7 August 2010 | 27 Av 5770

Prepared by Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal & Dr. Dorothy Rosenthal (Aka: Nana)

Have you ever seen a television report about a crime where the news agency interviews the family or friends of the suspected criminal? When trying to make rhyme or reason of their loved ones behavior, they often say something like, “He/She is really a good person.” A good person? Really? Convicted for triple homicide? A good person? Really? We know what is happening in these interviews. The family is in shock, possibly embarrassed, maybe even feeling guilty that they didn’t or couldn’t do anything to stop somebody so close to them from perpetrating such an unspeakable act. After hearing their testimonial, it makes you wonder… What causes somebody who others viewed as “a good person” to act out in such a despicable way? Was the family duped all these years thinking that their loved one was a good person when in reality they were just plain evil? Are we preordained to be either good or evil? Should we look at our fellow men and women with caution, waiting for them to act out their true nature? This week’s parsha explores these very questions.

See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: Blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced.   (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)  

On the surface, it seems like a straightforward choice – Do or don’t; blessing for those who do and curse for those who don’t. However, there is more too it. Other religious traditions might speak about human beings being born with some evil inclination that has permeated their soul. For these traditions, religious conviction is a way to struggle against this stained human condition. Jews have often espoused a different view, insisting that all people are born with a clean slate and it is our choices in life that determine the tenor of our being. The Torah offers a more nuanced view of this commonly held Jewish belief.

Deuteronomy Chapter 11 Verses 27 & 28 appear to be written as conditional clauses that are exactly opposite of each other – “Blessing, if you obey… (vs. 27); and curse, if you do not obey…” (vs. 28). Rashi, the great French Medieval Torah commentator points out a discrepancy between a word used in verse 27 from a word used in verse 28. Although in English, both sentences begin with “if”, and are thereby known as conditional sentences; however, the Torah doesn’t use the same word to begin each sentence. “Blessing, if (asher) you obey… (vs. 27); and curse, if (eim) you do not obey (vs. 28).” In his comment, Rashi translates the word asher not as “if” but as “on account that” reading verse 27 as

On account that you will obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin upon you this day… (Deuteronomy 11:27 according to Rashi).

The Seftai Chakhamim, a collection of rabbinic writings, helps us understand that Rashi is pointing out more than just a difference in translation. For Rashi, the human soul leans towards to side of good and blessing. Therefore, our Torah writes verse 27 with the word, Asher - on account that - because for our Torah, it is assumed that our inclination is to obey God’s commandments. Difficulty arises when we choose to live in conflict with the natural leanings of our soul. Where as it is assumed that each person is going to follow the commandments – “On account that you will obey the commandments”, the converse is not assumed and is therefore marked by the conditional clause – “If (eim) you do not obey the commandments …” For our Torah, a human being is not born with a clean slate, instead he or she is born with a propensity for a life of blessedness. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always end up that way.

So if people aren’t born with a clean slate, is their assent towards a life of blessing or their descent towards a cursed life a product of the many choices they make? The Seftai Chakhamim have something to say about that as well. They remind us of an idea found in the Talmud tractate Brachot 32b that proclaims, “Everything is in the hands of heaven except a person’s fear of heaven.” For the Talmud, the quality of a person’s life is not simply made up of their choices but also from their overall attitude towards life itself. For the person convicted of triple murder, their problem wasn’t that they were born with an evil soul. For Rashi, the Seftai Chakhamim and the Talmud, the problem began when they first believed that they were above it all and forgot that the same heaven that hovers above our heads hovers above theirs. In the same way that ones attitude can lead a person to a cursed life, may we all remember that a life of blessing can also be achieved with a shift in perspective.

Concluding thought by Dr. Dorothy Rosenthal:

Our prisons are filled with individuals who need that shift in perspective in order to re-enter society and not continue to destroy themselves and others. While homicides are the most obvious category of destructive behavior, people like Bernie Maddoff who believe they are above God’s and man’s laws, can be even more destructive than those who commit one act of murder. Unfortunately, our current prison system is overfilled, and understaffed. Most certainly, there are few programs that are by any measure successful in rehabilitating their inmates; most of whom will return many times before they finally destroy themselves.

Is this an unsolvable problem? As our medical professionals will tell you, prevention is the most effective way of combating diseases. So, too, crime can be prevented if we recognize when the symptoms start. Most often, the home is the source, either by example or neglect. We can start with our own children, enhancing their perspective of whom they are, enhance their self worth, and reinforce the importance of retaining a connection with their religion and its roots, namely the Torah.

Think about our teenagers who struggling for their own identity and are therefore difficult to “control”, many parents turn them loose out of frustration or lack of their own emotional strength. Some teens make the right choices while others who lack a protective and nurturing peer group join gangs and begin their vortex into self-destructive behavior. If this can happen in affluent families, consider those teens that are being raised by one parent who works two jobs, or who are being cared for by grandparents too old and tired to deal with raging hormones and erupting anger.

This is an opportunity for prevention. For those of you who no longer have your own teenagers to manage consider volunteer work with underprivileged teens in our community, which can be that ounce of prevention. The rewards that you will reap from changing one teen’s perspective will assure a special place for you when your account is up for review.

Shabbat Shalom.  

For a volunteer opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life, consider joining the PAL Big Brother/Big Sister program at JF&CS. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 770.677.9390 for more details.