Post by sclcookie on May 31, 2006 2:04:12 GMT -5
Rabbi will look at death penalty in light of Jewish law
What better topic than biblical law to discuss at the all-night, community-wide Shavuot program June 1 at Kehilath Israel Synagogue?
Shavuot commemorates Moses receiving the Torah from God on Mount Sinai, and the Torah consists of the laws by which Jews live.
Rabbi Pamela Barmash, director of Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies and associate professor of Hebrew Bible and Biblical Hebrew at Washington University in St. Louis, will lead several study sessions here this year. Her theme is "Biblical Law and the Pursuit of Justice," which also happens to be the title of her book.
Rabbis Herbert Mandl (Kehilath Israel) and Scott White (Congregation Ohev Sholom) are co-chairing this event. It was Rabbi White who suggested Rabbi Barmash as the speaker.
"A number of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy graduates were students of hers at Washington University, and Rabbi Scott White had heard rave reviews about her," Rabbi Mandl said. "She's a specialist on the subject of biblical law, particularly the death penalty. So it sounded like she would be a dynamic speaker. People are always interested in Jewish and legal topics. I thought this would be something that would be very interesting and different."
Focusing on homicide, capital punishment and recent legal and moral issues, Rabbi Barmash said she became interested in the subject while writing a dissertation on the Bible for her doctoral degree.
The Hebrew Bible, or Tanach, is as relevant to today's issues as it was in the ancient world, Rabbi Barmash said. The problems of antiquity were just as complicated as those of today. And what's more, she noted, the ancients had no "CSI" teams to rely upon.
"The great use of forensic evidence has only been around for the last 10 years, so what did people use 20 years ago? They used eyewitnesses, and I think we've come to know that eyewitnesses can be very fallible," Rabbi Barmash said. "So by using other sorts of determinates, you certainly can figure out what the murder weapon was or you can inquire whether these 2 people were in fact friendly or hostile."
That goes to determining whether a killing was intentional - murder - or not - manslaughter in American parlance.
"There was great concern for determining whether a particular killing was, in fact, intentional or accidental," Rabbi Barmash said. "And you can tell in the regulations contained within the Torah that a great deal of thought and practical experience was used in making those determinations."
The ultimate crime
In every culture, homicide is viewed as heinous, Rabbi Barmash said. "The question is, how do you try to remedy the tragedy of homicide? Who's responsible for ensuring justice? How do you conduct a fair trial? What methods of punishment are there? How do you help a family after it has lost a significant member? Every society confronts it, and every society comes up with a set of solutions that fits that society."
In Jewish law, she said, homicide is the ultimate crime.
"Life is of the utmost value," Rabbi Barmash said. "The question is, if you have someone who has intentionally murdered another human being, what do you do with that person? Whether Jews were living in their own self-contained society (able) to do what they want or were in a relationship with a larger society, it has always merited the most severe punishment, whether that is capital punishment or life imprisonment."
The institution of prison for crimes such as theft or assault is a relatively modern concept, Rabbi Barmash said. Jewish law states that a thief must pay back a stolen object by either twice, 4 times or even 5 times its worth, depending on the type of object.
"If you told an ancient Israelite that the punishment in our society (for theft) is someone goes to jail for a couple of years, they would find that incomprehensible," Rabbi Barmash said. "That doesn't take care of the problem."
And what about the Bible's famous "eye for an eye" formulation? Rabbi Barmash said it should be interpreted as a call for fairness and a limitation on revenge. It is not, as Christians often portray it, an infamous example of Judaism's supposedly harsh reliance on the law.
For example, Rabbi Barmash said, in the 18th century, someone could be executed for stealing a loaf of bread or sent in exile to Australia, "which would be like you and me being forced to go to the moon. That's disproportionate punishment."
She said many people would be surprised to learn that "an eye for an eye" does not refer to homicide at all, but rather to the loss of a limb.
"Think of it as a phrase meaning the punishment has to be in proportion," she said. "In other words, you couldn't execute somebody for causing someone else to lose a limb. ... The victim and the offender have to negotiate (the punishment) with the help of the community's judges or elders."
To practice justice
Today, we turn on the news and hear of a homicide in our community almost every day. Rabbi Barmash said the question is how outraged are people that these events are happening?
"One of the concerns of the Torah and one of the sets of rules is where, in fact, you find someone who has been the victim of foul play, what is the proper response of the community?" she said. "Do you become immune to it? Do you ignore it? What do you do? The Torah addresses that, and, in fact, makes the most powerful people in the community responsible for dealing with the case of a crime that cannot be solved, rather than shunting it to the side or ignoring it."
The message Rabbi Barmash said she wants to convey is that there should be a hue and cry from society every time there is a homicide or other heinous crime.
"Justice is not a matter of ideals that you leave to a small group in society to figure out how to put into practice," she said, "but is, in fact, the concern and responsibility of every single person."
All-night study sessions set for Shavuot
The annual all-night Shavuot program begins at 8:20 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at Kehilath Israel Synagogue with 2 mincha services, a traditional and a learner's service. The community is invited.
Special youth programs facilitated by KI's Rabbi Meir Wexler and Danny Zeldin will be offered throughout the night including informal study, sports and games. Permission forms for all students are required.
