Seeking Justice         

A woman, suffering serious financial hardship due to the dishonesty of outwardly observant friends who are supported by the community, declares her rejection of Torah beliefs.

A man who rightfully prides himself on his honesty leaves a hearing before a Rabbinical Court wondering where was justice.

A six-year-old girl, after overhearing her parents speak of the injustice of the UN sponsored Schabas Commission is terrified that we live in a world without justice.

"Righteousness, righteousness, shall you pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20)," teaches us that righteousness in a specific case is insufficient. We must seek to create an environment in which people expect justice.

Whether speaking to us of a king, a prophet, the desire for vengeance, war, or even an unsolved murder, the Torah insists that we create an environment in which that woman would feel confident that her community would provide justice.

We are obligated to insist on rabbinical courts that provide us with the security of justice so that man will never leave a religious court convinced he would have done better in a secular court.

We are told that our society must be so clearly just that a child will not shiver whenever she hears of the UN or the NY Times.

The Torah clearly holds community leaders responsible. The High Priest is held responsible when someone accidentally kills someone else (Numbers 35:28). City elders are responsible for the unsolved murder of a stranger (Deuteronomy 21:6). "But you shall remove the innocent blood from your midst when you do what is upright in the eyes of God (21:9)." What shall we do when we lose our sense of what is just and upright in the eyes of God?

"Restore our judges as in earliest times, and our counselors as at first; remove from us sorrow and groan; and speedily reign over us, You, God, alone, with kindness and compassion. Blessed are You, God, the King, Who loves righteousness and justice (Daily Prayer)." Rabbeinu Yonah understands this almost as a challenge of God: How can You expect us to follow Your ways if you abandon us to a world without justice (Berachot 19b on Rif)!

Our obligation is to create a strong sense of justice in our homes, schools and communities. "Righteousness, righteousness, shall you pursue," in all we do, in every conversation, in every interaction with a child or stranger, with every word we speak to or of another. If we succeed in developing a strong sense of justice in our homes and communities, perhaps our prayer for God to restore justice will be justly heard and accepted.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg 

President 
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