This week’s Torah portion is quite a mishmash of seemingly random laws. Some are very difficult for modern readers to accept as part of our tradition. They reflect a time when slavery was commonly practiced, when capital punishment for a disobedient child or an adulterous wife was acceptable, when strict gender roles were enforced, and when flogging was an acceptable punishment for crimes.
But also among these laws are laws concerning justice for the poor, the widow, the laborer. Compassion toward animals, justice in business dealings, and laws against usury are also included.
While we cannot condone much of what was considered acceptable 3,000 years ago, we should acknowledge that many of these laws were intended to bring a measure of mercy and compassion to what we today see as abhorrent practices. Slaves were mandated to be treated with humanity, captive women were to be treated with justice, punishments, though harsh, were limited in how and when they could be applied. The values of justice, mercy, and compassion for every level of society was revolutionary for its time. While today we reject many of these ancient practices, the higher values live on forever.
-Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
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