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Rav Regensberg Civil Rights

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Rav Regensberg Civil Rights Considering*Civil*Rights* Rabbi*Chaim*David*Regensberg,*z.tz.l.! ! Mishmeret)Chaim,!section!39!! (Chicago:!Hebrew!Theological!Press,!5726!/!1965?1966),!pp.!149?156! ! TranslateD!anD!annotateD!by!Rabbi!Moshe!Adler! * In!orDer!to!Determine!the!Torah’s!view!relative!to!the!question!of!civil!rights,!which! currently!stanDs!at!the!crossroaDs!in!the!UniteD!States,!we!shall!attempt!to!juDge!the! matter!unDer!all!the!relevant!categories!of![Jewish]!law:! ! a. Torah!law! b. The!Noahide!laws! c. The!law!of!the!kingdom! d. The!law!of!the!resident!alien! ! Doing*more*than*the*law*requires:*the*individual*and*society! Concerning!the!right!of!pre?emption![dina)d’var)metzra,)lit.,!“the!law!of!contiguous! borDers”]!–!a![rabbinically!enacted]!law!baseD!on!the!Torah’s!commanDment,!“Do! what!is!right!and!gooD!in!the!sight!of!the!LORD”!(Deuteronomy!6:18)!1*–*the!Maggid) Mishneh!commentary!on!MaimoniDes’!Mishneh!Torah!(Laws!of!Neighbors,!ch.!14,!sec.!5)! wrote:!“The!matter!of!the!right!of!pre?emption![dina)d’var)metzra]*stems!from!our! flawless!Torah’s!having!issued!rules!for!a!person’s!character!traits!and!behaviors!in! the!world![when!it!commanDeD]!‘You!shall!be!holy’!(Leviticus!19:2).!Its!aim!was,!as!our! Sages!have!said,!‘Sanctify!yourself!in!what!is!permitteD!to!you’!(Y’vamot!20a,!inter!alia),! which!means!that!one!shoulD!not!be!swept!away!by!one’s!Desires.!!Similarly,!when! the!Torah!commanDeD,!‘Do!what!is!right!anD!good!in!the!sight!of!the!Lord,’!its! intention!was!that!a!person!should!behave!toward!other!people!in!a!good!and! upright!manner.!In!these!matters,!it!woulD!not!have!been!appropriate!to!commanD! specific!Details,!since!the!Torah’s!commanDments!apply!to!all!times!anD!situations.!It! had!to!be!done!this!way![i.e.,!by!general!rule]!because!people’s!character!traits!and! behaviors!change!in!accorDance!with!the!times!anD!the!people.!UnDer!these!general! rules,!our!Sages,!of!blesseD!memory,!wrote!effectuating!specifics,!some!as!manDates! and!some!as!options!of!piety,!but!all!as!rabbinic![as!Distinct!from!Torah?manDateD]! enactments.!That!is!why!it!is!saiD![of!such!enactments],![‘Your!beloved!ones! (dodekha)!are!better!than!wine’!(Song!of!Songs!I:2),!which!means:]!The!words!of!the! beloveD!ones![i.e.,!the!Sages]!are!better!than!the!wine!of!the!Torah”!(B’miDbar!Rabbah! 14:4)!!2! ! [Of]!two!funDamental!principles!of!life,![the!first!is]!in!relation!to!a!person’s!inner! world,!the!purity!of!one’s!soul,!the!refinement!of!one’s!spirit,!the!control!of!one’s! desires!and!inclinations,!the!governing!of!one’s!will,!one’s!self?control.!!That!is!the! essence!of![the!commanDment]!“You!shall!be!holy.”!!The!seconD,!which!is!in!relation! to!a!person!anD!his!fellow!human!being,!is![the!essence!of!the!commanDment]!“Do! ! 1! what!is!right!anD!gooD.”