King David describes a society with no-God.  He calls a man who denies God, and acts upon it, “nabal”, a corrupt person.   The rabbis of the Talmud coined an expression which captures the sentiment of those who behave as if there is no God   לית דין ולית דיין, “There is no judgement, there is no judge.” In other words, any wrongdoing is fine, unless you are caught. But, if we are not caught by the law enforcers, or by those who are stronger or wilder than you, then you should not worry about any “Divine” punishment in this world or in the next life. Because there is “divine impunity”, no one judges your life, and probably there is no next-life to worry about… This “nabal” has followers who see him as their leader. The followers have no independent thinking. And because no-God leads to corruption, among this group of people, corruption becomes epidemic.

Now King David says that HaShem watches over these men. Waits to see if among all the corrupt people he could find one exception, someone with the courage to think differently. Someone who might not be certain about his faith in God,  but instead of acting wickedly, he is still searching for the truth, trying to find out if there is God.

Pasuq 3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

But the divine search finds no one. There are no men among that group looking for God. The influence of the “nabal” is too strong. And people are comfortable when someone thinks for them.

Pasuq 4 Do all these evildoers know nothing? They consume my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.

Who are these corrupt people? Those who deny God’s existence?  For some commentators, these people are the enemies of Israel, idol-worshipers who deny God. The idea that this Psalm refers to the enemies of Israel is based on the words “They devour (=destroy)  my people, as though eating bread”.  For other commentators, King David is referring to fellow jews, who have become corrupt because they have lost their faith in HaShem (or vice versa). King David says that their actions are destructive to the rest of Am Israel, i.e., they consume (harm, destroy) our people as though they consume food.

King David foresees that in the end, the evil-doers will get their punishment from the God they deny.  They try to trick the poor, the innocent, but HaShem will be helping them, protecting them against their enemies or against those who abuse them. Hashem has multiple ways of punishing the wicked.

7 The salvation of Israel will come out of Zion. When the Lord restores his people,  Jacob will  rejoice and Israel will be glad

HaShem will be always next to His people. Even after defeat,eventually, He will return to Zion and restore His people’s happiness.

One thought that comes to mind, when we analyze the “atheist turning corrupt” is what did really come first, corruption of disbelief in God? In other words, do people behave dishonestly  because they do not believe in God? Or, perhaps people first behave dishonestly, and then, to justify they behavior and excuse their wrongdoings, they stop believing in God.  If your believe in God does not stop you from behaving bad, it will kill you with feelings of guilt, therefore, if you are going to behave bad, you will be better off without God…. It seems that disbelief in God might be the consequence, and not just the reason  for corruption.

אנה ה ‘תשכחני נצח

עד אנא תסתיר פניך ממני

עד אנה אשית עצות בנפשי יגון בלבבי יומם

עד אנה ירום אויבי עלי

 13: 2 How long, O HaShem, will you forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?

David HaMelekh, King David, begins this Psalm with what appears to be a complaint to HaShem… There are different opinions as to the circumstances in which this Mizmor was composed. Some rabbis, based on references in this Mizmor to the enemies of David, say that this Mizmor was composed when he was behind enemy lines, surrounded by Gentile adversaries and escaping from the Jews who wanted to kill him in Jerusalem. His situation was desperate, and he did not see any possible solution

13: 3. How long will I struggle with my thoughts [to convince myself that you have not abandoned me], and [for how long] will I suffer this pain in my heart? For how long will my enemies triumph over me?

Beyond its material problems, David HaMelekh suffered from a mental anguish, because perhaps for the first time in his life, he felt that HaShem had abandoned him. David’s feeling can be best understood when we think about something similar that happened to our forefather Yaaqob. When Yaaqob faced Esav he said that he was afraid (כי ירא אנכי אותו). Our sages wondered, how could it be that Yaaqob felt afraid of being abandoned by God, since God had promised to protect Yaaqob? The response of our rabbis was  that Yaaqob feared that he may no longer deserve the protection of HaShem, because his merits might have been exhausted שמא יגרום החטא … Following this line of thought, perhaps King David did not doubt the goodness of HaShem, rather, he doubted if still deserved the help of HaShem.

