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Seek good and not evil, that ye may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you as ye say. Hate the evil and love the good, and establish justice in the gate. (Amos 5:14-15) | |
Break Thou the arm of the wicked; and as for the evil man, search out his wickedness, till none be found. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations are perished out of His land. Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Thou wilt direct their heart, Thou wilt cause Thine ear to attend; to right the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may be terrible no more. (Psalms 10:15-18) | |
Right and justice are not simply matters for the state and the social order, but belong to God, who defends the cause of the helpless and the homeless, “who executes the judgment of the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 10:18), “who regardeth not persons, nor taketh bribes” (Deuteronomy 10:17). Iniquity is hateful to Him; it cannot be covered up by pious acts, nor be justified by good ends. “Justice is God‘s” (Deuteronomy 1:17). Thus every violation of justice, whether from sordid self-seeking or from tender compassion, is a violation of God’s cause; and every vindication of justice, every strengthening of the power of right in society is a triumph of God.[1] from Kaufmann Kohler’s “God’s Justice” in Jewish Theology: Systematically and Historically Considered (1918), p. 120 | |
The recognition of God as the righteous Judge of the world—Ẓidduḳ ha-Din— is to bring consolation and endurance to the afflicted, and to remove from their hearts the bitter sting of despair and doubt.[2] from Kaufmann Kohler’s “God’s Justice” in Jewish Theology: Systematically and Historically Considered (1918), p. 125 | |
When we consider that countless generations passed before the star of righteousness rose, then we can understand why so few as yet steer their lives and chart their courses by it. And yet righteousness is the inspiration of the vision and message of the prophets. They fearlessly identified the worship of God with the service of man; therein was revealed their marvelous courage. They insisted that God desires justice and not sacrifice, acts of mercy and not mere piety. Let not those whose hands are stained with blood come into His sanctuary. “Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17) Thus spoke the prophet Isaiah. | |
The world is still far from pursuing such principles. The faces of the poor are still ground into the dust. Injustice stalks on the highway, and man can decree hunger and sorrow for his fellowman. | |
But let none who is not clean of hands and pure of heart call himself by the name of the Most High God. He who would serve God must not only be guiltless of injustice; he must never regard wrong with complacency. His soul must flame with wrath at the tyrant. From his lips must burst the word of the Almighty God. His sword must leap from its scabbard to strike to earth the chains that bind men. | |
As children of Israel, the race from whose loins sprang the prophets, let us cherish the heritage of their spirit, and let us live by it. | |
Unto Thee do I turn, O God of Love, who dwellest with the humble and lowly. Thou desirest that man “walk uprightly, work righteousness and speak the truth in his own heart” (Psalms 15:2) Justice, and justice alone hast Thou asked him to pursue. | |
Grant me, I pray Thee, O Lord my God, a heart wide as the needs of men. I would not merely obey the law for the good of myself alone! Sympathy, only divine sympathy can teach me to stretch out a hand to the fallen, to heal the wounds inflicted by the cruelties of men. Teach my spirit to scorn whatever savors of tyranny and oppression. May I never grow cold and listless, or my ears grow dulled to the cry of distress. Grant that I may realize that I can serve Thee only by loving my fellowman as myself. Let me be rather of the humble than of the proud, of those who suffer than of those who crush; so that I may walk in Thy path and be at one with Thee, who lovest justice and establishest the world in righteousness. Amen. |
“Righteousness” is the twenty-ninth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 99-101. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.
Source(s)
Notes
| 1 | from Kaufmann Kohler’s “God’s Justice” in Jewish Theology: Systematically and Historically Considered (1918), p. 120 |
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| 2 | from Kaufmann Kohler’s “God’s Justice” in Jewish Theology: Systematically and Historically Considered (1918), p. 125 |
“Righteousness, an exhortation to pursue justice (CCAR 1923)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication.
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