Shoftim - 5775 (And the NAACP Journey for Justice)

Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9

Our parasha begins with the commandment to establish shoftim u'shotrim (judges and officials) throughout the land. At first glance, the context for this seems a bit odd, because it follows directly after an extended section on how to observe and celebrate the Jewish holidays. The Gur Hassidic Torah Commentary, Likutei Yehudah, provides a compelling answer: tzedakah is a necessary part of every holy observance. Tzedakah simultaneously means charity, righteousness and justice. The lesson is clear - service to God cannot be authentic without righteous behavior and the establishment of justice in the land. When we oppress each other, we cut ourselves off from God - and when we see injustice and do nothing we are perpetuating the injustice ourselves.

Next week I will participate in the NAACP Journey for Justice for a day with my daughter, near Columbia South Carolina. The Journey for Justice is a 40-day 860-mile march from Selma, Alabama to Washington DC, to raise awareness about and protest against a whole series of racial injustices that persist across our nation. I am humbled by the opportunity to participate, and in this month of self-reflection, I am asking myself the extent to which I have allowed myself not only to be an innocent bystander, but also to have benefited from white privilege.

The march for me was about undoing laws and policies that create or enshrine racial injustice. As the day of my departure approaches, I begin to understand that it must also be about our attitudes and emotions concerning race; about our assumptions and our fears, and also the values we aspire to embrace. Walking for a day is important to me, but by itself, it will never be enough.