Exodus 23:4 – 9 “If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it. You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits. Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
The “enemy” referred to here is a personal one, not the enemy of one’s nation. At a time when animals were routinely abused, God commanded His people to show compassion to animals also.
Abraham Isaac Kook, among the greatest rabbinic figures of the twentieth century, was often unfairly attacked by the Neturei Karta, a small ultra – Orthodox anti- Zionist group. On one occasion, the daughter of a Neturei Karta leader, a man who made some of the most extremes attacks on Rabbi Kook, fell ill with a serious and rare disease. This man learned that a doctor in another country was perhaps the only person who could treat her. However, there was little chance the exceptionally busy physician would have time to see and treat the daughter; and, in any case, his fees were far beyond anything the father could pay.
But the father learned the doctor was a great admirer of Rabbi Kook; If the rabbi asked the doctor to treat the girl, he would likely do so. The Neturei Karta leader was in a quandary. How could he, who hated and publicly attacked Rabbi Kook, now ask Kook to intervene? In desperation, the man sought out Rabbi Aryeh Levine, a well -known friend of Rabbi Kook, and asked him to speak to the rabbi. Rabbi Levine did so, and Rabbi Kook responded, “Of course I am prepared to give the man a letter to the doctor. What does this have to do with the difference of opinion between the girl’s father and me?” Kook went on to write a highly favorable letter for the father and even arranged a deeply discounted passage on a shipping line so that the father and daughter to travel to see the doctor.
v. 6 “You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.” God is a God of justice. Having already warned us against favoring the poor in lawsuits when we should not, God now warns against using the courts to victimize the poor. The purpose of courtroom justice is to find out which party is legally right and who is legally wrong.
v. 7 “Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.” Prager points out, ”The Torah, preoccupied with justice as the foundation of a decent society, knows only too well corrupt judges destroy societies. Prager then points out that “First, God would prefer we spare a wrongdoer than sentence an innocent person to death. Second, God explains why: because He will ultimately punish the evildoers whom we fail to punish.”
v. 8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.” Bribery is common throughout the world, and its results are horrible. Giving someone money, goods, or favors to manipulate them undermines society. A society where justice is meaningless and anything can be bought for a price will shortly find itself falling apart. Prager observes, “Nothing explains the success or failure of countries more than does the presence or absence of corruption….To most people, corruption sounds bad, but most people do not recognize how devastating it actually is. The Torah does.”
v. 9 “Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.” Repeatedly, God reminds the Israelites of how they suffered in Egypt because they were foreigners. God wants to make sure that His people will recognize the humanity of others and that all humans are equal. The Israelites were to be kind to the foreigners who were settled in their midst and not to oppress them.
APPLICATION: Very few of us may have seen many donkeys recently, but all of us live in neighborhoods with neighbors who can get on our last nerve! And many of us can name fellow workers who seem to delight in undermining us or taking credit for our work. The question is this: will we respond as did Rabbi Kook? The end of the story with Rabbi Kook was that while his critic still held different beliefs, he respected Rabbi Kook.
A few years ago the American court system was generally noted for its high standards. Today, things appear to be changing. Bribery and intimidation are affecting all levels of government.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are a God of justice. Lord, help us to follow hard after you and to refuse to offer or accept bribes. Help us to faithfully follow your teachings. We pray for the end of corruption throughout the world. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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