Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz on mutual responsibility in Judaism
Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites Shmuel Rabinowitz, in a column on the weekly Torah portion Nitzavim, emphasized the principle of mutual responsibility in Jewish tradition. According to the author, society cannot be based solely on personal achievements and indifference to the problems of others.
Shared responsibility
As The Jerusalem Post writes, Rabinowitz links the reading of the Nitzavim portion in the period before Rosh Hashanah with a call to care for others. He notes that stronger members of society should support people in difficult circumstances, since one person's hardships may ultimately affect the entire community.
The author cites a parable about a ship passenger who began drilling a hole beneath his own seat and claimed that it did not concern others. The other passengers objected that water would flood the entire ship through the hole. According to Rabinowitz's interpretation, this image shows that one person's actions can have consequences for all of society.
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Everyone has a place in the community
The column mentions a passage from Deuteronomy 29:9–10, in which leaders, elders, men, women, children, strangers, and people of different occupations stand together before God. Rabinowitz interprets this list as a reminder that everyone is a participant in a common cause and has their own role in community life.
The author refers to the Talmudic principle that all Jews are responsible for one another. He also cites the view of former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom Jonathan Sacks: for a community, it is not necessarily important to share identical views, but to show care for one another. In conclusion, Rabinowitz calls on people, as they prepare for the new year, to see the needs of those around them.