According to other opinions, and based on this pasuq (verse), King David was very ill, thinking that his end was near and that he will fall “asleep into death”. It is noteworthy that David never doubted the existence of God. And that’s why he prayed and pleaded God to pay attention to him.

13: 5. Do not let my enemies declare: “We have won”, and rejoice when I collapse.

The commentaries explain that in this psalm King David’s problems are described from more to less important. From David HaMelekh’s perspective, the most pressing problem was the feeling that HaShem was not listening to him (13, 2). Second, that same thought, conceiving that HaShem had abandoned him, made him feel guilty. He had to fight to overcome those negative thoughts  of abandonment (13: 3). And finally, his situation with his enemies. He knew that they would take advantage of these moments of weakness to try to destroy David.

13: 6. But I trust  Your goodness [ God]; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation! I will sing to HaShem [praising] by [all] the kindness that he will grant me.

Now comes the final message of this Psalm. The fundamental lesson that David wanted us to learn.  David HaMelekh realizes that HaShem has not abandoned him. He perceives that he was driven by a sense of powerlessness, an emotional and spiritual slump. David HaMelekh regains his confidence in God (Emuna) and states his conviction that, in the end,  HaShem will save him. He realizes that HaShem’s goodness is infinite. Therefore, although our merits may seem insufficient, we can still pray and ask for His intervention.

What caused this change in the attitude of David HaMelekh, this powerful transition between despair and optimism? How could one go from a state of despair to a situation of Emuna in HaShem?

What gave David a renewed spiritual strength were his own words, his Tefila (prayer). By approaching God, even with words that originated in anguish and despair, he reestablished the connection with God. And then King David realized that HaShem had never abandoned him, rather, it was David own despair what did not allow him to feel the presence of God.

That is the great power of Tefila. What makes us feel that HaShem is far from us, what make us think that He is not listening to us, is our own pessimism (יאוש) and inaction. But when we turn to God, even out of feelings of anguish and despair, we reestablish contact with Him, which allows us to perceive that He is there, and that He can help us. In this sense, the Tefilla (prayer), should not be seen just as words that express our faith and hope in HaShem. Rather, prayer feeds our faith and hope in HaShem.

1. Lamenatseah ‘al haSheminit, psalm of David.
Like the majority of the Psalms, this too was composed by David HaMelekh, who suffered, and personally witnessed, the immense damage that unscrupulous people can cause with their words. David was the victim of deceit and lies in his army, in his court and even in his own family.

2. Save us Hashem, for good men have disappeared, righteousness has faded among men.
David asks: What can a good man do? A righteous person who lives in a society in which all lie and cheat? The righteous man does not tolerate lying, his word is sacred. But what remains to be done in a society where falsehood is there to stay? Where everyone around succeeds through deceptions and scams? David HaMelekh fears that there are no more good men, because even the good people have adapted to the “new normal”, to  falsehood, if not to succeed, then to survive.

3. Men, tell each other vanities, all speak the language of deception, as if they have two hearts.
The hypocrites have a double heart. On the one hand (with one heart) they might hate a person, but on the other hand (with the other heart) they pretend to love that person. To deceive and eventually achieve some personal gain. Or in the case of the enemies of King David, to praise the King in his presence to gain his trust, and then, when the opportunity presents itself, betray and kill David to inherit his throne.
I also think about the relevance of this Psalm for our contemporary society. I think on the people who thrive by practicing deception and have become professional scammers. Or the immoral but “legal” maneuvers; or the fine print of contracts. I think of promises that are made knowing that will not be fulfilled. I think of journalism sold to the highest bidder. Or in the smoke screens the conspirators build.  Cheating is endemic. It seems that human society has built a model designed for preying the naive.

4. HaShem cut off the lips of falsehood, and the tongue practicing arrogance. 5. [God punish] those men who say, “our language will make us powerful, while we speak with our lips, who can defeat us”?
According to King David’s, the only hope of the victims of “legal” lies victims is Divine retribution. David prays to HaShem begging Him to do the justice good men cannot reach. David hopes that somehow, God will expose the lies of the scammers, destroying their working tool: their misused eloquence.

