Sources from essay by Rabbi Andrea C. London in The Social Justice Torah Commentary
(יז) לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָ֖͏ֽח...
(17) You shall not murder...
Thousands of years later, we have yet to heed this admonition. In the United States alone, nearly forty thousand people are killed annually by guns. Of this number, more than thirteen thousand are considered homicides. Americans are twenty-five times more likely to be killed by gun homicide than residents of other high-income countries. The death of even a single person is tragic and unacceptable. The Talmud teaches...
-Rabbi Andrea C. London
Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
Jewish tradition does not forbid taking another life in self-defense; we are allowed to protect ourselves. In fact, it's important to note that the Torah forbids not killing, but murder--the sixth commandment is lo tirtzach, "you shall not murder," rather than lo taharog, "you shall not kill."
-Rabbi Andrea C. London
והתורה אמרה אם בא להורגך השכם להורגו
And the Torah stated a principle: If someone comes to kill you, rise and kill them first.
In Va-et'chanan, Moses reminds the Israelites numerous times to remember the covenant, observe the laws and rules that God has given them, and uphold the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 3:5; 4:13, 23, 6:1, 17-18). The covenant is not just for our ancestors but for all subsequent generations, including our own (Deuteronomy
5:3). Besides the Ten Commandments and a repeated injunction against idolatry, the specific laws to follow are not enumerated in the parashah, but it seems clear that Moses is reminding us to adhere to all the precepts of Torah–including those that guide our interactions with other human beings.
Torah instructs us to create a just society and admonishes us to care for the vulnerable (Exodus 22:21-22). While the Torah makes specific mention of society's responsibility to protect the widow and the orphan, later commentators argue that the widow and orphan are stand-ins for the disadvantaged in society.
-Rabbi Andrea C. London
(21) You [communal leaders] shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. (22) If you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me,
(1) כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון You [communal leaders] shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. — That is also the law regarding any person, but Scripture is speaking of what usually happens and therefore mentions these in particular, for they are feeble in defensive power (i. e. they have no one to protect them) and it is a frequent occurrence for people to afflict them (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 22:21).
Woe to you, state leaders, if the state as well ill-treats them and makes them feel the pain of having lost their defenders and supporters. Woe to the state whose widows and orphans suffer among the people, where even the official public representatives do not stand up for them and uphold their rights. ... Woe to you if their only resort is to cry out to Me; for I will surely hear their cry; I will make the state and the society pay dearly for it, if their weakest members must appeal to Me to find justice.
-Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Exodus 22:23
Hirsch's rebuke warns us of the misfortunes we will suffer if we don't care for the most vulnerable members of our society and strive for justice. Regulating guns is only part of the solution to curbing gun violence; making sure that all communities have the appropriate resources is also critical to making our society safer...
We must adopt a two-pronged approach to decrease the death and injuries caused by guns in our society. One is a public health model that seeks to decrease violence by regulating gun ownership and safety. Regulations on cars and driving such as seat belt use, air bags, and stricter penalties for drunk driving made our roads safer.
Similarly, ensuring that guns don't fall into the hands of those who are likely to harm themselves or others and making guns safer--by putting locks on them, making them usable only by their owner, and limiting access and providing support to individuals in crisis--would help to decrease gun-related injuries. But this is not sufficient. We also must work on the underlying issues–including poverty, addiction, and racism–that increase the likelihood of violence and that gun possession makes more lethal. Parashat Va-et'chanan implores us not to murder and to observe God's laws and commandments that it may go well with us and our children (Deuteronomy 4:40). It's incumbent upon us to pursue these paths to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries and to make our society safer.
-Rabbi Andrea C. London
Discussion Questions by Ariel Tovlev
What is the difference between lo tirtzach (do not murder) and lo taharog (do not kill)? What are some examples Rabbi London gives? Can you think of other examples?
Rabbi London addresses lo tirtzach as it applies to those most vulnerable to vio- lence and death. She notes that the Torah instructs us to care for the widow and the orphan because they are the most disadvantaged by society, and therefore the most vulnerable. Who would be the metaphorical widows and the orphans in our world today?
Rabbi London suggests two approaches to fighting the issue of gun violence in America: regulating guns and addressing the underlying issues of poverty, addiction, and racism. What do you think of these approaches? Are there other approaches to add? What actions can we take to fight against gun violence?