FROM SEPHARAD TO EGYPT

Rabbi Ya’aqob Castro was a Tora scholar, a rabbinical judge, an author  and a leading lawmaker (poseq) in the Cairo Jewish community. 

The Castro or “de Castro” family was originally from southern Spain. At the time of the expulsion they escaped to Portugal and from there, many members of that family arrived in Turkey, North Africa, Egypt, etc.

The father of Rabbi Castro (some historians say he was his uncle) was the famous Abraham de Castro (died in 1520, see here). Abraham de Castro was one of the most prominent Jews of his time. He was the manager of the Royal Mint of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566), the most powerful man in the world in those years. In his honor, the Sultan agreed to reinforce the walls of Jerusalem adding several rows of solid rock to the original wall. This stones are still there to this day.

HIS TEACHERS

Rabbi Ya’aqob de Castro belonged to a wealthy family. Apart from being a  rabbi, Rabbi Castro also engaged in trade, something that was common among rabbis living in Egypt, such as Rabbi David ben Zimra or Rabbi Isaac Luria(the Ari haQadosh) who dealt with import and export of pepper and grains.

Rabbi Ya’aqob was a student of two great luminaries: the illustrious Rabbi David ben Zimra (Radbaz), and Rabbi Levi ibn Habib (Ralbah) of Yerushalayim. Rabbi Ya’aqob is also known by his acronym Mahariqash (מהריק”ש), and he is considered the last “Chief Rabbi” of Egypt, that is, the rabbinical authority accepted by all the communities of the country, including the two most important: Cairo and Alexandria. At that time most of the Jews of Egypt were musta’arabim, that is, indigenous of Egypt; while the community of the Sepharadim, that is, the refugees of the expulsion from Spain, was just beginning.

RABBI CASTRO AND RABBI CARO

In 1570, he visited the city of Sefat in Israel, where he was invited to the home of Rabbi Yosef Caro (1488-1575), the author of the Shulhan Arukh. In his writings, Rabbi Castro describes his encounter with Rabbi Caro and relates, probably with deep emotions,  seeing with his own eyes Rabbi Caro acting in accordance with the customs that he himself had established in the Shulhan Arukh.

Rabbi Castro wrote several books. We will mention two of them.

“Erekh Lehem.” Glosses and comments that Rabbi Castro wrote in the margins of his manuscript copy of the Shulhan Arukh. In these notes he expresses his opinion, and sometimes his objections, to some halakhic determinations of Rabbi Yosef Caro. The reputation of Rabbi Castro was so high that in Egypt his opinion had more weight than that of Shulhan Arukh himself.

LIFE IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF EGYPT

Another of his works is “Ahole Ya’aqob”, a book of rabbinical responsa on real cases that happened in his community. This book also presents the Halakhic debates between Rabbi Castro and some of his contemporaries, which allows us to have a better vision of his legal thinking.

It should also be noted that this book of Rabbinical questions and answers is a priceless source of information for historians to learn a little more in detail about the social and community life, and the difficulties of the Jewish community in Egypt in the 16th century.

SOME EXAMPLES

One of the Taqanot, or community decrees, that Rabbi Castro mentions in one of his answers, is related to the mores and etiquette that should be observed in the celebration of wedding parties. Apparently, in some weddings, gentile dancers were hired as part of the celebration; this caused more than once some improper attitudes. Rabbi Castro, together with the other rabbis of the city, forbade this practice and encouraged the community to hire only musicians, and not dancers.

Another controversial issue that appears in his questions and answers is the legal status of the claim of a wife who refused to live in the house of her in-laws, in a situation where there was no mistreatment from their part. Rabbi Castro debated with another very famous Egyptian rabbi, Rabbi Hayim Kafusi, about considering this claim as a justified cause for divorce.

Finally, I will mention a more sensitive topic. Rabbi Castro dealt with the case of two young married men, members of his community, who went out of town in a business trip and disappeared. Two Egyptian men, father and son, testified that these merchants were attacked and killed by a gang of 12 assailants. The Halakhic question was whether this testimony was enough to declare the wives of these merchants as widows, and allow them get married again. Rabbi Castro adopted a more strict opinion, since the evidence was ambiguous, and he considered that the witnesses could obtain a personal benefit from his testimony. Rabbi Kafusi confronted Rabbi Castro and presented an more permissive opinion so that these two women would not be trapped (agunot) in a situation without a possible solution.