6. “From the abuse of the poor, from the desperate cry of the oppressed, I will arise,” say HaShem, “I will defeat the [scammers] and make them disappear.”
David asks HaShem to punish those who use their lips and tongues to deceive the gullible man. It seems that this kind of moral decay can only be corrected by Divine Intervention. For David HaMelekh, God’s justice will emerge from the depths, from the pain of the victims of deception. From the cry of the abused.

7. HaShem’s words are pure, refined like silver that has been polished seven times. 8. Your HaShem will protect [the righteous from the wicked], thou shall protect [good men] forever. 9. The oppressed will rise [= will emerge from the depth], and the wicked are doomed to spin, [as lost, not knowing where to go].
God has promised justice. He vouched to protect the oppressed. And unlike men, His word, His promises, will always be fulfilled. In this life, or perhaps later, justice will be served. Because He knows the duplicity of the trickster. And He will not allow impunity for the wicked.

Rabbi Tam ibn Yehia was one of the most important rabbis of his generation. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1475. In 1496, when the Portuguese Jews had to choose between converting to Christianity or leave the country, Rabbi Tam escaped to the city of Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, Turkey. There, he acted for some time as a member of the rabbinical court of the famous Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrahi (רא”ם). After the death of Rabbi Mizrahi, Rabbi Tam inherited his position and was assigned as the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Turkey.

Rabbi Tam’s relations with the government of Turkey were excellent. Firstly, because Rabbi Tam was also a renowned physician and became one of the most trusted doctors of the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566). Second, because Rabbi Tam  mastered the Turkish and Arabic languages, and he was an expert in Islamic law [sic]. His son Gedalia ben Tam (Rabbi of Thessaloniki, Greece) wrote in his book of Jewish history Shalshelet haQabbalá  “my father’s knowledge of Islamic Law was so great that Muslim judges [= Imams] often consulted with him regarding their decisions. “

At that time, all countries in the Middle East, including Syria, Egypt and Israel, were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Being the chief rabbi of Turkey conferred Rabbi Tam the rabbinical authority over all the rabbis of the Middle East. Thus, Rabbi Tam, was permanently consulted not only by individuals but also by his colleagues from across the Middle East, who sought his verdict when there was some debate or discussion among them.

The importance of the prestige of Rab Tam in the court of Suleiman the Magnificent should not be underestimated, also from the political standpoint. Thanks to the excellent relations of Rabbi Tam with the Sultan, all Jewish communities in the Middle East enjoyed the favor of the Sultan and the Ottoman Empire, which often meant the difference between life and death of a Jew , or the destruction or survival of entire Jewish communities.

Rabbi Tam was also a prolific writer. One of his students, Rabbi Binyamin Motal, wrote that Rabbi Tam composed:.. … “The book Ma’ase Nisim, a commentary on the Rif . Al Hanisim, a commentary on the Ran . And he also wrote a very extensive book with the records of all his halakhic rulings. A collection of thousands of Halakhic questions,  sent to him from all over the world, and his responses, including his analysis and verdicts. He also wrote tens of thousands of explanations of the Gemara, commentaries on the Tora  and the Midrashim, sermons, books on science, etc. “

The reader may wonder, how is it possible that a Rabbi of the stature of rabbi Tam, who was so famous and prolific in his time (in my opinion he was a “Maimonides 16th century”) is so little known in our time?

I think that there are two possible answers to this question: First, that unfortunately most Sephardic rabbis are ignored and unknown. This historical injustice is being reversed and although much remains to be done, gradually the Hakhamim Sephardim are more and better known.  The second answer is that, in the particular case of Rabbi Tam ibn Yehia, there was a tragic factor which contributed to pushing his name into oblivion. In 1541 there was a terrible fire in the city of Constantinople. This fire claimed many lives, and consumed virtually all the books of Rabbi Tam ibn Yehia. Such was the pain Rabbi Tam suffered seeing the work of his life consumed by fire, that, according to his students testimony, his death in 1542 was partly due to the sadness and grief he suffered by the loss of his manuscripts.

