{"id":86373,"date":"2021-01-10T17:26:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-10T15:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=86373"},"modified":"2021-01-10T17:26:28","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T15:26:28","slug":"where-we-lead-god-can-follow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/where-we-lead-god-can-follow\/","title":{"rendered":"Where We Lead, God Can Follow"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"86373","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":62571,"related_cahpter":"652","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Setting an example of truth and peace\r\n\r\n","content":"

At the beginning of Psalm 85, in v. 2-5, the author imagines a future positive relationship between God and the Jewish people. V. 6-10 and 13-4 constitute encouragements for God to eventually resume caring for His constituency by word and deed. However, the key to such a process successfully taking place described in v. 11-2, appears to be \u201coxymoronic,\u201d and therefore, difficult to understand:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Chesed<\/span> (<\/span>kindness<\/span>) and <\/span>Emet<\/span> (<\/span>truth<\/span><\/em>) meet; <\/span>Tzedek<\/span> (<\/span>justice<\/span><\/em>)<\/em> and <\/span>Shalom<\/span> (<\/span>peace<\/span><\/em>) kiss. Truth springs up from the earth; justice looks down from heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTruth\u201d originating from the earth below, and \u201cjustice,\u201d stemming from heaven above, when considered logically, are unlikely to meet \u201ckindness\u201d and \u201cpeace,\u201d let alone kiss and embrace them. Each set of criteria stems from antithetical emotional realms, i.e., \u201ctruth\/justice\u201d being typically associated with the Divine attribute of \u201cJudgment,\u201d while \u201ckindness\/peace\u201d is assumed to result from God\u2019s \u201cMercy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The psalmist is contending that God, by holistically combining the attributes of justice and compassion, could then brush aside human shortcomings, and relate to humanity constructively. But, in light of the difficulty entailed, isn\u2019t it presumptuous for us to suggest that He do so, particularly when we stand to benefit so substantially from such an approach?<\/span><\/p>\n

Although typically, it is the human who is meant to emulate God (see Sotah 14a) it is possible that the opposite can occur, as well. One example where the codified law reflects people setting the tone, and God duly following, is repentance.\u00a0 Rabbi Moshe Isserlis, (Shulchan Aruch, Orech Chayim 606:1), writes: \u201cOne who forgives, should not be cruel when forgiving.\u201d Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, known as \u201cChafetz Chaim,\u201d (Mishna Berura\u201d #8) explains that Isserlis is in keeping with the Talmudic passage: (Rosh HaShana 17a) \u201cRava said: With regard to whoever forgoes his reckonings with others for injustices done to him, the heavenly court in turn forgoes punishment for all his sins\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, the heavenly Judge can follow the lead of this-worldly judges with respect to the qualities of judgment and mercy. Regarding whether a human magistrate ought to suggest to litigants to reach an out-of-court settlement rather than allowing their legal dispute to go to trial, one view in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 6b) asserts:<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korc\u1e25a says: It is a <\/span>mitzva <\/span>(<\/span>a positive commandment<\/span><\/em>)<\/em> to mediate a dispute, as it is stated: (Zechariah 8:16) \u201cExecute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.\u201d Is it not that in the place where there is strict judgment, there is no true peace, and in a place where there is true peace, there is no strict judgment? Rather, which is the judgment that has peace within it? You must say: This is mediation (or compromise), as both sides (<\/span>those who would have won outright, as well as those who would have been declared wholly guilty<\/span><\/i>) are satisfied with the result\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Shouldn\u2019t praying that God unduly extend Himself, be legitimized by our demonstrating that we can firstly do the same?<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":86375,"id":86375,"title":"ps85-chesed emet","filename":"ps85-chesed-emet.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ps85-chesed-emet.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/where-we-lead-god-can-follow\/ps85-chesed-emet\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps85-chesed-emet","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":86373,"date":"2021-01-10 15:26:18","modified":"2021-01-10 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