Do Not Remain Indifferent
Indifference leads to harm.
Too often we say, “It’s not my problem. It’s not my responsibility.” But the world, with all its good and all its bad, is our responsibility. What’s happening down the block and what’s going on thousands of miles away are our duties. Such is Judaism’s contention.
The Torah declares, “If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow. If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it.” (Deuteronomy 22)
We clearly do not believe in the adage, “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” Not only are we commanded to find the animal’s owner, but we must care for it until the owner is found. Imagine the expense of caring for an ox, of making sure it has enough food for months or even years! And while I am reasonably certain that no one in our congregation, or for that matter, in the neighborhoods in which we live, owns an ox or a sheep, the implication is clear.
We must go out of our way for our neighbors. We must even incur expenses, and take on additional burdens, to help them out. The Torah places no limits on our responsibilities. They are only completed when the neighbor claims the animal. In other words, it is only when our fellow says, “Enough.”
Our neighbors’ problems are our sacred burdens. Our fellows’ difficulties are ours to help alleviate. The tradition makes plain that we must take responsibility for our neighbors’ wellbeing.
The Torah concludes, “So too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses, and you find: you must not remain indifferent.”
The Hebrew for indifferent is “l’hitalem.” It comes from the word meaning hidden. It suggests that their problems must not remain hidden to us. Its root is also related to the word for world. The Hebrew suggests that the world contains hidden mysteries which we must unveil.
Too often we think those mysteries are the world’s hidden beauties and majesties. Here it suggests that it’s the world’s difficulties that frequently remain hidden.
The world, and its troubles, are our sacred burden to help undo. They are also our duty to unveil. Take responsibility for each other.
You must not remain indifferent!