Moshe Burt

Parsha Yithro concludes with the high moment to date in world history; The Asseret HaDibrot (The 10 Statements) on the 6th day of the month of Sivan.

In our parsha Mishpatim, many basic laws of civilized existence were 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 it seems that the Arabs view and perceive is an Israeli derech of total lack of modesty (s'niyut), rampant promiscuity, the presence of irreverence and lack of ethics and morality in dealings between Jews themselves.  Couple the above perceptions with Israeli equivocation regarding Our Land, as if the Land were merely ordained upon us by mortal man via some UN vote in 1948 rather than by Divine legacy, and the Arabs, the Islamics are emboldened to claim it as theirs and to intimidate the Jews by whatever terror, Islamikazi means.  Our lack of unity of national principle and our equivocation regarding Our Land sends a perceived message to Islam that Israel is a temporary nuisance that will be overcome in a few years merely by demographics and terroristic intimidation.  The messages received as a result of an Israeli government who flees South Lebanon, tail between it's legs and now seeks to use past precedents to expell Jews from Jewish Land in Gush Katif and the mixed messages perceived as emanating from segments of the Nationalist Right, such as MK Tzvi Hendel, don't help in disabusing 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 purchase 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; 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)

In the merit of our collective unity, emunah and actions,  may we ALL be zocha to have our Tefillah reach Shemayim, unimpeded, ungarbled.  As Rabbi Moshe Ungar would say each Thursday evening at his Gemara Shiur back in Phildelphia, in "the old country", B'Ezrat Hashem, may we be zocha to demand, to compel Hashem to do "what he wants to do, to bring us the Moshiach and the Ge'ula Shlaima, "bimhayro b'yameinu -- speedily, in our time." 

May we see an end to low, dirty politics, political equivocation, perfidy and false cheshbonot; freedom and long life in Eretz Yisrael for Jonathan Pollard and special merit for our brethren currently subject to police harrassment, political interrogation and political persecution. 

May we see the "Yom Hashem Al Kol HaGoyim" Achshav -- Immediately, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!  
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of the Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.