Halachic, Philosophical, and Educational Approaches to Social Justice

Rav Yaakov Margalit – Continuing Education Department,
Orot Israel College, Rechovot Campus

Every year, Orot Israel College organizes assorted conferences devoted to the intersection of Torah, private and public life, and the educational system.

In Tishrei, Orot held one such symposium at our Rechovot campus, entitled “Halachic, Philosophical, and Educational Approaches to Social Justice.”

The first speaker was Rav Yaakov Ariel shlit”a, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan, who described the ideal State of Israel, which must be based on the values of justice and tzedakah (charity). He explained that he was not referring to tzedakah as a voluntary matter but rather as a public responsibility. Indeed, this form of tzedakah was practiced in Jewish communities throughout the generations and has clear manifestations in Jewish law - including the matanot kehunah (the tithes and other gifts given to the kohanim), the matanot aniyim (the various gifts given to the poor), the communal tzedakah funds, and more.

Rav Ariel encouraged the audience to join the social protests and insisted that they need not be concerned about the foreign motives which may perhaps be behind some of the protests. Furthermore, he declared that we must allow our well-defined, ideological, and Torah-based voices to be heard and that we must demonstrate a willingness to improve society and not merely make demands on the State.

After Rav Ariel completed his talk, Rav Shlomo Ishon shlit”a, head of the Keter Institute for Economy According to Torah, discussed the State’s social justice obligations, such as regulating the prices of essential goods, combatting profiteering, and so on. Rav Ishon contrasted the poverty line, as defined by the Western world and Israel’s bituach leumi (literally, national insurance – i.e. social security), with the Jewish alternative, which requires society to ensure that every person’s basic needs are met in a dignified and respectful manner.

Professor Rav Neriah Gutel, President of Orot Israel College, delivered the next lecture. He observed that the Torah deliberately refrained from establishing a categorical social-economic doctrine, because according to the Torah, social-economic policies must conform to each generation’s specific circumstances, location, and era. Yet, at the same time, Jewish law delineates a value system which must serve as the foundation for society’s social-economic principles. Halachah endorses neither predatory capitalism nor radical Marxist collectivism. Instead, the Torah advocates a measured, moderate approach, which accounts for a particular generation’s needs and concerns.

Finally, Rav Yaakov Margalit, the conference’s organizer, focused on the protests’ educational aspects. Are there any red lines which cannot be crossed? If so, what are they? Is the demand for social justice based on a sense that individual people are being mistreated, or does the protest stem from a feeling of social responsibility? How does this impact the type of protest involved? Must those who head the protests serve as role models?

In conclusion, the conference goers walked away with much food for thought, and all agreed that they are looking forward to our next conference, which is scheduled to take place during the month of Nissan.