Our Rabbi's Message
June 18th 2010
By Rabbi Aaron KriegelThere are two significant differences between Jewish law and American law. Jewish law was received through revelation while American law is the product of legislation. The former, which is God given, cannot be modified; the latter, which is the product of people, can be changed through normal legislative process.
The second difference is this: while citizens have a right to understand and challenge laws in courts to see if they are constitutional and correct in order to enforce their practice, the latter, Jewish law, is never held under the scrutiny of those who must obey it. People by fiat of God must follow law whether they understand or do not understand the law.
The civil rights movement in America started as a protest of laws that seemed unjust. As a consequence the lunch counters at Woolworth's were picketed by people of color who believed that signs posted "For Whites Only," denied due process and equality to those who were not white. Of course the protesters were right, and in time the laws of the United States reflected their concern and were changed in order to grant equality to people of every race, religion and ethnic background.
Such was not the case with regards to laws promulgated in the Torah. Our ancestors were commanded to kill the seven nations and did just that. The elderly, children, babies, men and women of the seven nations were slaughtered by our ancestors.
In time we recognized that although we could not change God's law, we could interpret the words of that law to reflect an understanding that all people have certain inalienable rights.
However, the idea that laws still remain which we must follow and never question is a prerequisite of our religion.
In the Torah portion that we read this week, we learn about the red heifer, a cow that was sacrificed and burned so that its ashes could be used to purify anyone who had come in contact with the dead. We do not know why those ashes work to purify. We do not understand the process of spiritual purification. We just understand that if the temple stood today we would be obligated to follow that law if we wanted to be good Jews.
In our society we need question the sanctity and obligation to follow laws that have no meaning, or have meanings we do not accept. This Parasha, which we read twice a year, urges us on to question that which seems hidden and sometimes immoral. To what extent can the faith of our forefathers and mothers include directives to do that which has no meaning except that it is the demand of the Lawgiver or of a book ascribed to the Lawgiver?
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