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Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose is the Rabbi Bernard Lipnick Senior Rabbinic Chair at Congregation Bânai Amoona. Rabbi Rose is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the dâvar Torah for the Jewish Light.Â
BY RABBI CARNIE SHALOM ROSE Mar 4, 2021
There is a psalm for every day of the week, known as
Shir Shel Yom. Wednesdayâs is Psalm 94, and it tells us, âFor the law shall return to righteousness, and all those of upright heart shall follow it.â
Implicit is the reality that the law is not always righteous. As the Torah warns us, sometimes there isÂ
avale bi-mishpat, or perversion in law. Norms are essential for any functional society, but obedience to the law is never a sufficient religious posture. The truly pious jurist is zealous not so much for enforcing the law as for protecting the integrity of the system so that it can be an effective tool for righteousness.Â
Recent tragic and scary events in America have raised awareness of anti-Asian racism in our society. The history of anti-Asian discrimination, exclusion and exploitation is easily found through a Google search. I have found, however, that we learn and understand complex issues better when we…