{"id":296417,"date":"2025-06-02T12:01:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T11:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=296417"},"modified":"2025-06-02T11:05:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:05:45","slug":"a-talmudic-prescription-for-collective-safety-and-tikkun-olam-repairing-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/06\/a-talmudic-prescription-for-collective-safety-and-tikkun-olam-repairing-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"A Talmudic Prescription for Collective Safety and Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)"},"content":{"rendered":"

28 May 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0In the face of Israel\u2019s infliction of unimaginable suffering and genocide upon Palestinians, I have been pondering a Talmudic text as I struggle daily with the daunting challenge of my responsibilities as a Jew and as a clinical and political psychologist.<\/p>\n

Since I am hyperconscious of the sensitivities, conflicting perspectives and hostility among Jews across religious and political spectra, I strive to find openings for respectful dialogue. I thought this Talmudic teaching might be a way to provide insight, religious legitimacy and urgency for challenging the violent actions of the Israeli government (including its collusion with the US government.)<\/p>\n

This quote<\/a> is from a text by four third century Talmudic sages \u2013 Rabbis Rav, Chanina, Yochanan, and Chaviva:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever is able to protest against the actions of their family and does not do so, is held responsible for, is punishable for the actions of their family. Whoever is able to protest against the actions of the people of their town and does not do so is held responsible for the actions of their town. Whoever is able to protest against the actions of the whole world and does not do so is held responsible for the actions of the whole world.\u201d <\/strong>Babylonian Talmud Shabbat<\/em> 54b<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am not a Talmudic scholar. I do not study Talmud but occasionally use quotes that reveal profound psychological truths and wisdom related to real world consequences. It exemplifies Tikkun Olam<\/a>, a central Jewish principle calling us to repair the world.<\/p>\n

Since some elements of common English translations did not feel right to me, I was curious about what the ancient sages actually meant. I will dig deeper into these points that felt problematic.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 The implication that <\/strong>protest <\/strong><\/em>itself would be protective<\/strong>.<\/em> Did the sages mean going to marches and holding signs? Writing Substacks? Is that what these wise rabbis believed would prevent us from being punished?<\/p>\n

\u00b7 The idea of being <\/strong>punished<\/strong><\/em> for the actions of one\u2019s group did not feel exactly right.<\/p>\n

Jews and others have protested the Israeli military occupation of Palestinians for decades.<\/p>\n

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Here I am in 1990 standing on a corner in Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon with Women in Black. They organized weekly vigils before Shabbat in major cities in Israel to protest a the occupation, holding up signs in various languages with the common slogan “Enough of the Occupation!”<\/strong> or “End the Occupation!” <\/strong>The word for \u201coccupation\u201d in Hebrew \u05db\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e9 also means \u201cconquest.\u201d<\/p>\n

These protests didn\u2019t stop people from being punished. In fact, many taken hostage or killed on October 7 were peace activists who worked against the occupation. Vivian Silve<\/a>r, 74, who was killed on October 7, was a peace leader who even drove sick Palestinians from Gaza to Israeli hospitals.<\/p>\n

Since October, 2023, continuous protests all over the world for a ceasefire and hostage deal have not saved one Palestinian life. Nor have they protected members of the perpetrators\u2019 people from punishment.<\/p>\n

On October 27, 2023, Jewish protesters filled the New York City’s Grand Central Station to demand an immediate Gaza cease-fire. 200 were arrested.(Photo: Jewish Voice for Peace\/X)<\/p>\n

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‘Never Again for Anyone’: Jewish Protesters Demanding Gaza Cease-Fire Arrested in Grand Central Station<\/a>, <\/strong>October 27, 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Jewish-led peace protesters take over the Grand Concourse in New York City’s Grand Central Station on October 27, 2023 to demand an immediate Gaza cease-fire.(Photo: Jewish Voice for Peace\/X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

2003 Gulf War Protests<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2003, 15 million people protesting around the world did not prevent the US led invasion of Iraq which killed, traumatized and displaced millions, triggering cataclysmic global consequences which reverberate to this day. The world said \u201cNo to war\u201d but the US Military Industrial Complex, or what former CIA analyst Ray McGovern calls the Military Industrial Congressional Intelligence Media Academia Think Tank Complex (MICIMATT), said \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Found in Translation \u2013 a Psychologically Sound Prescription for Collective Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assuming that Talmudic wisdom is reached through the intense deliberations of scholars, I decided to look up the original Hebrew to grasp<\/em> their intended meaning. The nuanced meanings embedded in the precise language blew my mind.<\/p>\n

Here is the Hebrew.<\/p>\n

\u05db\u05dc \u05de\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d0\u05e4\u05e9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05de\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05dc\u05d0\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d5\u05dc\u05d0 \u05de\u05d9\u05d7\u05d4 – \u05e0\u05ea\u05e4\u05e1 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d0\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5, \u05d1\u05d0\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9 \u05e2\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5 – \u05e0\u05ea\u05e4\u05e1 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d0\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05e2\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5, \u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5 – \u05e0\u05ea\u05e4\u05e1 \u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here is my attempt at precise translation, including variations of definitions. I put changed translations in italics<\/em>. I welcome your ideas and insights in the comments.<\/p>\n

Like the treatment of a chorus when printing song lyrics, the \u201dEveryone\u201d opening phrase of the first sentence is not repeated in the second and third paragraphs in the original. They are included here for clarity.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>Every<\/strong><\/em>one who <\/strong>has the possibility<\/strong><\/em> to <\/strong>oppose and work against<\/strong><\/em> (the actions) of the people in his household and does not <\/strong>eliminate<\/strong><\/em> them<\/strong>, is implicated in, is participating in, is complicit in, is perceived as being responsible for and is subject to consequences provoked by the actions of<\/strong><\/em> the people in his household.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Every<\/em>one who has the possibility<\/em> to oppose and work against<\/em> (the actions) of the people in his) <\/strong>city, and does noteliminate <\/em>them, is implicated in, is participating in, is complicit in, is perceived as being responsible<\/strong><\/em> for<\/strong> and is subject to consequences provoked by the actions<\/strong><\/em> the people in his city.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Every<\/em>one who has the possibility<\/em> to oppose and work against<\/em> (the actions) of<\/strong> the world in its entirety, <\/strong>and does not eliminate <\/em>them, is implicated in, is participating in, is complicit in, is perceived as being responsible, and is subject to consequences provoked by the<\/strong><\/em> actions<\/strong><\/em> of the entire world.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

TO CONTINUE READING Go to Original – coronawise.substack.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

28 May 2025\u00a0–\u00a0In the face of Israel\u2019s infliction of unimaginable suffering and genocide upon Palestinians, I have been pondering a Talmudic text as I struggle daily with the daunting challenge of my responsibilities as a Jew and as a clinical and political psychologist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":199640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[87,865,88,427],"class_list":["post-296417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-israel","tag-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":296419,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296417\/revisions\/296419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}