In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exploration of this idea, starting with the verse "These are the ordinances." It draws a connection to Proverbs 29:4: "A king upholds the land with justice, but a man of terumot will destroy it." Terumot (תרומות) refers to donations, offerings, but in this context, it takes on a much deeper meaning.
The midrash (rabbinic interpretation) begins by stating "A king upholds the land with justice…this is the Holy One, blessed be He." It tells us that God created the world with justice. How do we know? The text points out that in the creation story (Genesis 1:1), it says "Elohim (God) created," not "Adonai (the Lord) created." You see, Jewish tradition often associates the name Elohim with God’s attribute of justice, while Adonai is associated with God’s attribute of mercy. As we find in Bereishit Rabba 12:16, the verses employ the name “God” when He acts with the attribute of justice, and “the Lord” when He acts with the attribute of mercy. David echoes this in Psalms 50:6, saying, "For God is Judge." The world, in its very essence, was built on a foundation of justice.
But what about the second part of the verse: "…but a man of terumot will destroy it"? Here, the midrash offers several interpretations, each more thought-provoking than the last.
First, it suggests that the "man of terumot" is Adam. Just like a woman separating ḥalla (a portion of dough given as an offering) kneads the dough and then takes the ḥalla, God "kneaded" the world and then took Adam. This comparison is based on the fact that ḥalla is also referred to as teruma, as Numbers 15:20 states. But when Adam sinned, the earth was cursed. His actions, his "offering" of disobedience, brought destruction.
Then, the midrash offers another interpretation: the "man of terumot" is a sage, learned in halakha (Jewish law), midrash, and agada (stories and legends), who turns away those seeking justice because he's "too busy" with his studies. By neglecting the cries of the orphan and the widow, this sage, despite his sacred endeavors, is considered to be destroying the world. Such a Sage is referred to as a man of terumot because he is involved in endeavors that are sacred, just as teruma is sacred, and he removes [merim] himself from involvement in justice.
Finally, the midrash suggests that "a king upholds the land with justice" refers to Israel, as it says in Exodus 19:6: "You shall be for Me a kingdom of priests." Conversely, the "man of terumot" is the generation of the flood, who "separated themselves from justice." They ignored the plight of the vulnerable, as described in Job 24:3-4. Rabbi Aḥa says that God offered them four things – Torah, suffering, offerings, and prayer – but they rejected them all. According to the text, "They say to God: Turn away from us" (Job 21:14), this is the suffering. “We do not desire the knowledge of Your ways” (Job 21:14), this is Torah. “What is the Almighty that we should worship Him?” (Job 21:15), these are the offerings. “What good will it do if we encounter Him?” (Job 21:15), this is prayer. Because they didn't accept the Torah, which embodies justice, they were "broken from morning to evening" (Job 4:20). The text equates mesim (מֵסִים) in Job 4:20, meaning "unaware," with justice, connecting it back to the ordinances (tasim – תָּשִׂים) mentioned in Exodus.
So, what does all this mean for us? It seems the midrash is telling us that justice isn't just a legal concept, but the very bedrock of existence. Neglecting justice, whether through individual sin, intellectual aloofness, or societal indifference, ultimately leads to destruction. We must embrace the responsibility to uphold justice in our own lives and in the world around us, lest we become the "man of terumot" who undermines the very foundation upon which we stand. Are we actively building a world of justice, or passively contributing to its decay? It’s a powerful question to consider.