והאדם ידע את חוה אשתו
Genesis 4: 1

Harmony between husband and wife is the fundamental basis of a Jewish home. In the Jewish family, men and women have different obligations and fulfill different roles. Because we are conscious that the Creator fashioned us as two different beings. With talents and traits that are necessary to synergize our marriage.

We look alike But we are different. Very different. So different that I’m not sure if you could classify men and women as belonging to the same species. I do not mean only in the physical realm, but more than anything else in the psychological and mental area. Nowadays, thanks to advances in medical and scientific technology, we know much better how the brain and the hormones work. And scientists  have discovered that we are far more different than we supposed when John Gray taught us in 1992 that men came from Mars and women came from Venus. The dissimilarity between men and women is very deep and has a biological origin. This is masterfully explained, among others,  by neurosurgeon Simon Baron-Cohen, a specialist in biological psychology,
in his revolutionary book: “The essential difference”.

Recognizing these differences was never more necessary than in our days.

First, because the level of interaction and communication that is expected between men and women, especially in marriage, is much more intense and active than it was since the beginning of humanity. In the recent past, interaction between spouses was limited and practical. Conversations about the running of the house, material needs and the education of children, etc.  The emotional conversation – the exchange: “how you feel / how I feel”, a dialogue that for the woman is natural and therapeutic – had no place between husband and wife. Women talked about their problems and emotions with other women: mother,  sister and neighbor. Today, however, the expectation of interaction between husband and wife is different. A modern wife intuitively expects her husband to empathize with her emotions, her problems, her frustrations, her doubts and her fears. Most women ignore that for men an emotional dialogue does not come naturally. Men, in general, do not excel in the art of communicating emotions and feelings. For a man, participating in an emotional  conversation requires learning and training. Because when a man faces a problem, he does not feel the need to share or talk about them with other people. Not even with his wife. Man has a different mental mechanism (opposite to that of a woman!) that helps him to process his fears and emotions.
Many men, on the other hand, think that wives talk too much, or that they talk in circles, or that they do not know how to express clearly what they want. They expect their wives to be Alexas or Siris. They do not know that women not only speak to communicate a problem but that they also use communication to vent their problems. Of these fundamental differences between men and women, little is known. Not many people have ever heard that the two brains are “different”.  I know that because I have given several classes on “Female Brain vs. male brain” and I do not usually find many people who know these topics.

Secondly, in our days a large part of modern society does not consider it politically correct to speak of psychological –much less of biological– differences – between men and women. The ultra-feminist view postulates that what distinguishes men from women are strictly social and cultural elements. According to this new liberal ideology “difference” is equal to “inequality”. Therefore, they reason, we should educate the new generation in a neutral way, neither as men nor as women. And then, the differences will disappear.

Ignorance of the innate differences between the genders, the fact that so little is taught about it, and the deliberate denial of these differences, is largely responsible for the present crisis of the institution of marriage.

What to do?

The first time the Tora speaks of love is in reference to Adam and Eve. And in that context, the word the Tora uses to describe love is  “yada'”,  to know”:  “Adam knew Eve, his wife” (Genesis 4: 1). It is very difficult – or impossible – to love another person without knowing her or about her. Without knowing how he or she thinks, how she reasons and especially how he transmits and communicates his emotions. Learning about our spouse and his or her gender, is learning to love our spouse.

