Parshat Beshalach , February  3/4 - 11 Shvat 5772

Justice Vs. Mercy

The other day I was on my way to visit someone to offer them advice on koshering their kitchen in Golden Beach - which is as nice as it sounds. Heading to Ives Dairy Road and south on Biscayne Boulevard is always an exciting driving experience. It is probably the worst-planned roads in all of South Florida where way too many people converge in an area of endless condos, Aventura Mall, the beach and the cities of Aventura/Golden Beach which are 90% Jewish - OY! It is a driving shtup-fest where, at three different points, drivers jockey for position to avoid waiting in long lines and prefer to cut in at the Ives Dairy Road exit, later on to go south onto US1 and then again to get into the mall or head onto the William Lehman Causeway to go to the beach.

While I was patiently waiting at the light at the causeway a taxi cab jumped the line and plunked himself at the front. There is plenty of room at that intersection to successfully do this rather than be stuck at the end of the line and suffer the hellish experience of not making the green and having to (heaven forbid) wait out two lights there. Or maybe he just didn't realize it was the turnoff to the causeway - I often get confused with the numerous mall entrances - and he just didn't feel like continuing on and making a U-turn further down the road. Whatever the case, I was cursing him under my breath for his breach of driving protocol. (Actually, as there was no one with me in the car, my curses were over my breath.)

Ah... but then God heard my prayers, felt my indignation and commiserated with my sense of injustice. For just as we made that left turn with said cab-driver at the undeserved front spot of the line, out of nowhere came an Aventura police car who sped after him with red and blue lights a blazing. And sure enough, in just a few moments he was toast and pulled over to the shoulder. Yesssss!!! Nothing like instant justice being served.

I felt so good... but only for about five seconds.

Because right after that I thought of the price of this guy's moving violation. It will probably set him back about $150 bucks. And I am sure he is not like many of us who can call up any one of a number of lawyer buddies who will go to bat for him in court and maybe get the whole thing dismissed. And I thought of how all of his day's profits just went down the drain in an instant. And when I contemplated this I could not help but feel bad for this poor fellow, despite his traffic indiscretions.

You see, the world operates according to two different systems: Justice and Mercy. In the Torah, there are even different names associated with God that reflect when He is the God of Justice or the God of Mercy for He is referred to as Adonai as opposed to Elohim.

Very often in our lives we wish for Justice to take place upon another when we are witness to wrongs being committed. We want to see one get his come-uppance and we may even take joy when it happens. And while this may be legitimate and even praiseworthy at times such as when we see justice meted out to those who are truly evil, one needs to be a bit more careful with the less minor infractions in life like jumping a line at a red light. By the way, I am not speaking here of the police officer's reaction - his job is to uphold the law - but rather my own.  

Jewish tradition teaches that the world operates under the system of Mida K'neged Mida - Measure for Measure. The way we view others, what we wish for them, oftentimes comes back full circle to us. If our world view is one of strict and harsh justice, then God behaves with us in that manner - for after all, isn't this what you wished for? Surely you cannot expect to be exempt from the very system that you wish for others?

On the other hand, if we give others the benefit of the doubt, cut them a little slack, and show a little mercy and understanding, then the Almighty certainly will do the same for us, for after all, isn't this the world view that we wished for and lived in accordance with? As such, we can surely expect to benefit from the system that we view as good and fine for others when it now applies to our lives and situations where we fall short.

There are times for Justice and having a very strict and firm view of right and wrong. But most of the time we need to show a little mercy to others and realize that we would not want anything different in how others, and God, view us.

Morning prayers took the girl unawares
She was late for class and she knew it...

Later on she plays Morning Has Broken
She knows she's bad
She is slowing everybody down
The choirmaster - usually a bastard - knows her mother's sick
He'll be nice to her

                               -Belle and Sebastian 

Rabbi Tzvi Nightingale
Aish South Florida