All what is left to us from the work of Rabbi Tam is a small compilation of some of his comments on the Rif (Derekh Tamim), and a collection of just 213 rabbinical responses (Ahole Tam ) in a book published by his grandson, Don Tam ben Gedalia, in Venice, Italy, 1620.

To download these books click here

Today, we are going to expand a little more on this idea.

In this Mishna, Rabbi Yaaqob says something that seems surprising. He compares our life with life after death and he says that this life is more important than the next.

He says: “It is more valuable a moment of repentance and good deeds in this world, than the entire life of the world to come.”

What did Rabbi Yaaqob mean? The most essential virtue of man, what distinguishes man from the animals and angels, is man’s free will. Man can choose to do good or to do evil, to grow spiritually or to stagnate. To be selfish or altruistic. It is thanks to this “freedom of choice” that we make our moral decisions: Will I or will I not help someone who needs me? Will I or I will not speak ill of so and so? Will I or will I not steal, hurt, heal, apologize, forgive?

Free will is an exclusive prerogative of mortals. In the world to come we do not make moral decisions. There are no poor who needs help, nor sick who needs visitors, not physical people to speak ill of them or conspiring against them. No money to steal, nor the possibility of being faithful or unfaithful, cruel or compassionate.

Rabbi Yaaqob main message to us is that our development and spiritual growth consists in making these moral decisions throughout our life. We are what we have decided to do in our lives. And the better those decisions are, the more our souls grows, and vice versa. Rabbi Ya’aqob also emphasizes the idea of Teshuba, repentance. In the world to come there is no possibility of repentance. Only here, in this life, we can ask forgiveness from God for having violated His will, and only in this life we have the opportunity to apologize to those whom we have offended. In the world to come there is no possibility of  change, progress, growth or repentance. That’s why, in this sense, life in this world is incomparably more meaningful than the life in the next world.

Imagine that the world to come is a beautiful library, containing books, only books. The most beautiful books in the world are in this library. In this life, you have the opportunity to learn to read, in any language you want, so when you get to the library you can enjoy the most fabulous works of human literature. But this library has some limitations: there are no audiobooks there and no one to teach you how to read. “Reading” can only be learned before one enters into the library.The example of the library serves also to understand what Rabbi Ya’aqob said regarding the greater importance of this world, compared to the world to come.

Incidentally this illustration also helps us to understand why the Mishna never speaks of paradise or hell, but only of the world to come, as if it was one and the same place for the righteous and for the wicked. Two people come to the library. The first person learned several languages and appreciates a good reading. Now in the library he has access to all the books he wants. He is in paradise! The other person knows a lot about politics and sports, and he is an expert in playing poker and video games. But he is illiterate. He never wanted to invest some time to learn how to read.    The two people are in the same place … and yet, they are not in the same place. The literate man is in paradise. The other one, is not.

רבי יעקב אומר, העולם הזה דומה לפרוזדור בפני העולם הבא.

התקן עצמך בפרוזדור, כדי שתכנס לטרקלין

Rabbi Ya’aqob used to say that this life is like a lobby compared to the world to come. Prepare yourself in the lobby before entering into the main lounge!

When someone goes to visit an important person who is waiting, for example, in the VIP lounge of a Hotel on the seventh floor, most probably upon entering the Hotel one you will surely fix his tie, make sure his shirt is inside its pants, or if is a woman she would probably check her makeup in the mirror of the elevator and look at herself again and again to make sure she looks as presentable as possible.

This is the metaphor that rabbi Ya’aqob has chosen to visualize the relationship between this life and the next. This metaphor is a bit “tough”, mainly because it makes us think more realistically about the (desperate) brevity of our lives, which we usually realize after living for more than a few years …. Our lives are as brief as the moment that passes from the hotel lobby to the VIP lounge …  But beyond this existential reflection, the essence of this metaphor is to help us understand the reason of our existence in this world: we are here to prepare ourselves for our life after death.

I’ll try to paraphrase the words of Rabbi Ya’aqob with my own words.

We live three lives.

Life 1: in the womb.

Life 2: this life.

Life 3: life after life.

* In this progression, each life is more meaningful and richer than the other. Life 2 is richer than life 1, and life 3 richer than life 2.

