Re: [asa] a thought for earth day (tomorrow)

At 01:03 PM 4/21/2007, Rich Blinne wrote:

".. Psalm 82: "How long will you [plural]
defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? .." ~ Rich B.

@ Likewise, "How long will you [plural] defend
the unjust who pervert justice by showing
partiality to the poor?" ( Leviticus 19:15 )

"For there is no respect of persons with God,"
(Rom. 2: 11; Acts 10:34; Deu 1:17; Deu 16:19; 2Ch 19:7; etc.)

"'You shall not favor the poor' means that you
should not say that a wealthy man is obligated to
help the poor, therefore it is proper for a judge
to rule in favor of the poor litigant. Torah
insists that justice be rendered honestly; as
important as charity is, it must not interfere
with justice." ~ Rabbi SchlomoYitzhaki (Rashi) (11th Century sage)

"Psalm 82 is a helpful correction to the notion
that is all about us rugged individualists, the
mighty "gods" of the Developed World." ~ Rich B.

"Jewish tradition goes on to clarify the apparent
contradiction between numerous Biblical
injunctions to act compassionately to the poor,
to the widow and the orphan, and this unequivocal
insistence on avoiding favoritism. The essential
point is that it's the individual that's
primarily commanded to display compassion and
give charity, while the government, particularly
in its judicial aspect, must judge actions, not persons.

Favoring the poor, like favoring the rich, brings
unequal treatment based on status, not actions.
Justice requires rewarding good behavior, no
matter its source, and discouraging and punishing
bad actions, no matter who performs them.

The profound significance of Leviticus 19:15
becomes apparent with the other hugely important
commands that follow it almost immediately. The
next verse states: "You shall not be a
gossipmonger among your people, and you shall not
stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed- I
am The Lord." Then one verse later comes perhaps
the most famous statement of all the Hebrew
Scriptures (Leviticus 19:16): "You shall not take
revenge and you shall not bear a grudge against
the members of your people; you shall love your
neighbor as yourself – I am the Lord."

Leftists should take note: "loving your neighbor"
doesn't involve protecting him against the __just
consequences__ of his own mistakes, or giving him
special dispensation if he's unlucky, or
punishing the productive in the name of helping the less fortunate.

A just and loving society, in other words,
doesn't enshrine victimhood and doesn't see a
contradiction between justice and compassion.
Both are attributes of the living God but they
shouldn't be confused. .." ~ Michael Medved

"The language of the left is always framed in
terms of victimhood. Analyze their discourse
and there is always a victim buried in it.
Always. ..Once you have embraced the language of
victimology as legitimate -- instead of the
language of absolute values and standards -- then
you have no defense against the victims you have
empowered. All they have to do is play the victim
card, and you can have no response. .." To
continue, click
here http://www.onecosmos.blogspot.com/ and
scroll down to Tuesday, April 17, 2007 "Get Ready
for the Future: It is Martyr"

~ Janice

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Received on Sat Apr 21 15:00:00 2007