Doing Justice Justly

When our methods are just, our system doesn’t grant privileges to the powerful and strip protections from the vulnerable. As the Torah formulates it this week, “You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes.” The justice system ought to represent all equally...
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Our Wealth is Not Our Own: What Is Jewish Power For?

...the Torah teaches us that the particular and the universal are inextricably intertwined. Just as we need partners in the fight against antisemitism, we must use our power to become partners to others in the fights for social, racial, and economic justice. As the Talmud says, ​​even a poor person who is sustained from tzedakah must also perform tzedakah (Gittin 7b). When we feel the fragility of our power, when we feel we need help, even then – precisely then – we must share what we have with others.
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Judging a Sovereign: How the Judges are Judged

With thanks to our chaver Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, who brought these texts to our attention, this sheet delves into what happens when a sovereign goes on trial and the judges buckle under fear of him. It gives us Jewish language for grappling with corruption, complicity, and power.
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