* There is an insurmountable problem: from the previous life we cannot know anything about the life to come. The next life is “unimaginable”. Can you imagine a baby visualizing his or her next life, our world? All she can imagine is that the next life is a much larger placenta!

* And now let’s see what rabbi Ya’aqob says: Each of these lives is a preparation for the life to come. Life in the womb is only a preparation for our present life. We are conceived and our bodies are formed in life 1 only to be used in this life. Our nose, our eyes and our mouths have no meaning, nor practical use in the womb. These organs and virtually all of our body can only be understood and justified in terms of the next life, life 2. Similarly, our “spiritual” growth in life 2, the lobby of Yaaqob, is fully understood only in terms of our arrival to the VIP lounge, life 3.

Now, there is a fundamental difference between life 1 vis-à-vis life 2, and life 2 vis-à-vis life 3. And this is the message of Rabbi Ya’aqob. While in Life 1 our body automatically prepares itself for life 2, in life 2 our preparation is not automatic or natural: it depends completely on ourselves, on our moral decisions and on the investment we do or fail to do in our spiritual life. That is why Rabbi Ya’aqob uses the imperative: “Prepare yourself” to enter into the lounge!!! Because what is potentially tragic is that one can live life 2 without doing absolutely nothing for life 3.

(To be continued …)

Yesterday we explained that giving the benefit of the doubt is one of the 613 commandments of the Tora. We also explored the benefits of judging others with kindness: achieving a state of inner peace; living in harmony with those around us, and knowing that, as our Sages assert, God judges me and will judge me using the same yardstick I used to  judge others.

But, is giving the benefit of the doubt an absolute value?

The Tora teaches us that we must judge the average man as we would judge the man of absolute integrity: in an ambiguous situation, in a case where I don’t have all the information at hand, I should give the average man some credit and judge him positively. However, the Tora also tells us that there are exceptions to this rule. In fact, the Tora states that we can not and should not judge the rasha’ (the wicked), the person who has a negative immoral record, with the benefit of the doubt. That would be dangerous. If I give the benefit of the doubt to the rasha’, instead of being a good person I will be crossing the line into being a naive, virtually reckless, person.

The example I will present to the reader has to do with international politics. Simply because I found it easier to explain this profound concept with such example. Besides, the reader will appreciate that the principles of the Tora, in this case the limitations of “the benefit of the doubt”, are suitable and applicable also beyond our private lives.

Let us talk about Iran.

Iran wants to make a deal with the United States and a few other world powers. Iran declares that its nuclear plants will be used for peaceful purposes. The are some doubts about Iran’s real intentions. The question is whether the US should grant Iran the benefit of the doubt and trust that Iran will actually keep its word.

The Tora tells us unequivocally that we should not grant the benefit of the doubt to those who have a negative record.

Let us examine the case of Iran in light of this criteria.

1. Currently, Iran is anything but a peaceful country.  At this time, as explained by the Israeli news agency Debka (see this), Iran is involved in four simultaneous wars, and none of them is a war of defense. These are all wars in which Iran chooses to get involved to extend its influence in the region. Iran is involved in the Lebanon war, in the war in Syria, in the war in Iraq, and most recently in the war in Yemen. All these wars have a very high cost in human lives!

2. As explained by the Prime Minister of Israel, Iran is behind numberless terrorist attacks, among them the bombing of the AMIA in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

3. Iran has stated on numerous occasions that it wants to wipe Israel off the map, and Iran never backed down from this threat.

We can give many more examples, but I think with this record it’s sufficient to establish a pattern and to assert that giving Iran the benefit of the doubt would be reckless and dangerous. In cases like this the Tora tells me NOT to give the benefit of the doubt.

Now, is the wicked doomed forever to be judged unfavorably? Could we ever judge the bad guy in a favorable light? If an individual, or in this case a country, changes and improves, not only with words but mainly with deeds, then we should reconsider it.

Let’s continue with the example of Iran:

Imagine Iran would declare today: “We want to use our nuclear plants for peaceful purposes.” And immediately gets rid of all nuclear weapons it has already accumulated. Then Iran ends its involvement in the wars with its neighbors. Not only that, Iran also admits its responsibility in the AMIA bombing, apologizes and offers a compensation to the families of the victims. And as if that were not enough, Iran retracts from its threats against Israel and offers to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

A series of actions in the right direction would change the status quo of a person, an institution or a country. But until that happens, giving the benefit of the doubt in a case like this is nothing but suicidal.