LIFE IN ERETS ISRAEL in THE 16th CENTURY

Rabbi Yosef of Terani (or “Miterani” רבי יוסף מטראני) was born in Safed, Israel, in 1569. He is considered one of the leading Talmudists of his generation. He is also known by the initials of his name “Maharit” (Hebrew: מהרי”ט). His father was the famous rabbi Moshe de Terani, author of Beth Eloqim. He died when Yosef was 12.  From that young age Rabbi Yosef was adopted, and he became the favorite student, of the great sage Ribbi Shelomo Sagis.  Rab Yosef married in 1586 and that year a great plague broke out in Safed that claimed the lives of many Yehudim and among them Rabbi Sagis.  Rabbi Yosef left the land of Israel and escaped to Egypt, where he lived with his brother Shelomo, who was a community rabbi in Egypt. He spent 15 years in Egypt devoting himself to intensive Talmudic studies.  When he returned to the land of Israel, he lived in Safed and then in Yerushalayim, where he wrote the book “Tsurat haBayit”, describing the design and architecture of the Bet HaMiqdash. This book, unfortunately, has been lost, and we only know about it because it was quoted in the book of one of his students, Rabbi Hayim Alfandari.  Rabbi Yosef was already famous at this time. He received and answered numerous Halakhic questions which were coming from all over the Jewish world. But living in Erets Israel then, was becoming very difficult and Rabbi Yosef and his family suffered poverty, disease and persecution.

FROM SAFED TO CONSTANTINOPLA

After a few years Rabbi Yosef moved to the city of Constantinople, in Turkey, where he found a large Jewish community established by the Jews expelled from Spain, known as Sepharadim. In Constantinople, Rabbi Yosef was welcomed enthusiastically by the Ben Ya’ish brothers, who were very kind benefactors and Jewish patrons. The Ben Ya’ish brothers hosted Rabbi Yosef at their state and offered to maintain him and his family with dignity while he dedicates himself to teach Tora and to write his books. From that moment all the hardships of Rabbi Yosef came to an end, and without serious material concerns he dedicated fully to teach Tora. Under the wings of the Ben Ya’ish brothers Rabbi Yosef established a Yeshiba, or rabbinic academy, which he called “Qahal Qadosh Gerush”, the holy congregation of refugees from Spain. This Yeshiba became a magnet for young Tora scholars who came from all over the world to study with Rabbi Yosef. According to the testimony of his children Rabbi Yosef had more than 80 students studying directly under him.

CHIEF RABBI OF TURKEY

After 20 years of arriving in Turkey, Rabbi Yosef was also chosen as the head rabbi of Constantinople. As such, he was granted the title of Hakham Bashi, the chief rabbi of Turkey, which at the time was the most prosperous Jewish community in the Jewish world. Apart from continuing teaching, Rabbi Yosef decided to improved the community’s system of social assistance, training and using his own Rabbinical students for this important task. He sent his students to visit the sick, console the mourners, assist the brides and grooms, and to distribute food, clothing and everything necessary for the poor, the widows and the orphans. Among his students we can mention for example: Ribbi Hayim Alghazi, Ribbi Aharon DeLapapa and Ribbi Hayim Benveniste, all of them became very famous rabbis and served in different communities. 

HIS LAST WISHES

Rabbi Yosef was blessed with many children,  all of them became great Tora scholars. Before dying he asked two things from his children. 1. That they publish his books, which were in manuscripts. And 2. to take his remains to the land of Israel, so that he could be buried close to his father. Shortly after his death, in 1639, his children faithfully fulfilled his two wishes.

HIS BOOKS

Among the books of Rabbi Yosef Miterani stands out his collection of 152 questions and answers that were published in Constantinople in 1641.

In this link you can get another book of Rabbi Yosef, Tsafnat Pa’aneah, (Frankfurt, 1694) a commentary on the Tora. One illustration: In the first pages of this book Rabbi Yosef exposes 15 different ways, opinions and insights about the nature of Adam’s first sin —eating the fruits of the forbidden tree. How is it that this sin caused man to perceive himself naked; why the Creator dressed him with a garment of leather (or “light”, according to Ribbi Meir), etc.

HIS GRAVE

His children took his remains to Safed, and buried their father there. For some reason the exact place of his grave was not known for centuries. However, in 2008 his resting place was identified in the old cemetery of Safed, next to the grave of rabbi Moshe Alshekh, by Rabbi Shelomo Epstein.

From FES to HEBRON

Rabbi Abraham Azulay (also “Azulai) was born in the city of Fes, Morocco, in 1570. The city of Fes was a very important Jewish center where many Jews found refuge when they escaped the expulsion from Spain.

