The Phoenix Jewish news., 1960-08-26

WlJIl Tie SISdISSI POoolOAC CIllPAA0oA
to all. Justice, whether to your p
ton, whether to Jew or non-Jew.
sistence on Justice" that man
should not use unjust means to
secure the victory of justice. JUS
tice is strong enough, divine
enough, to trump without itself
resorting to injustice.
Justice, justice shalt thou follow.
These passionate words may be
taken as the keynote of the hui
name legislation of the Torah and
of the demand for social righteous
ness by IsraePs prophets, psalm
lists, and sages.
LET justice roll down as waters,
and righteousness as a mighty
stream" is the cry of Amos. JUS
tice is not the only ethical quality
in God or man, nor is it the high
est quality; but it is the basis of
all the others.
1T MUST BE NOTED that the
idea of justice in Hebrew thought
stands for something quite other
than in Greek. In Plato's RE
public" for example, it implies a
harmonious arrangement of socl-
ETY.. by which every human peg is
put into it's appropriate hole, SO
that those who perform humble
functions shall be content to per-
form them in due subServience to
their superiors. 1t stresses the in
equalities of human nature; where
as in the Jewish conception of JUS
tice. the equality is stressed.
To understand the idea of justice
in Israel, we must bear in mind
the Biblical teaching that man is
created in the image of God; that
in every human being there is a
divine spark; and that each hu-
man life is sacred, and of infinite
worth.
Thus a human being cannot be
treated as an object, or a thlng,
but must be treated as a person
ality. and, as a personality, every
human being is possessor OF tne
right to life, honor, and the fruits
of his labor.
JUSTICE is THE awe inspired
respect for the personality OF 9th
ers and their inalienable ngnts;
even as injustice is the most fla
grant manifestation of disreSpecl
for the personality of others. Juda-
ism requires that human person
ality be respected in every human
being even in the criminal con-
demned to death. The law re-
ouires. for instance, if man De
found worthy of death by hanging,
his human dignity must still be
respected; his body is not to re,
main hanging overnight, but must
be buried the same day.
II is thus seen that whereas IN
Greek the idea of justice was
akin to harmony, in Hebrew II Is
akin to holiness. Nor is justice
limited to the relation of indivldu-
als II extends to the relation be-
tween group and group. Even as
there is social justice prescribing
the duties of class to class, sc
there is international justice wnlcr
demands respect for the PERSONAL
itv of each and every national
group, and proclaims that no peo'
ple can, of right, be robbed OF us
national life or territory, its IAN
guage or spiritual heritage.
A NOTED AMERICAN jurist
said: 1.-The world owes its concep'
ton of justice to the Jew
God gave him to see through the
things that are ever changing, the
things that never change. Com
pared with the meaning and ma
iesty of this achievement, every
other triumph of every other peo-
ple sinks into insignificance.'
The pure administration OF JUS
tice is thus one of the conditions OF
IsraePs existence. Our teachers,
from the first of them to the last
brand the perversion of the course
of Justice, as the most alarming
ci0o of national decay.