Published: 27 August 2025
Last updated: 28 August 2025
Jewish tradition contains powerful and contradictory messages about our responsibility to our own community and way of life versus our responsibility to others.
We encounter this tension in the final book of the Torah, Devarim (Deuteronomy) which we read now as we approach the end of the Jewish year. It is Moses’ farewell address to the Israelites, a recounting of their history and moral instruction for their future. It is a book of strict law and harsh tribalism and yet embraces justice and is, to quote Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “saturated with the language of love”.
Devarim emphasises national destiny and a militant ethos which echoes in current events. Israel is promised that in conquering the land of Canaan “You shall be blessed above all other peoples” and (God) will deliver their kings into your hand, and you shall obliterate their name from under the heavens; no one shall stand up to you, until you have wiped them out.”
However, Devarim is also a book of mercy and love. The Torah teaches “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. Rabbi Sacks wrote that it is easy to love a neighbour who is usually quite like yourself. “What is hard is to love the stranger, one whose colour, culture or creed is different from yours. That is why the command, “Love the stranger because you were once strangers”, resonates so often throughout the Bible.”
We read that God “…upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing. You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” This is a vision of Jewish life embracing compassion and social justice and again, echoes current events and the needs of those ravaged by war in Gaza.
Comments4
Gregg Eisenberg7 September at 06:20 am
This war has shown that Israel is largely encircled — both militarily and politically — still. To believe this won’t continue well into the future is to believe in a prayer. The road ahead is going to be very difficult. We’re allowed to fight back. And we’re allowed to make mistakes.
Brian Meltzer1 September at 12:00 pm
A beautifully crafted account of the historic tensions between looking inwards to community versus outwards to humanity that have confronted Jews for three thousand years. Andrew superbly ended the discussion with the perfect quote from Debbie Masel. But does this mean we need to accept the eternal conundrum and never find peace?
Justin28 August at 08:52 pm
Thanks Andrew
Jeff Szer28 August at 11:47 am
Andrew Wirth is a wise man with great compassion and deep insights into many things. This carefully written article is excellent but I have some concerns that we “good Jews” may be starting to believe the Hamas retoric about the evils perpetrated by Israel. I prefer to believe that the intentions of Israel are better than most other nations would have, but that actions by individuals are doubtless sometimes suspect. Nevertheless, our place in the world has been deeply affected. That it should be so as a result of acts of violence committed against our people, is more than ironic. It is further evidence of the calculated evil we face.