upon our collective responsibility for the global society.
Chief Rabbi of England Jonathan Sacks explains that the lack of halakhic literature about our responsibility to the broader world community does not detract from extra-communal social justice as a fundamental Torah value. On the contrary: many chapters in Tanakh are devoted to rebuking the Jewish people for their social justice shortcomings, and countless mitzvot come to redress society's inequalities. Rabbi Sacks explains that "the question [of collective responsibility] was not asked because it never arose," but not because Judaism does not value the notion of collective responsibility. Rather, the chief rabbi asserts that, "the inference I draw from the Bible as a whole is that the moral demands on humanity are universal."
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