The family of Rabbi Azulay also came from Spain (Castilla). Living in Fes was far from being in a paradise. Apart from the constant persecution by Muslim extremists, the area was very poor and often suffered from long droughts. Rabbi Shaul Serero says that in the Jewish community of Fes, between 10 and 20 people died every day… of starvation. After one long drought that lasted for more than 3 years, Rabbi Azulay left Fes and headed towards the land of Israel. Traveling by sea was extremely dangerous. When rabbi Azulay arrived near the port of Capotakia (Port Said) a great storm destroyed his ship and all his belongings sank. Miraculously, Rabbi Azulay survived and arrived (presumably swimming) to the coast. This miracle was never forgotten by Rabbi Azulai. And as a sign of his eternal gratitude to HaShem for this miracle, Rabbi Azulay designed his signature in the shape of a boat (see illustration above).

From HEBRON to GAZA

Once he arrived in Israel he settled in the city of Hebron (also known as Kiryat Arba) where he met with the great rabbis of that time such as Rabbi Eliezer Arha and others. But a terrible epidemic broke in 1619 and rabbi Azulay had to leave the city of Hebron and he moved to Yerushalayim. But the plague also reached Jerusalem, and Rabbi Azulay moved to the city of Gaza where he lived for some years. At that time 70 Jewish families lived in Gaza. Some families were engaged in agriculture and others in commerce, since Gaza was part of the trade route between Syria and Egypt. The Rabbi of Gaza between 1620-1625 was the illustrious rabbi Israel Najara (a native of the Spanish city Nájera), who befriended rabbi Azulay .  In Gaza, Rabbi Azulay wrote two of his most famous books: a commentary on the book of the Zohar “Hesed LeAbraham” (“The goodness that God did with Abraham”, in reference to the fact that he himself, Abraha, was twice saved from the terrible epidemic that claimed so many lives). He also wrote “Ba’ale Berit Abram”, a mystical commentary on the Tora.

COMMENTARY ON THE MISHNA

Rabbi Azulay is known for his mystical writings  but he also wrote a few traditional rabbinical works.  One of the least known books of Rabbi Azulay, is “ahaba bata’anuguim”, a beautiful and extensive commentary on the Mishna. In this book, unfortunately not as well known as his books on mysticism, Rabbi Azulay explains the elementary meaning of the words and ideas of the Mishna  —following the footsteps of Maimonides— incorporating the commentaries of the Talmud, the midrashim and other famous books, including Geonim, Rishonim and the Shulhan Aruch. He also mentions the teaching of some rabbis who lived in Erets Israel on those days , and of whom nothing else is known to us, like Rabbi Soleiman Ohana and Rabbi Yosef Ashkenazi, the “Tana from Safed”.  This book was republished in Israel recently (1985, Seder Neziqin). It was edited among others by Rabbi Masud Ben Shimon ( had the privilege to study under him in my youth)  and the introduction of this new edition was written by none other than Rabbi Obadiah Yosef (see the book HERE.    We also present HERE a link where you can download the comment of Rabbi Azulay on the Mishna of Pirque Abot, (courtesy of hebewbooks.org).

When the plague ended, Rabbi Azulay returned to Hebron, where he lived until the end of his days.

THE SWORD IN THE CAVE of MAKHPELA

In 1643 the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mohamed IV, the most powerful man on earth in those days, visited the land of Israel and came to Hebron, and following the Muslim tradition, went to pray in Me’arat HaMakhpela, the cave where Abraham, Yitshaq and Ya’aqob are buried. At the time, there was a very deep hole on the floor of the hall dedicated to Yitshaq Abinu, through which there was access to the interior of the original cave of Makhpela. But nobody entered there, since it was considered very dangerous, perhaps due to the absence of oxygen, the presence of toxic gases, etc. The Sultan came very close to the hole and when he bent to take a closer look his valuable sword, made of gold and ornamented with diamonds,  fell down the hole. The Sultan sent a pair of soldiers tied with ropes to bring the sword back, but both died. The local Arab leaders decided that they would not risk the lives of other Muslims and demanded the Jews, under the threat of extermination, to bring back the Sultan’s sword. Rabbi Azulai, who was 73 years old at that time, volunteered for the risky task and after an incredible experience he was able to recover the sword of the Sultan (see the full story on the Hebron webpage, http://en.hebron.org.il/history/ 228).

