Parsha Mishpatim 5767 — The Importance of Honesty, Principle and Unity Among Jewish Brethren

In our parsha Mishpatim, many basic laws of civilized existence are enunciated for B’nai Yisrael. The purpose of the Mishpatim, the civil laws, are to protect the moral fiber of society by regulating relationships between men, ecouraging truthfulness, sincerity and kindness while condemning immorality and deceit.

I often think of discussions back in the “old country” with friends where the suggestion is made that the Arabs, the Islamics view the Jews as hypocrites who are totally lacking in principles. What is suggested is that the Arabs view and perceive an Israeli derech of total lack of modesty (tz’niyut), rampant promiscuity, the presence of irreverence as well as a lack of ethics and morality in dealings between Jews themselves. And before the world, we gain discredit by scandals such as those of Haim Ramon and Moshe Katzav as well as by Ehud Olmert’s alleged less than straight and above-board property deals.

The messages received as a result of an Israeli government who flees South Lebanon, tail between it’s legs, expels Jews from Gush Katif, from the Shalhevet neighborhood of Chevron, from Amona, from other hilltops and Yishuv extensions in Our Eretz Yisrael, as well as releasing hundreds of Islamikazi terrorists, permitting 10s of thousands of illegal Arab buildings to remain standing, announces that military action is meant only to clear the way for more expulsions of Jews and clubbing, bludgeoning and brutalizing Eretz Yisrael-loving Jews reinforces rather than disabuses these Arab perceptions.

A story is told about Rabbi Shimon Ben Shetach which sets a standard for Jewish sincerity in his dealing with his fellow Jews and with Hashem.

It seems that one day Rabbi Shimon Ben Shetach needed to purchase a donkey for traveling. He purchased the donkey from an Arab. At that time, neither he nor the Arab noticed that the donkey bore a small package in it’s saddle.

Sometime later, a student of the Rabbi found the package and opened it. He was amazed by it’s contents. “It’s a diamond, Rebbe… A perfect diamond. It must be worth an enormous amount. Sell it and you’ll never want for money. Imagine all of the Mitzvot you will be able to do with the new-found money.”

Rabbi Ben Shetach shook his head and responded, “I may be able to perform many Mitzvot with the money … but they will never cancel the demerit that will be mine if I keep property which is not mine. No, I will return the diamond to its rightful owner, the Arab.”

But the student responded, “why not keep the diamond? The Arab will never know of his loss.” Rabbi Ben Shetach responded, “But Hashem will know what I have done. I did not earn the diamond and so it is not mine.”

Rabbi Ben Shetach was as good as his word and returned the diamond to the astonished Arab. “I don’t believe that anyone could be that honest” said the Arab. “The Jews must have wonderful laws. Blessed be the G’d of Rabbi Shimon Ben Shetach.”

Rabbi Ben Shetach’s strict adherence to Mishpatim, to common decency to his fellow man created a great Kiddush Hashem and should serve as an example for all to follow, to fulfill all of Hashem’s Mitzvot with equal zeal. (L’lmod U’Lamed, by Rabbi Mordechai Katz, p. 81-82, quoting Yerushalmi Bava Metzia, Perek 2, Choshen Mishpat 266.)

Imagine the merit to be earned collectively by a unity of B’nai Yisrael treating each other, at all levels from daily man-in-the-street dealings and upwards; be they between merchant and customer, bus driver and passenger, employer/employee, civil-servant and Yosef Q. Jewish Citizen as well as those governing toward those being governed, as Rabbi Ben Shetach treated this itinerant Arab, not even his Jewish brother. And imagine building on that national kindness and unity with a rock-solid, unified, unequivocable principle — Kol Ha’aretz Shelanu (This is Our Land)!

I return to what the Ibn Ezra said on Parsha Yithro regarding the appointment of a judicial system, and the application of that lesson to all of us, “the Torah did not mention ‘G’d-fearing men’ because only Hashem knows what is in man’s heart.” (Torah Gems, Aharon Yaakov Greenberg, Parsha Yithro, page 131)

May we be zocha in this coming year that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole, that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard and the 3 captive Chayalim and the other MIAs be liberated and returned to us and that we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nai Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Yom Hashem V’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v’yameinu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!