Ben Gvir reflects how far Israel has strayed from Torah values
A photograph from Ashdod last week brought to my mind an ancient memory, of a local Bible quiz decades ago, when I was in high school, and which I did not win. The conduct of the man bearing the title of “Minister of National Security” toward the detainees from the Gaza flotilla reminded me of the question that failed me: name three commandments connected to sunset. A brief look reveals that in addition to the timing that links them, all three demand that those in positions of power treat those under their authority with dignity. The gap between those commandments and that photograph raises troubling thoughts about Israel today.
I did not remember that when a person is executed, their body must be taken down from the tree before nightfall (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Even someone found guilty of the gravest crimes and punished with the harshest penalty must have their body treated with dignity, and must not be subjected to humiliation. Punishment is essential – without rules and enforcement, society cannot function. Humiliation, however, is another matter entirely, and is categorically forbidden. It undermines the dignity of a human being created in the image of God, and it also degrades those who inflict it.
The sight of dozens of detainees kneeling handcuffed on the ground, their buttocks raised in the air and their eyes covered, while a cabinet minister posed beside them to the sound of Israel’s national anthem, brought back that commandment to my mind, along with the two commandments I did remember. Both likewise place at their center the treatment of people who lack power and depend on others.
One commandment establishes the obligation to pay a day laborer before nightfall (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15). Those fortunate enough to employ workers are forbidden from withholding the wages of people struggling to make a living, and, by implication, must not abuse their status and power to otherwise harm those dependent on them for survival. This is not the place to elaborate on cases in which vulnerable workers were forced to turn to labor courts in order to receive the rights owed to them by prominent Israelis, as demanded by both the law and the spirit of the Torah; however, one can only imagine what will become of such disadvantaged people if the coalition, which includes suspects, defendants, and convicted politicians, realizes its plan to increase political control over judicial appointments.
The third commandment (Exodus 22:25-26; Deuteronomy 24:12-13) states that if a poor person’s cloak has been taken as collateral for a debt, and it is their only garment, it must be returned by nightfall so that they will not suffer from the cold. This is proof, if such were needed, that compassion has been a foundational principle in Judaism for thousands of years. Yet in the Jewish state, inequality is greater than in most of the developed world, welfare budgets are slashed, and the periphery is neglected. They are cold? Let them deal with it.
Never before has a government contained so many members who claim to act in the name of the Torah. Yet in light of how these three commandments are practiced, it appears that Israel has never been so distant from Jewish values. We pride ourselves on being the “People of the Book,” and even hold competitions which test knowledge of the texts. But dry knowledge of the verses is not enough; we are required to embrace the moral principles they express. We should recognize how far we have strayed from them and admit the truth: lording replaces learning, power takes the place of principle, and brute force undermines both heart and mind.