FAIR AND GOOD

As Jews, we love laws. We are the people of the book, afterall, and that book, our Torah, gave us 613 commandments. But, that was not enough for us. The rabbis of the past couple thousand years wrote more and more laws and canonized them in volume after volume of religious manuscripts. As Reform Jews, we started to peel back some of the layers of Jewish law, but, no matter how you look at it, no matter how many layers we have removed, Jews love laws.

But, what happens when a person that follows every letter of Jewish law finds himself or herself confronted with a situation where our laws don’t tell them what to do? Oy…what a mess. When a person doesn’t have guidance, they often stray to the wrong side of right and wrong.

What is a person to do? 

Today’s Torah portion, Va-et’chanan, answers that question. It teaches in a single verse (Deuteronomy 6:18) “You shall do what is fair and good in the eyes of Adonai, so that it will be good for you.” 

Let’s take a moment to break down this verse by focusing on “you shall do what is FAIR and GOOD.” Why can’t we just do what is “fair”? Why is the word “good” thrown in? And, why can’t we just do what is good and forget all about being fair? According to Rashi, a 11th century rabbi, a person should go beyond the letter of the law, and when there is no law a person should do what is fair and good to others.

If we only did what was fair, it wouldn’t be enough. If we only  did what was good, it, too, would not suffice. Often, when there is no rule or law, people have the tendency to take advantage of a situation. Hmm – there’s a $20 bill on the floor. Should I ask the person who is sitting next to it, rummaging through their bag if it’s theirs and muttering “where’s my 20?”, or should I just pick it up since it doesn’t seem to have an owner? 

According to “fair and good”, we are never supposed to take advantage of a situation. We are supposed to head toward holiness – KEDUSHAH– in all our actions. You should not need a law to tell you to care for those less fortunate even if they do not fall within the classic biblical group of widow, orphan, the physically challenged, or the elderly. You should not need to be told what to do when the answer is in front of you. 

Let’s return to the biblical verse for a moment — “You shall do what is fair and good in the eyes of Adonai, so that it will be good for you.” By living by the creed of being both “fair and good” to others, it leads to a better world, a clear conscience, and a sense of personal clarity. When acting in a fair and good manner, you’ve taken your actions toward holiness and away from the ordinary or cruel. It’s time we look at the challenges in our lives through the lenses of both fair and good so that our actions are filled with kedushah. 

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VA-ET’CHANAN SUMMARY FROM THE URJ

• Moses pleads with God to let him enter the Land of Israel with the people, but God once more refuses his request. (3:23–28)
• Moses orders the Children of Israel to pay attention and follow the laws given by God in order to be worthy of the land they are about to receive. (4:1–40)
• Specific areas of the land are set aside to serve as cities of refuge. (4:41–43)
• The covenant at Sinai and the Ten Commandments are recalled. Once again, the people are exhorted to heed God’s commandments. (5:1–30)
• Moses speaks the words of the Sh’ma, the credo of Judaism, and commands Israel to show their love for Adonai and keep God’s laws and ordinances. (6:1–25)
• Moses warns the people not to commit idolatry by worshiping the gods of the nations they will conquer in Israel. (7:1–11)

For more information on this Torah portion go to: 

https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/va-etchanan

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