Social Justice Starts with Us
Toward the end of Parashat Mishpatim, Moses reads the record of the covenant to the Israelites. Inexplicably to the modern reader, the Israelites respond in a strange order: naaseh v'nishma, literally, “we will do and then we will hear” (Ex. 24:7). We might ask why would we take on an obligation before hearing it, especially since this blind faith seems antithetical to the Jewish tradition of debate and dissent. Yet when we project the concept through the lens of creating a just society, we find an important directive.
Naaseh v'nishma is put on theoretical display in this portion:
"You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me, and My anger shall blaze forth and I will put you to the sword, and your own wives shall become widows and your children orphans." (Ex. 22:21-23)
In these verses, the Torah invites us to imagine our loved ones as the vulnerable population that we have ignored and marginalized. It implores individuals to care for the neediest among us, to see people not as lesser or as problems, but as fellow humans created in the image of God. We must not shy away from the enormity of society’s problems, but engage, reaching beyond our position and intimidation to be sources (and forces) of good in our communities.
There is a story of a young rabbi who once set out to change the world. But he found it was difficult to change the world, so he tried to change his country. When he found he couldn’t change his country, he began to focus on his town. However, he discovered that he couldn’t even change the town, and so as he grew older, he tried to change his family.
Years passed and the rabbi finally realized the only thing he could change was himself. He came to appreciate that if long ago he had started with himself, then he could have made an impact on his family. And, his family could have made an impact on their town. And that, in turn, could have changed the country and they could all indeed have changed the world.
One way for all of us to overcome the paralyzing weight of our many societal issues is to start with ourselves. How? Strive every day to lead with gratitude, to be generous to those who need it most, and to be kind to everyone you encounter. These individual acts of human dignity are some of the simplest acts of justice. And when we act for justice, perhaps even before we know why we act or the impact of our action, the justice compounds. Like the young rabbi, if we start with ourselves, our actions have the potential to build and spread. If we can internalize the moral voice of Parashat Mishpatim and its "concrete rules, steps and actions," then, as Rabbi Alexander writes, we "can truly create the just society toward which we all strive." Sometimes we just have to naaseh and bring our holy Torah to life without reservation or expectation.