by Feed your head with a play by Pamela Olson

Created on: March 03, 2009

Within The Reach Of Conscience
Times change, and the Jewish religion changes with them as the bible is not a closed book.

Civilizations can not endure without conscience yet Aristotle maintained that humans are not born with moral virtues, writing we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts." Our heart, mind and tongue must be prepared. Encouraging courteous questions and treating them with respect is the basis for encomium growth and change. Ethical character develops gradually. Doing small acts of kindness prepare us for doing larger acts of goodness. Such as not supporting wicked, goading or hate speech for that deforms the integrity of conscience. The Jewish tradition is that "The tongue is a sharpened arrow," (Jer 9.7) so Jews conclude prayers with "my God, guard my tongue from evil, and my lips from speaking hurt."

Conscience is the interaction in the moral dialog between God and the children of God. Exodus Rabbah 45.2 poignantly expresses the complementary role of God and God's disciples. In the Midrash Tanhuma, Burber writes that as Moses is dying, God asks, "Who will now stand against Me on the day of wrath? Who shall protect Israel in the House of My anger? Who will stand up for My children in the great end of days, and who will speak up for them when they sin?" That is God's recognition of human collegiality and the obligation of humans to develop conscience that collegiality requires.

Conscience leads us to compassion for the exploited, courage to protect the innocent and strength to oppose the callous and cruel. Nachmanides warns of "scoundrels within the law." Victims of ethical violations are too often legally defenseless as the arm of the law may here be short. The formal conditions for halachic prosecution may be absent. The Jewish code of law and ethics is the Mishneh Torah. There are no laws about jealousy, hardening of the heart, quarrelsomeness, scoffing, sadism, pride, adultery, hurt, a sharp tongue, poking fun, name-calling, greed, or effrontery. Yet, these too often lie at the lugubrious root of violence, theft, divorce, murder, robbery, war and so forth. There is no biblical Hebrew word that translates to conscience. Therefore, Jewish scholars cite yirat elohim when an act is wrongful, but not illegal. Yirat elohim is fear of God. The prophet Malachi defined those with no fear of God as people who live stealthy lives, practice sorcery, commit adultery, swear falsely, cheat, and oppress.

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