by Rabbi Shlomo Segal
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
This d’var Torah is part of Rabbi Segal’s podcast series. To listen to this podcasts please find it in the Segal’s Sentiments archive here.
This week we begin the Book of Vayikra, Leviticus. It focuses primarily on animal sacrifice which was the principal method of ancient worship up until the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem.
There is a very compelling verse which concerns a leader who sins unintentionally. Such a person would have to bring a goat offering to atone for his sin. (Leviticus 4:22 – 4:24) Notice the words in verse 22, chapter 4, יֶחֱטָא נָשִׂיא, אֲשֶׁר which mean “when” a leader commits a sin.” The great commentator Sforno (on Leviticus 4:22) points out that there is no conditional word such as אם, “if,” i.e., the Torah considers it essentially a given that a leader will become guilty of at least an inadvertent sin. After all, since none of us are perfect, it is to be expected that someone who is active and in motion will err. The ability to sincerely atone for one’s sin will ultimately determine his or her ability to govern and lead. In the United States of America, we are currently seeing an unfortunate pattern among political leaders who make blanket statements that are offensive at their core. Such statements are often minimized at best, and defended at worst by fellow politicians. They are mistakenly characterized as mere errors or misunderstandings when in fact, they were deliberate slurs, smears, and libelous stereotypes aimed at defiling certain groups of people.
While Judaism teaches us to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, our leaders must recognize that they need to atone for both outright and inadvertent sins, and that such atonement must include a genuine commitment to avoid repeating the offense in the future. Paul “Bear” Bryant said, “when you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, learn from it, and don’t repeat it.” That is excellent advice that our law makers and politicians in particular should heed.
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Rabbi Shlomo Segal is a member of the UTJ’s Panel of Halakhic Inquiry, which issues religious responses on behalf of the organization on contemporary issues, and vice president of Morashah, the rabbinic arm of UTJ.
Rabbi Segal is also a member of the International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF) and the New York Board of Rabbis.
In fall 2013, after a decade of pulpit experience, Rabbi Segal founded Kehilat Moshe, a liberal Orthodox congregation in the Sheepshead Bay area of Brooklyn, NY. While still a new congregation, Kehilat Moshe has emerged as a diverse, multi-generational caring and intellectually stimulating community rooted in both pluralism and halakhah.
Rabbi Segal delivers a weekly commentary which you can find at kehilatmoshe.org and on YouTube. He was also interviewed on National Public Radio on the subject of “Swinging Chicken Ritual Divides Orthodox Jews”.