RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

THE PRACTICES THAT HELP ACHIEVE THE GOALS
The idea of human rights is based on the belief that individuals have
worth. To a large extent, this notion developed from the teachings of
the Torah and the prophets. The moral laws in Judaism recognise the
following fundamental human rights:
• The right to live
• The right of possession
• The right to work
• The right to clothing
• The right to shelter
• The right to leisure
• The right to liberty
(in Isidore Epstein, Judaism, 1982, p26)
Judaism also requires Jewish people to keep the laws of the country in
which they live. It also teaches that rights depend on responsibilities.
An example of what happens to people when they stop fulfilling their
responsibilities is found in the Torah (Deuteronomy 27: 15–26). All the
things which God said would happen to the Jewish people in this
terrifying quotation have happened at one time or another to some, if
not all, of the children of Israel. The whole story of the Hebrew Bible is
one in which it is shown that the Jewish people suffer when they are
disobedient to God.
The Hebrew word for justice ‘tzedek’ is closely related to the word for
‘charity’ which is ‘tzedakah’. So ‘justice’, in its broadest sense, includes
charity and philanthropy. It is not confined to the relations between
individuals but also extends to relations between groups. It asserts the
claims of the poor upon the rich and of the helpless upon those with
the means to help. In so doing, the Jewish concept of justice covers
notions of social justice.
Activity 29
Read the following sources (and others) and find examples of civil
justice, social justice and criminal justice:
Deuteronomy 16: 18–20
Leviticus 19: 9–18 (see section 4, p41)
Exodus 21: 24
Psalms 146: 9
RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) 75
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