Dear TBZ Community,
As I opened my Chumash (Five Book of Moses) to prepare for this week’s Shabbat, I looked at the portion our triennial torah-reading cycle brings us to: the third section of Parshat Kedoshim, beginning with Leviticus 19:15:
לֹא־תַעֲשׂוּ עָוֶל בַּמִּשְׁפָּט לֹא־תִשָּׂא פְנֵי־דָל וְלֹא תֶהְדַּר פְּנֵי גָדוֹל בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ
You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kin fairly.
It’s a striking place to begin. A single verse that articulates a full moral vision: justice must be impartial, rooted in fairness, not distorted by sympathy or influence. So simple, so powerful, so far from what we witness in our society today.
Rabbeinu Bahya ben Asher, in his commentary on this verse, deepens the weight of this obligation. He explains:
“The verse speaks about the fairness to be applied in the judicial process. Justice must not be perverted. He who applies fair rules thereby strengthens the throne of the Almighty… if someone perverts the judicial system he thereby undermines God’s throne. This is a demeaning of God’s glory.”
In Rabbeinu Bahya’s words, justice is not just a civic or interpersonal matter, it becomes Divine. To live justly is to uphold the very foundation of God’s presence in the world. To pervert justice is to weaken God’s throne.
As the Torah commands:
צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה וְיָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ
Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you (Deuteronomy 16:20).
Justice is not optional: it is the foundation for thriving, for belonging, for holiness.
And holiness is precisely the larger frame of Parashat Kedoshim, this week’s Torah portion.
קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
You shall be holy, for I, Aodnai your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2).
The Torah tells us clearly that holiness is not abstract. It is not about withdrawal from the world or spiritual elevation in solitude. Kedoshim grounds holiness in everyday ethics and relationships.
The verses that follow spell out what holiness looks like in daily life:
לֹא תִּגְנֹבוּ וְלֹא־תְכַחֲשׁוּ וְלֹא־תְשַׁקְּרוּ אִישׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֹ
You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another.
לֹא־תַעֲשֹׁק אֶת־רֵעֲךָ וְלֹא תִגְזֹל לֹא־תָלִין פְּעֻלַּת שָׂכִיר אִתְּךָ עַד־בֹּקֶר
You shall not defraud your fellow; you shall not commit robbery. The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning.
לֹא־תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל־דַּם רֵעֶךָ אֲנִי ה’
Do not go about as a talebearer among your people. Do not stand idly by the blood of your fellow: I am the Adonai.
לֹא־תִשְׂנָא אֶת־אָחִיךָ בִּלְבָבֶךָ הוֹכֵחַ תּוֹכִיחַ אֶת־עֲמִיתֶךָ וְלֹא־תִשָּׂא עָלָיו חֵטְא
You shall not hate your sibling in your heart. Reprove your fellow but incur no guilt because of them.
לֹא־תִקֹּם וְלֹא־תִטֹּר אֶת־בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ אֲנִי יְהֹוָה
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your people. Love your fellow as yourself: I am Adonai.
Each of these mitzvot (commandments) calls us to a life of justice, fairness, and human dignity. Holiness is not just about being close to God, it is about being close to one another in compassion, fairness, and care.
These teachings feel more urgent than ever.
We are living in a time when the basic values of fairness, compassion, and justice are often ignored, sometimes even mocked, by those in power. Governments and leaders across the world, especially our own, are failing in their most sacred responsibility: to protect the vulnerable, to seek justice, and to uphold human dignity.
When the poor are neglected, when truth is distorted, when human suffering is dismissed as collateral damage… this is not just a political crisis. It is a spiritual crisis. This is a crisis of our humanity, our own humanity.
The Torah warns us not to favor the poor or the rich in judgment. But we are living in a moment when the systems that govern us consistently favor power over principle, and privilege over people. And that is the very distortion the Torah commands us to resist.
In such times, our tradition becomes our anchor.
We return, week after week, to these ancient words. Not to escape the world, but to re-enter it with clarity and strength. Torah gives us the blueprint. Our tradition gives us the courage. And our community gives us the support to live it out.
May this Shabbat bring us peace, strength, and clarity, as we find the courage to forgive, to heal, and to move forward (together!), knowing we do not walk this journey alone, and that God’s presence lives within each of us.
May God grant blessings and comfort to all of us and our loved ones.
May we discover strength, courage, and patience.
May our hearts remain open to generosity.
May those who are ill find healing.
May all remaining hostages return home soon.
May peace prevail, and may our leaders prioritize life.
May those working for peace be granted the strength and courage to continue their sacred work.
And may we soon witness peace and dignity for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Claudia