In conclusion: Judging the benefit of the doubt demands moral clarity. The clarity needed to identify evil, violence and injustice.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Candlelighting in NYC     7:32 pm

Shabbat ends in NYC        8:33 pm

והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות

“Yehoshua ben Perahia used to say, make for yourself a teacher, invest in a friend, and judge others with the benefit of the doubt.“

The Torah says three things:

Giving the benefit of the doubt has its great benefits.

Here’s why.

BAMIDDA SHEADAM MODED … “With the same yardstick that we judge others, we will be judged by Heaven.” How do we want to be judged by God, after 120 years? Do we expect Him to judge us harshly or leniently? Surely we want the Heavenly Court to find mitigating factors that will excuse our many mistakes. We want to be judged with kindness and understanding. Well, I have good news! The Hakhamim explain that God will judge us using the same yardstick we use to judge others. If we learn to judge others with kindness and benevolence, so will God judge us. I should add that not only God judges us as we judge others: usually our gestures and attitudes are reflected and imitated by the people around us, our co-workers, friends, and family. If you want to be judged by other with indulgence, if you do not want people to rush and condemn you before having all the information at hand, then learn to give others the benefit of the doubt.

The way we are judged by people, mirrors the way we judge them. 

(To be continued …)

והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות

“Yehoshua ben Perahia used to say, make for yourself a teacher, invest in a friend, and judge others with the benefit of the doubt.“

Judging with the benefit of the doubt is, first of all, one of the 613 commandments of the Tora. And it can also be considered as one of the most important elements of Jewish morality.

This principle should be analyzed in depth and with patience. Therefore, we will devote to it more than one entry, to explore it and understand it well.

First, we will define this concept as reflected in PIRQUE ABOT and give some examples of it. Second, B’H tomorrow, we will see where and how it appears in the Tora. And third, we will explore the exceptions to the rule, that is, under what circumstances we should not give the benefit of the doubt.

Giving the benefit of the doubt means that when I do not know the whole scenario, or all the circumstances surrounding an action that seems to be wrong, I should not rush to judge that act or the person involved in it, negatively. Rather, I should try to find in my mind mitigating factors, possible or hypothetical reasons or scenarios that would justify this action that seems to be wrong.

Example: I have a date or a meeting with someone, and he or she is late. There are two possible ways to react to this event, before knowing the facts. One, I judge this person negatively and think of him or her as careless, negligent and irresponsible. The second option is thinking within myself that most probably he is late because of something beyond his control. Probably, he was stuck in traffic, or she cannot find parking, etc. This is to judge giving the benefit of the doubt.

At this point, we don’t really care what the real reason for that person’s delay was. We are not in a fact-finding mission. We are now analyzing my initial reaction, my character, to determine if I judge others in a critical way, or with the benefit of the doubt.

Unfortunately, we are not “programmed”  to give the benefit of the doubt. In general, we tend to judge others by their actions, while we judge ourselves by our intentions. It seems that our western culture educated us to be rather suspicious. The Tora, however, invites us to change this attitude, to “re-program ourselves” and judge others with indulgence.

Another example: I’m giving a speech and at the end of the hall I see a familiar face talking nonstop with another person, probably a guest. At the end of my speech I approach my friend to reproach him for his bad behavior, but before I could utter a word he says, “Hi rabbi, I want to introduce you to  my cousin Gerard, from Paris. I was translating to him your speech, and he loved it” .

From my pulpit and from my judging standpoint, I only saw two people talking, undermining my lecture, and the first thing that crossed my mind is that these were two inconsiderate individuals…   I did not judge them with the benefit of the doubt.

Judging with the benefit of the doubt, in Hebrew לשפוט לכף זכות, is the ability to develop a positive, trusting disposition towards people. It is NOT a method to find the truth, but a Mitsva and an attitude to achieve and maintain inner peace.

(To be continued ...)