by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine
It was truly a tragedy. A person was found killed not far from the city. Law enforcement officials were called to the scene, but for all their efforts they could not find the killer. Totally at a loss, they followed the Torah directive for such a case. They called the High Court of the Land to the scene.
The Sages arrived, and within minutes they solved the case. They summoned the elders of the city, and declared, “You are responsible for the death of this man.”
Those who were present gasped in surprise. “The elders of the city are the murderers?” they exclaim incredulously.
The Sages explained: The elders of the city are not accused of actually killing the man. But the findings at the scene of the murder bring a grave accusation against them. The man’s body was found in the open indicating that whoever killed him felt justified in the killing, and felt no reason to cover up the crime.
The accusation made against the elders of the city is that the death occurred because the man left their city without provisions. Desperate for food and angry with his lot, he tried to steal from a traveler. In his weakened state he didn’t explain his desperation; he was no match for the traveler who owned the food he was trying to steal. The traveler killed the man in righteous indignation, and somehow the sages are to blame.
If the problem is that a person was sent away from the city without provisions and proper hospitality, why are the sages being blamed? Certainly it should be the townspeople and shopkeepers who should be blamed for the death.
The Torah is teaching us a powerful lesson about Jewish leadership. Leaders are able to set the tone for a community. If they don’t set a good tone then they are to blame. If they don’t teach Jewish values of how to treat a downtrodden visitor, then they are responsible for the consequences. They are responsible for how people looked at the beggar when he was in their town, and they are responsible for the way he was treated when he finally left the town.
Awhile back I received a halachic query from a young couple. The couple was already blessed with children, but they now found that they were “unexpectedly expectant.” In brief, the question was, “Is abortion permitted?”
I began to question them about their situation. Were there mitigating circumstances that prompted the question? Was there any way I could help them? What I discovered was that essentially they were fine with another child. Financially, logistically, and medically they would be okay. What stressed them out what the negative peer pressure. In a general society that advocates two children or less, what would people say when they found out that they were expecting number four?
I spent time with them trying to reach out to them and encourage them. But upon reflection I realized: Looks Can Kill. The attitude of a community, the way people look at other people, does affect the way people will behave. In this week’s parsha we learn that ultimately the attitude of a community is set by the leadership.
As we enter the Hebrew month of Elul which precedes Rosh Hashana it is customary to do a reality check, to see if we are on target with what our goals ought to be. A Jewish community is a place of kindness and friendship, even to the passerby. A Jewish community is a place that values G-d’s blessings, and reaches out to people to help out especially when they are overwhelmed with blessing.
With best wishes for a wonderful Shabbos.
© 2014 by TEACH613
In the US Army we say “move out and draw fire soldier”, that is just the way it is.
Sincerely, Mike
Very nice thought and so true. I see it here all the time. People do what they do because of community pressure.
So, what was the result? Were you successful with the couple? I’m guessing you were because they had the goodness to consult with you.
RMR> Boruch Hashem, the child was born with a beautiful Mazal Tov. Best wishes,
Good evening Rabbi Rhine. I live in Kew Gardens Hills and had the z’chus of meeting you several years ago with your brother.
I am fond of discussing the Eglah Arufah and shared your vort at the Shabbos table. I had never looked at it from that perspective. I had always assumed that the traveler was the victim of a highwayman and because of his being hungry and feeling abandoned, he didn’t have the strength to fight. We all liked your explanation. By any chance, do you remember the source.
Thank you very much.
K’siva v’chasima tova.
-Stuart
RMR> Hi R’ Stuart,
Great to hear from you.
Please see Rav S.R. Hirsch at start of Perek 21, fourth paragraph, where he describes the murder as one which the murderer felt no need to hide.
Rashi brings from Mishna in Sota 45b two scenarios of the murder. Either the city did not provide food, or did not provide escort.
If they did not provide escort, the traveler was killed by wild people, flaunting the law.
If they did not provide food, Rav Hirsch writes, Possuk 7, that the traveler was desperate and attacked someone “hunger drove him to try highway robbery… was killed in self defense.”
Hope that helps.
Best wishes to you and yours!
Just saw this great article related to this topic. Posted on Aish.com from Jeff Jacoby, printed in the Boston Globe.
Here is an excerpt:
The Malthusians are wrong. When human beings proliferate, the result isn’t less of everything to go around. The planet doesn’t run out of food and fuel, minerals and metals. On the contrary, most resources have grown cheaper and more abundant over the past couple centuries — in tandem with rising population.
The explanation is no mystery. Yes, more babies mean more mouths and therefore more consumption. But more babies also mean more minds and arms and spines — and therefore more new ideas, more energy, more ingenuity, more initiative, more enterprise. “Human beings do not just consume, they also produce,” writes George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan in a new book. “The world economy is not like a party where everyone splits a birthday cake; it is more like a potluck where everyone brings a dish.”