One minute someone is a hero, the next... well, not so much. It's human nature, right? But what about those in positions of authority, like judges? Do our shifting opinions of them have consequences?
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, delves into this very question. It all starts with a seemingly simple verse from Exodus 22:26: “For that alone is his covering, it is his garment for his skin; in what shall he lie? It shall be that when he cries out to Me, I will hear, as I am gracious.” This verse speaks of compassion, of hearing the cries of the vulnerable. Then, almost immediately after, we get a seemingly unrelated verse: “You shall not curse judges, and a prince among your people you shall not revile" (Exodus 22:27).
What's the connection?
The Rabbis of the Midrash, those masters of interpretation, saw a profound link. They tell a story: A man has a case and the judge rules in his favor. Elated, he praises the judge as the best in the world. But, wouldn’t you know it, he finds himself back in court before the very same judge, who this time rules against him. Suddenly, the judge is the biggest fool imaginable!
The people around him call him out: "Yesterday, he was praiseworthy! Today a fool?"
This, according to Shemot Rabbah, is why the verse cautions us, "You shall not curse judges." It's not just about being polite (though that's always a good idea!). It's about something deeper.
The Midrash goes on to say that if you curse judges, you are, in effect, cursing your crops. What?! Where does that come from? Well, the text connects it to the following verse: “The surfeit of your crop and the outpouring of your juices you shall not delay” (Exodus 22:28). The idea is that disrespecting the system of justice, represented by the judges, disrupts the flow of blessing, impacting even the land's fertility.
It's a powerful image, isn't it? The integrity of the legal system directly tied to the abundance of the harvest. We find a similar sentiment expressed in the Book of Ruth: “It was in the days when the judges judged [shefot hashofetim]," which the Midrash cleverly interprets as "it was in the days of judging the judges," there was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1). When the judges themselves are being judged, when the system is undermined, the land suffers.
But it doesn't stop there. The Midrash expands on the verse, “The surfeit of your crop and the outpouring of your juices you shall not delay,” applying it to the proper separation of tithes – terumah (the priestly offering) and ma'aser (the tithe). Don't get the order wrong, the text warns!
But what if you do act properly? What if you do respect the system and separate the tithes correctly? The reward, according to Shemot Rabbah, is male children, as it is stated: “The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me” (Exodus 22:28). This connects back to the time in the wilderness when the firstborn of Israel served as priests, as we see in Exodus 24:5: “He sent the young men of the children of Israel [and they sacrificed burnt offerings].”
Of course, that all changed with the sin of the Golden Calf. The firstborn lost their privileged status, and the Levites were chosen to take their place: “I have taken the Levites…in place of every firstborn” (Numbers 3:12).
So, what's the takeaway from all this? It's not just about avoiding curses or separating tithes in the right order. It's about recognizing the delicate balance of a just society. Respect for those in positions of authority, even when we disagree with their decisions, is vital for the well-being of the whole community. Disrespecting them, the Midrash suggests, can have far-reaching consequences, impacting everything from our crops to our children.
It makes you think, doesn't it? How do we balance our right to critique with our responsibility to uphold the foundations of a just society? It's a question worth pondering, even today.