HIS DEATH

Rabbi Azulay died the day after he emerged from the depth of the cave of Makhpela,  Friday Ereb Shabbat, Perashat Haye Sara (that is, today!).

Rabbi Abraham Azulay is buried in the old cemetery of the city of Hebron. His grave, as was the custom in Hebron, carries no inscription, not even his name (I think this was done as a gesture of deference to our Patriarchs, buried in that city).

One of his great-grandchildren was the famous Rabbi Hayim Yosef David Azulay, also known as the Hida (1724-1806).

One of the least understood topics in the Biblical story of the creation of the world is what happened on the second day of Creation. The text says that on that day God separated “the waters above from the waters below,” which clearly alludes to the creation of the rain.

Previously I have showed that a similar idea about waters above and below (or around us) is commonly used in science today.   John Lynch, the author of the BBC book “The Climate” (p.84, 1996) describes the clouds with words that are a very similar to the words used by the Tora : “We live on a water planet. The seas dominate the world … there is an ocean around us [the water of the sea] and an ocean above us [the clouds] “. The Tora explains that the Creator dedicated a whole day, the Second Day , to establish the miraculous mechanism that transforms ocean water into the most precious liquid in the entire universe: rain.

But for different reasons, especially the erroneous (according to Tora Shelema) interpretation of a Midrash that describes the prayer of Adam, the first human, for rain, the important act of the second day of creation was reinterpreted in different ways: separation of metaphysical entities; water that exists in the stratosphere, beyond our planet, etc. Incredibly, these interpretations are seen as the most conventional explanation of God’s creative work on the Second day; something that can be confirmed simply by asking the following to any student of any Jewish school in the world: “What did God do on the Second Day of Creation?”.  I did this little test and got incredible results: Not a single student (or their teachers!) Answered: “Rain”.

The mechanism of the water cycle, which allows the production of rain, was established by the Creator on the second day of Creation also according to Maimonides (More Nebukhim 2:30), by dividing the upper waters (clouds) of the lower waters (oceans) . This is also explained, but in much more detail, by Rav Moshe Hefets in his extraordinary book “Melekhet Mahashebet” (pages 10-11, Vienna edition), and by Rabbi Menashe ben Israel in his book (written originally in Spanish) “The Conciliator” .

When the creation of the rain (and the climate system) is ignored, new questions arise that take away from the Creation account its deliberate realism and comprehensibility by humans (דברה התורה בלשון בני אדם). For example: How could vegetation – created during the third day – exist without rain?.  There are other points that become clearer when we do not overlook the creation of rain, as for example, the concept of “progressive creation”, that is, the notion that the elements created on day 1 are necessary for day 2 –and the following days– and the elements created on day 2 are necessary for day 3, etc. Let’s see for example what Rashbam, the grandson of Rashi (France, 1085-1158) explains in this sense. Rashbam states that the wind mentioned in the second verse of the Torah was used by God to separate the seas from the continents on day 3. Once God established “dry land” , on the same Third Day, God created the plants, which are necessary for the production of free oxygen and for the feeding and surviving of animals, created on the Fifth Day.

Incidentally, Rashbam confirms with his commentary that the words “Ruah Eloquim” in the second verse of the Tora do not mean “Divine spirit” (a concept too close to the non-Jewish idea of ​​”holy spirit”) but they indicate: ” a mighty wind “, as explained by Eben Ezra and Radaq, or “a Divine wind [a wind that serves as an instrument of God’s creation]” which is what Targum Onquelos, Maimónides, etc. explained.  For Rashbam the Creator used a mighty wind to separate the continents from the oceans and establish the dry land in a similar manner that God used a powerful wind to open the Red Sea when we left Egypt. The only difference is the adjective that is given to the noun “wind” in each of these events: the wind of Creation is called “Ruah Eloquim” (Eloquim, used as the superlative of “powerful”), while the wind that God uses in the opening of the sea, much more limited in its spectrum, is called “Ruah (qadim) aza”,  a strong wind.

