Dear Friends,
We all know that sometimes it is difficult to be patient. We could be irritated sitting in traffic. We might be frustrated that our restaurant meal is taking so long to be served. And a common situation: someone is repeating the same story, complaint, or issue again and again.
Patience requires that we persevere, manage our own inner feelings, and allow the situation to occur. But it isn’t easy, and it may not be automatic. In fact, in a commentary on a simple verse in our Torah this week, we see the command to listen with patience.
In the Torah, at the end of 40 years in the desert, Moses recounted our history along the way and recalled, "I charged your magistrates at that time as follows: ‘Hear out your fellow Israelites, and decide justly between one party and the other...’"
It seems innocuous. Moses charged judges to listen and determine fairly. However, the Sifrei, a very early Midrashic commentary, offered the following explanation:
"And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear among your brothers." Moses told them: Be deliberate in your judgment. If a similar case comes before you one, two, or three times, do not say, I've already ruled on this several times, but be deliberate in the judgment of each case.
Moses taught an important and vital lesson. It is not unexpected that a busy magistrate with a docket full of demanding cases might say, "I’ve heard this already, and here is my decision." Or, the judge might think that he or she has heard enough, and assumes where the case is going, and interrupts the supplicants. But, no, the commentary asserted that Moses’ intention was to instruct the magistrates to listen deliberately to all comers, even if the case had been heard before or a similar concern had recently been brought.
The message is simple: every case must be heard; every person must be heard; every concern must be heard. No matter how busy one is, one must respect and attend to the concerns of another.
Patience is more than merely a virtue; it is a Divine command. It is the foundation of how each one of us must treat another, and it is the demonstration of profound respect and decency. And, contrariwise, impatience bespeaks personal arrogance and disrespect of the other person. It wasn’t tolerated in the biblical desert and should not be tolerated or demonstrated in our own day, either. Be patient!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
We all know that sometimes it is difficult to be patient. We could be irritated sitting in traffic. We might be frustrated that our restaurant meal is taking so long to be served. And a common situation: someone is repeating the same story, complaint, or issue again and again.
Patience requires that we persevere, manage our own inner feelings, and allow the situation to occur. But it isn’t easy, and it may not be automatic. In fact, in a commentary on a simple verse in our Torah this week, we see the command to listen with patience.
In the Torah, at the end of 40 years in the desert, Moses recounted our history along the way and recalled, "I charged your magistrates at that time as follows: ‘Hear out your fellow Israelites, and decide justly between one party and the other...’"
It seems innocuous. Moses charged judges to listen and determine fairly. However, the Sifrei, a very early Midrashic commentary, offered the following explanation:
"And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear among your brothers." Moses told them: Be deliberate in your judgment. If a similar case comes before you one, two, or three times, do not say, I've already ruled on this several times, but be deliberate in the judgment of each case.
Moses taught an important and vital lesson. It is not unexpected that a busy magistrate with a docket full of demanding cases might say, "I’ve heard this already, and here is my decision." Or, the judge might think that he or she has heard enough, and assumes where the case is going, and interrupts the supplicants. But, no, the commentary asserted that Moses’ intention was to instruct the magistrates to listen deliberately to all comers, even if the case had been heard before or a similar concern had recently been brought.
The message is simple: every case must be heard; every person must be heard; every concern must be heard. No matter how busy one is, one must respect and attend to the concerns of another.
Patience is more than merely a virtue; it is a Divine command. It is the foundation of how each one of us must treat another, and it is the demonstration of profound respect and decency. And, contrariwise, impatience bespeaks personal arrogance and disrespect of the other person. It wasn’t tolerated in the biblical desert and should not be tolerated or demonstrated in our own day, either. Be patient!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