!!The!Torah!mentions!these!two!rules!only!in!general!terms,! and!Does!not!write!the!effectuating!specifics!that!come!unDer!them.!!This!is!because! the!Torah!DiD!not!want!those!specifics!to!be!fixed!anD!immutable,!with!no!possibility! of!change,!since!people’s!character!traits!and!behaviors!change!with!the!times!anD! the!people.!Even!the!traits!and!behaviors!that!lead!to!holiness!and!to!the!Doing!of! what!is!right!and!good!change.!There!are!things!that,!in!generations!past,! represented!no!perversion!of!law!or!hijacking!of!justice,!yet!are!now!regarded!as! criminal!offenses.!!Slavery!was!once!a!legal!institution,!but!is!now![considered]!a! grave!wrong!and!a!weighty!social!crime.! Actually,!NahmaniDes!in!his!commentary!to!the!Torah!(parashat)K’doshim)!wrote!in! the!same!vein!as!the!MaggiD!Mishneh![see!above].!!Differing!with!Rashi,!3! [NahmaniDes]!wrote,!! In)my)opinion,)the)separation)spoken)of)here)is)not)the)kind,)mentioned)throughout)the) Talmud,)whose)practioners)are)called)“p’rushim”)[separate!ones,!ascetics].))The) matter)is)[as)follows]:)The)Torah)forbade)illicit)sexual)relations)and)[the)eating)of]) forbidden)foods,)and)permitted)intercourse)with)one’s)wife)and)the)consumption)of) meat)and)wine.))A)lustFdriven)man)could)therefore)find)room)to)be)swept)away)by)sex) with)his)wife)or)his)many)wives,)to)be)of)those)‘who)guzzle)wine)and)glut)themselves)on) meat’)(Proverbs)23:20),)and)who)speak)at)will)about)all)manner)of)obscenity,)on)the) grounds)that)the)Torah)contains)no)express)prohibition)against)this.)He)would)then)be) a)scoundrel)with)license)from)the)Torah)[naval!bi?r’shut!ha?torah].)That)is)why,)after) setting)forth)those)prohibitions)that)are)absolute,)Scripture)commanded)in)a)general) manner)that)we)should)exercise)restraint)even)in)what)is)permissible)–)that)one)should) sanctify)oneself)until)one)achieves)much)selfFcontrol.))Such)is)the)Torah’s)way)in)these) matters:)to)specify)and)to)generalize.))Thus,)after)detailing)the)acts)that)are)forbidden) in)interpersonal)relations)–)‘Do)not)steal,’)‘Do)not)rob,’)‘Do)not)oppress’)and)the)like)–) [the)Torah])generalizes:)‘Do)what)is)right)and)good’)by)bringing)within)the)scope)of) this)commandment)fairness,)equality,)and)the)doing)of)more)than)the)law)requires,)to) the)advantage)of)one’s)fellow)human)beings”)(Nahmanides’)commentary)on)Leviticus)19:20).) The!Holy!Shalah,4*in!his!“Ten!Essays”![Asarah)Ma’amarot],!elaborated!on!these! worDs!of!NahmaniDes.!He!wrote:!! All)acts)of)excess)are)definitely)forbidden,)even)when)those)acts)are)in)themselves) permissible)–)for)example,)excess)intercourse,)excess)eating,)excess)talking)and)the)like.)) The)Torah)did)not)forbid)these)acts)in)detail,)as)it)did)with)other)acts,)because)it)would) have)been)impossible)to)do)so:)people)differ)in)their)ways,)and)even)a)single)person) may)change)at)various)times)and)occasions.))For)example,)for)one)person,)eating)a)litre) of)meat)is)excessive,)while)another)person,)by)nature,)has)not)eaten)to)excess)until)he) has)consumed)more)than)a)litre.))Even)a)specific)person)may)change)with)the)time)or) the)occasion.))Were)all)people)and)all)societies)alike)in)nature,)the)Torah)would)have) written,)‘This)much)you)may)eat,)and)not)more.’)But)because)there)is)variation,)the) Torah)had)to)proclaim)in)general)terms,)‘I)command)you)to)be)holy)and)practice) restraint:)whenever)you)come)to)understand)that)something)is)excessive,)regardless)of) time)or)occasion,)abstain)from)it.’))It)is)concerning)this)that)our)Sages,)of)blessed) memory,)said,)‘Sanctify)yourself)in)what)is)permitted)to)you’)(Y’vamot!20a,!inter!alia))–) ! 