• Table For Five

How can we make this broken world a better place?

Table for Five: Devarim

In partnership with the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles

Edited by Nina Litvak & Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist

You shall not favor persons in judgment; rather you shall hear the small just as the great; you shall not fear any man, for the judgment is upon the Lord, and the case that is too difficult for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.” – Deuteronomy 1:17

Nili Isenberg
Pressman Academy Judaic Studies Faculty

As we enter the book of Deuteronomy, Moses delivers his final words to the nation. He focuses his address on rebuke to inspire the people to move forward with a greater sense of responsibility. Using a familiar Hebrew word (“Eikha!”) Moses asks, “How could I bear alone the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering!” (Deuteronomy 1:12). He then recalls the creation of the Israelite justice system to resolve these issues.

The Midrash (Eikha Raba 1:1) points to a three-part connection between this weeks’ Torah portion, the Haftarah from Isaiah, and the book of Lamentations which is read on Tisha B’Av, coming up next week. In fact, this Torah and Haftarah portion are always read on the Shabbat preceding Tisha B’Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the Temple. The Haftarah condemns Jerusalem’s moral decay and corruption, using the familiar Hebrew word, “Eikha!” – “How has she become like a prostitute!” (Isaiah 1:21). The book of Lamentations begins with the same word as well: “Eikha!” – “How lonely sits the city that was once full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1).

With his eyes turned toward a brighter future, Moses had commanded the people to build a just society, but his dream proved to be elusive. Still today, justice fails in so many ways. “Eikha!” – How can we make this broken world a better place? The Talmud (Shabbat 10a) reminds us, “Any judge who judges truthfully becomes a partner to the Holy One in the act of creation.”

Rabbi Tova Leibovic-Douglas
Founder of The Ritual House, @rabbi_tova

What does it mean to be a leader? To hold power? And how do we do so morally and ethically? Today, we grapple with this question in nearly every sphere. And yet, a text from thousands of years ago feels as relevant now as it was then. Moses instructs the new leaders and judges of Israel on how to lead, assuming that leaders will inevitably fall short. They may give preferential treatment to those who seem great, or act from fear, making decisions untethered from their values. This assumption feels poignant, as if speaking directly to our leaders today. Across every aisle, political, religious, corporate, leaders are leading exactly as Moses warned against. For many, it feels like the only way to survive within systems that keep us from our moral vision and integrity. And although understandable, our Torah, and our greatest teacher, Moshe Rabbeinu, is shouting at us, lifting up this verse as we enter Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat of Vision. The Baal Shem Tov taught that on this Shabbat, right before our day of greatest grief, Tisha B’Av, we glimpse the third Temple that will be built. Why? Because even in the greatest darkness, there is always light. Perhaps that light is exactly this: each of us stepping into our own leadership, holding our leaders accountable, with the determination and integrity our tradition demands. And when we do, I wonder if that is when we finally see the vision of a new world, one that was always possible.

Judy Gruen
Author, “Bylines and Blessings”

We recently celebrated this nation’s 250th anniversary, an opportunity to reflect on the radical experiment in freedom that defined the new nation of America. Unless we have studied history, it’s hard to fathom just how revolutionary this bold experiment was. Consider the words in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Many of the Founding Fathers were well versed in the Hebrew Bible, and some of them studied Hebrew. Even those early American leaders and thinkers less inclined toward formal religious practice knew full well that the concept of individual rights of liberty and fairness under the law emanated from the Torah; in particular, verses such as these in Deuteronomy. The American Founders understood that a just society demanded the idea that individual rights are God-given–a concept still novel in the 18th century. If rights are God-given, they cannot be snatched away by any corrupt governing power or individual. Eventually, Enlightenment-age thinkers caught on.

Rabbi Amy Levin
Founder of Tzibur Strategies for Thriving Sacred Communities

We witness a definitive moment in the verse we are delving into today: This is not God addressing Moses alone, or God charging Moses with specific responsibilities. This is Moses creating a structure for the people of Israel to take collective responsibility for living the words they had uttered at Sinai: “We will do, we will obey.” [Exodus 24:7]. Aware of all his personal and public growth, and all the honor and responsibility that God has bestowed upon him, Moses is also aware that there is too much responsibility involved in leading a people, and too much complexity involved in that leadership for it all to fall on one person’s shoulders. The time has come to create a framework for judgment, for the people themselves to uphold the guardrails of values and behaviors they accepted standing together at Sinai.

The people who originally committed themselves must ultimately judge themselves. Moses reassures them … when it gets too complex, when it gets too fraught, I’ll be there to help you figure it out. What a superb teacher and coach! And when Moses and the people of Israel part [as they inevitably must] Moses will at least have the peace of mind of knowing that he has served as a role model, and coached the leaders of the community with patience and the wisdom and humility that came from his own experience.

Salvador Litvak
Filmmaker, Author, Accidental Talmudist

Who among us thinks, “I’m an unfair person?” And yet, what happens when a caller ID appears on our phones? If it’s someone important, we answer. But if it’s someone who can’t advance our career or improve our social standing, do we hit the voicemail button? Status has a way of bending our attention.
The Torah warns our judges against this very temptation, “You shall hear the small just as the great; you shall not fear any man, for the judgment belongs to God.” Rashi says that “the small just as the great” refers not to the people but to the case. A dispute over a single coin must get the same careful hearing as one involving a million. Once a judge begins a case, he must give it the same patience, seriousness and respect because *the law* is at stake.
Justice isn’t measured by dollars. It’s measured by integrity. Achieve that, and it naturally follows that all people will stand as equals before the judge.
This lesson extends far beyond the courtroom. Every day we decide who deserves our attention. The quiet coworker. The lonely neighbor. The nudnick who keeps asking questions we’ve already answered. The guy whose name keeps slipping our mind.
Every one of them was created in the image of God.
Moses adds, “Do not fear any man.” Easier said than done. Powerful people often intimidate us. But if the judgment belongs to God, we can lean into truth instead of approval, lovingkindness instead of flattery.

With thanks to Nili Isenberg, Rabbi Tova Leibovic-Douglas, Judy Gruen, Rabbi Amy Levin, and Salvador Litvak.

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