For the creation of the rain and the climate system, another element is needed: the sun. Leaving aside the interpretation of the majority of the sages (Ribbi Aqiba, Rashi, Maimonides, etc.) in most Jewish schools I know the students learn that the sun was created during the Fourth Day of creation. Something that also awakes a number of questions of physics or elementary biology: How could there be rain, or plants, without the sun? How could day and night exist without the sun? These questions disappear when we follow Ribbí Aqiba’s explanation –widely accepted by the Rabbis of the Talmud, but for some reason ignored by most modern Jewish teachers– that explains that the sun was created in the first act of Creation: Verse 1.

The subject of the creation of the sun during the first day (and the ensuing question: what was created then on the fourth day of creation?) is fascinating but not easy tu summarize.

To the readers who wish to learn more about the story of the Creation of the world  following the Targum, and the commentaries of Radaq, Maimonides, etc. I suggest to read my book Awesome Creation.

See HERE

We are only a few days away from Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the most important day of the year for a Jewish individual.

In Yom Kippur we can not improvise. We have to prepare ourselves for this moment in advance. In addition to knowing the details of the day of fasting (who should fast, who does not, how to proceed when one can not fast, etc.) if we really want to live intensely the experience of a “Day of Forgiveness” we should go deep into the concept of Teshuba .

Teshuba, the process of repentance, consists according to Maimonides in three, or four steps, according to the nature of what we want to correct.

1. HAKARAT HAHET. The first thing we must do is recognizing that we have acted wrongly. We must free ourselves from excuses and blame transference (when I blame everyone else, except myself, for my mistakes) and recognizing that I was wrong. If I am not able to accept my responsibility, I will not be able to advance to the following levels of  Teshuba. If I have offended or hurt friends, colleagues and loved ones, I must take charge. And if I betrayed our covenant with HaShem, voluntarily or involuntarily, I must acknowledge it and take responsibility, otherwise forgiveness will not be possible.

2. TIQUN. Repair. If you have not offended or caused any injury or damage to another person, you can proceed to the next step. But if you are more a human than an angel, and as such, you have caused some harm to others, intentionally or not, you must do everything possible to repair the damage you caused. Examples: if you have taken money or other material goods from another person, you must return it or compensate the owner for it. If you have personal debts, unpaid donations, etc., you must pay those bills NOW, before Yom Kippur. If you have offended someone with words: you spoke negatively about someone, or you mocked or bullied someone, etc. you must arm yourself with courage, approach the person you offended and ask for his or her forgiveness. If you do not have the possibility to apologize in person, or if you have a hard time talking face to face with the offended, you can do it by phone or by any other means. The most important thing is that you apologies are not half- apologies or apologies where you assign part of the blame to the victim(“I’m sorry you felt offended by my words” etc.). Apologies must be sincere, credible and transmitted with humility. Our Sages affirm that if I do not ask forgiveness and I repair what I did wrong towards others, those transgressions will not be forgiven by God on Yom Kippur.

3. VIDUY. The most important Mitsva of Yom Kippur is the Viduy or confession. This confession is done privately, in silence, but articulating the words.  On the day of Kippur, we confess before God all the sins we have committed against Him or against other people. It is very important to mention the specific faults that we have committed. According to our Sages, recognizing our wrongdoings or bad habits mentally is the first step of Teshuba (this is actually what we do when we hear the Shofar on Rosh Hashana). But this recognition can only be effective and lead to a change when we verbalize it. Only then, when we get the courage to articulate what we did wrong, we are able to overcome what we did wrong and improve. The Sages explained that all I need to do to obtain HaShem’s forgiveness for offenses against His Tora (Shabbat, Kashrut, Tefilla, etc.) is to recognize and articulate my faults and shortcomings. B’H we will talk a little more about the Viduy in the coming days.

4. AZIBAT HAHET.  The final step of a sincere Teshuba is “change”. Changing my wrong behavior, modifying my bad habits, improving the negative elements of my personality and reconsider my values. This is the biggest challenge of Yom Kippur. “Change” will take place, obviously, after Yom Kippur. But on Yom Kippur we must resolve that we want to be better, and we should make the decision to change. Contemporary rabbis explain that if we can improve even if only a small area of ​​our behavior, and this change is firm and solid, it is enough.