2! [that)is,])even)though)it)is)permitted)to)you,)when)you)sense)that)it)is)excessive,)sanctify) yourself.))Someone)hearing)this)may)think)that)one)who)acts)in)this)manner)is)a!parush! [separate!one,!ascetic],!who)does)more)than)he)is)obligated)to)do.)The)truth,!however,! is)that)[such)restraint])is)obligatory,)but)that)the)Torah)did)not)write)it)as)an)outright) obligation)[only])because)people)are)not)all)alike)in)temperament,)as)we)have) explained.! Thus,)wherever)our)Sages)ruled)that)[the)case)of])a)distinguished)man)is)different)[and) therefore) exempt) from) certain) commandments,) 5) it) means) that) he) is) [halachically]) obligated)[to)forgo)the)exemption)and)carry)out)the)commandment].)Were)all)people) alike)in)temperament,)the)Torah’s)commandment)[to)take)up)and)return)a)lost)animal) or)object])would)apply)to)everyone)equally.)We)find)that)all)such)instances)[in)which) one) is) exempt) from) carrying) out) a) commandment,) but) carries) it) out) anyway]) are) instances)of)doing)more)than)the)law)requires,)a)practice)that)becomes)obligatory)for) the)person)in)question:)for)him,)doing)more)than)the)law)requires)is)now)itself)the)law.)) Since)the)Torah)commanded)that)we)do)more)than)the)law)requires,)doing)so)becomes) the)law,)though)only)in)cases)like)these.) From! the! worDs! of! the! Holy! Shalah,! it! woulD! seem! that,! in! his! view,! the! Doing! of! more! than! the! law! requires! is! not! an! adD?on! requirement;! rather,! one! who! is! obligateD!to!Do!more!than!the!law!requies,!but!fails!to!Do!so,!has!transgresseD!not! only!the!requirement!to!Do!more!than!the!law!requires,!but!the!very!law!itself.!!For! example,! in! a! case! of! loss,! if! an! [exempteD]! person! fails! to! take! up! a! lost! item! in! accorDance! with! his! obligation! to! Do! more! than! the! law! requires,! he! transgresses! [the! Torah’s! commanDment,]! “You! must! not! remain! inDifferent”! (Deuteronomy!22:3).! Likewise,! in! a! case! of! helping! someone! loaD! or! unloaD! his! animal,! he! would! be! transgressing! [the! Torah’s! commanDments! that]! “you! must! help! him! raise! [the! animal]”! (Deuteronomy! 22:4)! anD! “you! must! nevertheless! raise! it! with! him”! (ExoDus! 23:5).!! Concerning! an! instance! of! R.! Ishmael! son! of! R.! Yose’s! having! carrieD! out! a! commandment!insteaD!of!exempting!himself!as!an!elDer!(Bava!M’tzia!30b)!–!where!the! G’mara! asks,! “but! wasn’t! R.! Ishmael! son! of! R.! Yose! an! elder,! for! whom! it! was! unDignifieD![to!help!someone!take!up!a!loaD]?”!anD!answers,!“He!DiD!more!than!the! law!requires”!6!–!the!Shalah!explicitly!wrote,!“It!is!certain!that,!were!instances!like! that!of!R.!Ishmael!son!of!R.!Yose!to!occur!continually!in!real!life,!such!that!for!a!mere! zuz! anyone,! especially! a! wealthy! man! like! him,! coulD! fulfill! the! Torah’s! commanDments,! the! Torah! woulD! not! have! written! ‘and! ignore! it,’! meaning! that! there!are!times!when!you!may!ignore!it!anD!times!when!you!may!not,!as!in!the!case! of! ! an! elDer,! for! whom! Doing! the! DeeD! woulD! be! unDignifieD.! ! Rather,! the! Torah’s! statement! that! [in! some! instances! “you! my! ignore! it”]! concerns! another! matter,! whereas! concerning! this! matter! it!
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