Shoftim: Always Wanted[i]
In 2013 I heard an interview on National Public Radio with a man named Mike Williams. Mr. Williams was the inventor of the first intraoral camera, a small camera dentists use to get a better view inside a patient’s mouth. He sold his company and made a lot of money. He then made a few bad money management decisions, and subsequently lost all his money. He ended up homeless on the streets of Sacramento. There was one part of that interview that struck me. He describes the awful experience being on the streets and tells the interviewer, “I found out that I was really nothing, and that was very hard for me to grasp, the fact that nobody wanted me around… That I was something nobody wanted to see or could – even be involved in. And that crushed me.”[ii]
I realized then how lucky I am to be part of my Jewish community. There are a plethora of Jewish people and Jewish organizations that are missionized to ensure that a Jew knows he is valued. His brethren will help him. A Jew can be assured that there are many people that value him merely because he is a Jew.
At the end of Parshas Shoftim we are introduced to the law of Egla Arufa- where a Jewish man is found murdered between two cities. The Torah instructs the elders of the closer city, the wise Torah scholars, to proclaim at the scene of the murder, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see [this crime].” The Mishna (Sota 9:6) poses the obvious question, why must the elders profess their innocence? Why would we ever think they are guilty of this brutal act? The Mishna explains that although they did not physically murder the man, they may still be responsible. They must profess that as the leadership of their town they did not allow this wayfarer to leave their city unfed, nor did they allow this man to leave their city without being escorted out, levaya.
R’ Yom Tov Lipmann Heller (1579 – 1654) known by the name of his commentary on the Mishna, Tosfos Yom Tov explains how the elders could be responsible for his murder because they did not feed him. A hungry man can be driven to crime, which may cause him to be killed. Or a hungry man is weak; if he was well-fed, perhaps he could have defended himself from his assailants. Professing that their city escorted him out is more difficult to explain. Why would neglecting to escort the man out implicate the elders in his murder? The Tosfos Yom Tov teaches, when we escort someone out, we show that we care. When we part ways with someone we love, we linger. If the wayfarer was not escorted out of the city, his murderer might see him alone and reckon that his victim is a lonely man, without loved ones. He is an easy target, no one would notice or care if he was killed.
The leaders of the city, the elders, must not only care for the physical needs of every wanderer that enters, they are also obligated to make it abundantly clear that the wandering man is loved, and although he is a poor stranger, he is a part of the community. The mitzva of levaya still applies[iii]. I’d argue that the message behind levaya resonates even stronger. We are all obligated to ensure that every Jew we encounter is shown the proper dignity and respect; our communities are responsible to make it abundantly clear that no Jew is unwanted and cast aside.
[i] Inspired by a talk given by R’ Daniel Kalish Shlita
[ii] https://www.npr.org/transcripts/170407141
[iii] Sefer Ahavas Chesed (3:2)