(source: Kansas City Jewish Chronicle)
What better topic than biblical law to discuss at the all-night, community-wide Shavuot program June 1 at Kehilath Israel Synagogue?
Shavuot commemorates Moses receiving the Torah from God on Mount Sinai, and the Torah consists of the laws by which Jews live.
Rabbi Pamela Barmash, director of Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies and associate professor of Hebrew Bible and Biblical Hebrew at Washington University in St. Louis, will lead several study sessions here this year. Her theme is "Biblical Law and the Pursuit of Justice," which also happens to be the title of her book.
Rabbis Herbert Mandl (Kehilath Israel) and Scott White (Congregation Ohev Sholom) are co-chairing this event. It was Rabbi White who suggested Rabbi Barmash as the speaker.
"A number of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy graduates were students of hers at Washington University, and Rabbi Scott White had heard rave reviews about her," Rabbi Mandl said. "She's a specialist on the subject of biblical law, particularly the death penalty. So it sounded like she would be a dynamic speaker. People are always interested in Jewish and legal topics. I thought this would be something that would be very interesting and different."
Focusing on homicide, capital punishment and recent legal and moral issues, Rabbi Barmash said she became interested in the subject while writing a dissertation on the Bible for her doctoral degree.
The Hebrew Bible, or Tanach, is as relevant to today's issues as it was in the ancient world, Rabbi Barmash said. The problems of antiquity were just as complicated as those of today. And what's more, she noted, the ancients had no "CSI" teams to rely upon.
"The great use of forensic evidence has only been around for the last 10 years, so what did people use 20 years ago? They used eyewitnesses, and I think we've come to know that eyewitnesses can be very fallible," Rabbi Barmash said. "So by using other sorts of determinates, you certainly can figure out what the murder weapon was or you can inquire whether these 2 people were in fact friendly or hostile."
That goes to determining whether a killing was intentional - murder - or not - manslaughter in American parlance.
"There was great concern for determining whether a particular killing was, in fact, intentional or accidental," Rabbi Barmash said. "And you can tell in the regulations contained within the Torah that a great deal of thought and practical experience was used in making those determinations."
The ultimate crime
In every culture, homicide is viewed as heinous, Rabbi Barmash said. "The question is, how do you try to remedy the tragedy of homicide? Who's responsible for ensuring justice? How do you conduct a fair trial? What methods of punishment are there? How do you help a family after it has lost a significant member? Every society confronts it, and every society comes up with a set of solutions that fits that society."
In Jewish law, she said, homicide is the ultimate crime.
"Life is of the utmost value," Rabbi Barmash said. "The question is, if you have someone who has intentionally murdered another human being, what do you do with that person? Whether Jews were living in their own self-contained society (able) to do what they want or were in a relationship with a larger society, it has always merited the most severe punishment, whether that is capital punishment or life imprisonment."
The institution of prison for crimes such as theft or assault is a relatively modern concept, Rabbi Barmash said. Jewish law states that a thief must pay back a stolen object by either twice, 4 times or even 5 times its worth, depending on the type of object.
"If you told an ancient Israelite that the punishment in our society (for theft) is someone goes to jail for a couple of years, they would find that incomprehensible," Rabbi Barmash said. "That doesn't take care of the problem."
And what about the Bible's famous "eye for an eye" formulation? Rabbi Barmash said it should be interpreted as a call for fairness and a limitation on revenge. It is not, as Christians often portray it, an infamous example of Judaism's supposedly harsh reliance on the law.
For example, Rabbi Barmash said, in the 18th century, someone could be executed for stealing a loaf of bread or sent in exile to Australia, "which would be like you and me being forced to go to the moon. That's disproportionate punishment."
She said many people would be surprised to learn that "an eye for an eye" does not refer to homicide at all, but rather to the loss of a limb.
"Think of it as a phrase meaning the punishment has to be in proportion," she said. "In other words, you couldn't execute somebody for causing someone else to lose a limb. ... The victim and the offender have to negotiate (the punishment) with the help of the community's judges or elders."
To practice justice
Today, we turn on the news and hear of a homicide in our community almost every day. Rabbi Barmash said the question is how outraged are people that these events are happening?
"One of the concerns of the Torah and one of the sets of rules is where, in fact, you find someone who has been the victim of foul play, what is the proper response of the community?" she said. "Do you become immune to it? Do you ignore it? What do you do? The Torah addresses that, and, in fact, makes the most powerful people in the community responsible for dealing with the case of a crime that cannot be solved, rather than shunting it to the side or ignoring it."
The message Rabbi Barmash said she wants to convey is that there should be a hue and cry from society every time there is a homicide or other heinous crime.
"Justice is not a matter of ideals that you leave to a small group in society to figure out how to put into practice," she said, "but is, in fact, the concern and responsibility of every single person."
All-night study sessions set for Shavuot
The annual all-night Shavuot program begins at 8:20 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at Kehilath Israel Synagogue with 2 mincha services, a traditional and a learner's service. The community is invited.
Special youth programs facilitated by KI's Rabbi Meir Wexler and Danny Zeldin will be offered throughout the night including informal study, sports and games. Permission forms for all students are required.
(source: Kansas City Jewish Chronicle)