Last week, Upper School discussed the differences between EQUITY and EQUALITY. Does Judaism preach equality? Short answer, no. We had slavery, unequal access to the Temple, and identity based laws. Does Judaism preach equity? Sort of. We have laws about saving fruit bearing trees in times of siege, not picking up fallen fruit on our way to the market and just donations of time and capital. We find ourselves a part of what may be described as a broken system. The haves and have-nots are both ghetto-ized into a cycle of inequality and inequity.
The Upper School posits a different view. To fix a broken system, we must work hand in hand for all to be successful. This Shabbat we take the advice of Moses’s father-in-law, Yitro, to share the mantle of leadership in repairing or reimagining the systems that subjugate some and allow others unlimited opportunities.