In choosing the area of ​​behavior that we resolve to change, we must consider something that is meaningful and at the same time feasible, not “impossible”. We should find an area of ​​change that represents a balance between the significant and the attainable.

.מזְמוֹר, לְדָוִד ה’ מִי יָגוּר בְּאָהֳלֶךָ מִי יִשְׁכֹּן בְּהַר קָדְשֶׁךָ

 הוֹלֵךְ תָּמִים, וּפֹעֵל צֶדֶק וְדֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבוֹ.

 לא–רָגַל עַל–לְשֹׁנוֹ לֹא–עָשָׂה לְרֵעֵהוּ רָעָה וְחֶרְפָּה לֹא נָשָׂא עַל–קְרֹבוֹ

 נבְזֶה בְּעֵינָיו נִמְאָס וְאֶת–יִרְאֵי ה’ יְכַבֵּד נִשְׁבַּע לְהָרַע וְלֹא יָמִר

 כסְפּוֹ לֹא–נָתַן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ וְשֹׁחַד עַל–נָקִי לֹא לָקָח. עֹשֵׂה–אֵלֶּה לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם

This psalm of King David, Psalm 15,  is very brief–it contains only five pesuquim (biblical verses) — but it is very rich in meaning.

The text begins with a question:

PASUQ 1: God, who deserves to be invited to Your residence?
Who deserves to dwell in Your temple?

Living close to God refers to reaching the highest spiritual state. Living in the vicinity of God means feeling close to Him, continuously. This closeness to God, on the one hand, entails a great responsibility: the awareness that God watches (and judges) us permanently. On the other hand, living under the eyes of God means deserving His attention and supervision [hashgaha peratit], which is considered the highest merit . The question then is: what are the virtues and values ​​that an individual must reach to deserve living close to God and deserving His attention?

PASUQ 2: “[The man who] conducts himself with righteousness, acts with justice and speaks  the truth of his heart.”
This pasuq lists the virtues that a man must have to become an “ideal Jew” and deserve to live in His presence. All the qualities mentioned here have to do with integrity and honesty. This does not mean that other aspects of the Tora, rituals, religious and ceremonial, are less important. But that this Psalm focuses specifically on ethics and interpersonal morality, as the qualities of the ideal Jew. This verse describes the three principles that guide the life of that individual: integrity, justice and speaking the truth. The next verse, as we will see now, will mention three negative actions that a good person should avoid.

PASUQ 3: “[The man who] does not harm others with his tongue, does not hurt his friend, does not embarrass his relatives.”
Again, we see that this Psalm emphasizes moral actions (ben adam lahabero). The first offense mentioned here is leshon hara: talking negatively about another person. Saying  something that may be true, but it is negative, unjustified and may cause harm to another person. Then, the pasuq refers to avoid causing material damage to others, such as stealing or physically assaulting someone. And finally, it mentions that a good person should never offend others causing emotional damage, that is: insulting, offending or verbally abusing (bullying) someone , etc.

PASUQ 4: “[The man who] rejects those who do evil; but honors those who fear God. [The man who] when he commits [will keep his promise and] will not change it, even when [by keeping his word] he would suffer material losses. “
This pasuq continues describing the behavior of the ideal man. A decent person does not envy the wicked, even when the wicked prospers. The role models for a good person are God fearing people. That is, individuals who carry out their lives with a permanent awareness that HaShem is watching what they do. Finally, a good man is, above all, honest. And how do you measure honesty in Judaism? When for example an individual committed to a commercial transaction, and although he did not sign anything, he already gave his word. And then he realizes that –or it happens that under new circumstances– carrying out this transaction will damage him financially and he will lose money if he keeps his word. In these circumstances, the decent man will not retract. It will not change his words or deny his commitment. The man who deserves to live close to God will honor his word and be willing to lose money so as not to break his promise. This, in Judaism, is considered the epitome of integrity.

PASUQ 5: [The good man] will never lend money with interest, nor accept bribes that incriminate the innocent. He who does all this will never fall.

And will deserve to live in the proximity of God in this life and in the next.