“Blessed are those who uphold justice and act righteously at all times”

During this olive harvest season, we are working alongside Palestinian communities to help them defend their land, while at the same time helping us, as Jews, defend our values. Both are under brutal attack.

Moderation, humility, and respect for human dignity are the cornerstones of Jewish tradition. They are the moral compass that guides our relationships with one another and with God. The foundation upon which we exalt Moses is his profound humility: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any other human being on earth” (Numbers 12:3).

It doesn’t really seem fair. “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of the Lord… even in the tenth generation… [But] you shall not abhor the Edomite… your kinsman, [nor] the Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.” (Deut. 23:4-7). Was I not a kinsman? Abraham was my uncle. I joined him on his great adventure, when he set forth from Haran to Canaan. Indeed, to maintain family peace, I even agreed to separate my flocks and household from his. And he clearly took our kinship seriously, twice taking on great risk for my sake: liberating me from Chedorlaomer’s captivity (Gen. 14), and then confronting God over the plan to destroy my hometown.

Over the past few weeks, I have been going to the Jordan Valley to take part in protective presence activities. As part of this work, I sit in shepherds’ tents and accompany Palestinian shepherds as they take their flocks out to graze. We go out together because of the fear that they will encounter people who restrict their movements and prevent them from grazing their flocks, and who, in many cases, will damage or even confiscate their property. In other cases, they simply encounter people who come to harass and intimidate them in an effort to drive them away.

These visits bring me back to the Book of Genesis, which contains several disputes between shepherds.